Traffic Light Could Add to Problems

Dear Traffic Talk:

The corner of Woodcliff Road and Mulholland Drive in Sherman Oaks is dangerous. If a driver is proceeding south, up the Woodcliff hill and reaches Mulholland, it is very hard to be sure the road is clear to turn right or left onto Mulholland.

Because Mulholland twists and turns at this point, and because the westbound Mulholland traffic is coming up a hill, the visibility for the Woodcliff driver trying to turn onto Mulholland is impaired.

The backup on Woodcliff can be severe and the risk of collision high. Years ago we asked the city transportation department to install a traffic light there and the answer was that it was unnecessary. Ask any driver who frequents that corner about that.

Robert Kotler

Beverly Hills

Dear Robert:

The light still isn’t necessary. Following a comprehensive traffic engineering study of the Woodcliff and Mulholland intersection, officials determined the location does not meet city guidelines for a traffic signal, said Irwin L. Chodash, East Valley district engineer at the city Department of Transportation.

Installing a signal could encourage even more cut-through traffic in the area, Chodash said. Engineers who observed the area analyzed vehicle counts, reported accidents and drivers’ speed.

Officials also reviewed striping at the intersection and determined Mulholland is too narrow and has curves, Chodash said, making it unsafe to add any lanes to Mulholland without first widening it. Adding lanes to Mulholland would narrow its existing lanes, which could result in very sharp turns from Mulholland onto Woodcliff. There are no plans to widen Mulholland there, Chodash added.

Dear Traffic Talk:

At the intersection of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Nordhoff Street in Chatsworth, can the left-turn arrow for vehicles going south on Topanga Canyon to eastbound Nordhoff be extended?

The arrow is much longer for motorists heading west on Nordhoff turning left to go south on Topanga Canyon.

The signal timing here was changed following recent construction work in which a roadway island was removed.

Mike Mark

Chatsworth

Dear Mike:

The duration of the left-turn signal for vehicles going south on Topanga Canyon to eastbound Nordhoff has been moderately increased during weekday morning rush hour, said Bill J. Shao, a transportation engineer at the city Department of Transportation.

Traffic Talk appears Fridays in The Times Valley Edition. Readers may submit comments and questions about traffic in the Valley to Traffic Talk, Los Angeles Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth 91311. Include your name, address and phone number. Letters may be edited, and no anonymous letters will be accepted. Fax letters to (818) 772-3385. E-mail questions to valley.news@latimes.com.