Shrubs at Intersection Pose Bushy Problem for Drivers
Dear Street Smart:
There is a really dangerous problem at an intersection in downtown Camarillo that could be remedied with a gardener’s clippers in less than three minutes.
Motorists who wish to turn right onto Arneill Road from westbound Daily Drive must first contend with a stop sign.
Cars on Arneill, which serves as an overpass for the Ventura Freeway, are driving at speeds up to 35 m.p.h. The problem is that those cars are largely hidden from view because of overgrown shrubs on the east side of the bridge.
There is no way to be certain that there are no fast-moving cars coming at you from the left until they are within about 15 feet of your stopped car.
So, you zip out onto Arneill with your fingers crossed.
I’m a cautious senior citizen driver, and I use this intersection almost daily.
Even if I possessed Clark Kent’s super vision, I would still be taking my life into my own hands at this spot.
I suspect that this is a site with a history of fender-benders, or worse.
Mort Steirer, Camarillo
Dear Reader:
You are not the first to complain about the unruly bushes near the Ventura Freeway.
The city received a complaint several months ago about the bushes, which were planted as part of a landscaping project in 1991, Traffic Engineer Tom Fox says.
The city is studying whether the bushes should be removed, Fox says. In the meantime, they will be pruned within the next several weeks.
Despite the complaints, there have been no accidents caused by poor visibility at this intersection in the recent past, Fox says.
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Dear Street Smart:
I am writing about the traffic signal on Pleasant Valley Road just south of the Ventura Freeway in Camarillo.
There is a problem for anyone driving south on Pleasant Valley who wants to make a left turn onto the access road for the park-and-ride lot near the freeway.
The wait for a green arrow is very long, even though the opposing traffic is very light.
If this left-turn arrow were changed to a regular green light, cars would be allowed to turn much more easily, instead of having to wait for the arrow.
I have written to Caltrans, but have received no response.
Other members of my car pool have also written to Caltrans without reply.
Please help.
Ken Schechter, Camarillo
Dear Reader:
Your wait is over.
The state Department of Transportation has conducted a traffic count at the traffic signal on Pleasant Valley Road and discovered that you are right, Traffic Engineer Luu Nguyen says.
Oncoming traffic is light, and there is no need for a left-turn arrow.
Caltrans plans to replace the arrow with a regular traffic light within a week, Nguyen says.
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Dear Street Smart:
You really disappointed us in your Nov. 21 response to Bruce Pritchard of Thousand Oaks.
He wrote to complain about the vehicles that speed on his street and how they imperil the many children who play in the street.
While we agree that the speeders are a hazard, the obvious question you failed to deal with is why these adults are allowing their children to play in the roadway.
Pritchard says none of the children has been injured yet, but wants the speeds lowered before that happens.
We know of numerous vehicle-versus-pedestrian collisions, and we can assure him that a child being struck by a car doing 25 m.p.h. is as likely to be injured as one struck by a car doing 45 m.p.h.
The answer to the children’s safety is TO GET THEM OUT OF THE STREET!
The city provides parks and playgrounds for recreation. The streets are for transportation.
Please do all of us a big favor and remind your readers to teach their children how to safely use the roadways and to keep their games, toys and unapproved vehicles off the street.
Kevin Mauch, Hugh Wahler and Robert Evans, Moorpark
Dear Reader:
Thanks for the reminder.
However, it is inevitable that children will be in the roadway when crossing the street or riding bicycles.
Starting in January, when a state law goes into effect requiring children on bicycles to wear helmets, parents will get some help in teaching road safety.
As part of their enforcement plan, schools and police departments throughout Ventura County are planning to step up safety education efforts.
