Traffic Signal at Mall May Have to Wait for Green Light

Dear Street Smart:

There is a safety hazard at an intersection near the Buenaventura Mall.

During shopping hours, it’s nearly impossible to make a left turn from westbound Dean Drive onto Mills Road because there are so many people coming out of the mall and turning right who block the way.

A traffic signal with a left-turn arrow would solve this problem.

Any chance for this to happen?

Don Wolfe, Ventura

Dear Reader:

A signal is planned for that intersection, but when it will be installed is another matter.

If the city of Ventura approves a major expansion that has been proposed for the mall, the new signal could be in place within two years, Ventura Traffic Engineer Nazir Lalani says.

The signal is part of the overall plan for improving the streets around the mall if the addition is built.

But if the expansion proposal is rejected, the traffic signal plan will be relegated to a long list of traffic improvements in the city. It could take five to 10 years for the funding to be available to install it, Lalani says.

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Dear Street Smart:

I am concerned about a stop sign at the corner of Mandalay Beach Road and Sunset Drive in Oxnard.

The traffic entering from Sunset seldom stops for the sign.

I wonder if something can be done about this--either removing the stop sign altogether, putting in a yield sign or having somebody enforce the stop sign.

H. Bostrom, Oxnard

Dear Reader:

The best way to tackle your problem is to call the police and report offenders, Oxnard Traffic Engineer Joe Genovese says.

The city does not use yield signs in place of stop signs because drivers ignore them, Genovese says.

“They act like there’s nothing there,” he said. “So yield signs are really not good in this type of situation.”

A stop sign is needed as a safety precaution at the beachfront intersection because the area is heavily trafficked by tourists who are not familiar with the area and its traffic patterns, Genovese says.

“If this were a regular neighborhood, we could probably do without the sign because people would be cautious on their own,” he said. “Here, there are a lot of non-residents who might not be as careful.”

Genovese says he will ask police to pay extra attention to the intersection to make sure that drivers don’t blow past the sign without stopping.

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Dear Street Smart:

The lack of traffic signals at the intersection of Newbury and Ventu Park roads makes it a very unsafe crossing.

As it is, there are four stop signs that are supposed to control two lanes coming from each direction.

This is a wide intersection, and it becomes a free-for-all trying to get through safely.

Is there a possibility of putting a light there to avoid accidents?

Gary Schwallie, Thousand Oaks

Dear Reader:

Yes!

After the intersection spent five years on the city’s traffic-signal waiting list, Thousand Oaks plans to install a signal at Newbury and Ventu Park by the summer of 1995, Traffic Engineer John Helliwell says.

Every two years, the city reviews and updates a list of nearly 100 crossings that are waiting for signals.

And each year, funding is set aside for two or three of the most dangerous intersections, leaving the rest to wait their turn.

The two other intersections that will receive their own signals within the year are Avenida de los Arboles at Erbes Road and Thousand Oaks Boulevard at Oakwood Drive.