A Signal Improvement Awaits Camarillo Intersection

Dear Street Smart:

I was relieved to read in a recent Street Smart column that the city of Camarillo is planning to upgrade the intersection of Pleasant Valley and Lewis roads.

Is there any chance that the project could include signals at the intersection? It’s a scary intersection without them.

Bernice C. Nossoff, Camarillo

Dear Reader:

The city of Camarillo agrees that the Pleasant Valley Road-Lewis Road intersection could use a traffic signal.

So, they have included a traffic signal in their plans to widen and repave the roadway, says Camarillo traffic engineer Tom Fox.

The signal, which will include left-turn arrows, should be in place by the time the road improvements are completed late this year, Fox says.

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Dear Street Smart:

In a recent column you asserted that drivers are not permitted to turn left on a red light.

That’s true in most cases. However, there is an exception.

The vehicle code does allow drivers to turn left on red if the coast is clear and they are turning from a one-way street onto a one-way street.

Russell Chandler, Oxnard

Dear Reader:

Right you are.

Drivers may turn left on red from a one-way street onto a one-way street, provided there is no oncoming traffic.

For more information on rules governing left turns, call the city of Ventura at 654-7887 and ask for their free brochure on the subject.

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Dear Street Smart:

I am very concerned about the intersection of Conifer Street and Oakleaf Avenue in Oak Park.

Almost every day cars are parked all along Conifer and Oakleaf for baseball and soccer games and other sports events at a nearby park.

Trying to turn onto Conifer from northbound Oakleaf is a disaster.

Parked cars block the view of oncoming traffic in both directions.

Unless red lines are painted around these corners to prohibit parking, someone is going to get seriously hurt.

Please let me know if something can be done to make this happen.

Jennifer White, Agoura

Dear Reader:

County traffic workers will study the intersection to see if parking should be restricted, says Butch Britt, the county’s deputy public works director.

“If a red line is a viable option, then yes, we can make the change,” Britt says. “But we really have to look at why people are parking there and whether prohibiting parking would cause other problems.”

Street Smart has forwarded a copy of your letter to Britt, who promises to get back to you as soon as county engineers complete their report on the intersection.

BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION

As part of a project to replace three bridges on the Ojai Freeway, Caltrans has narrowed the bridge roadways to one lane and installed signals to control traffic.

The three bridges, all located in the Los Padres National Forest, cross Godwin Canyon, Bear Creek and the north fork of Matilija Creek.

The one-way traffic control will continue until the new bridges are completed next fall.

Caltrans is asking motorists to obey the signals and take extra care when crossing the bridges.