Transportation task force efforts yield results
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

Highway 118 Safety Task Force members met last week to review progress made in 2007 and discuss goals for 2008. The group, spearheaded by Ventura County Supervisor Peter Foy, is composed of representatives from several state and county agencies as well as community members from Moorpark and Somis.

With a goal of preventing accidents on the stretch of highway between Moorpark and Camarillo, task force members work to improve safety on the two-lane 118 that crosses both rural and urban areas.

The road can't be widened due to fiscal and legal challenges, but small improvements and the increased presence of law enforcement have resulted in greater safety along the route, said several speakers at the meeting in Simi Valley.

Even as more commuters and truckers use the shortcut to travel across the county, the number of collisions compared to this time last year has been reduced by 18 percent, said Steve Munday, a lieutenant with the California Highway Patrol.

And so far this year there have been no fatalities on the 118, said Capt. Cliff Williams, who heads the CHP station in Moorpark.

The plan to install a permanent scale on the state route is not feasible now because of financial constraints, but statistics show that a 76 percent increase in hours spent inspecting trucks along the 118 at a temporary inspection station during 2007 resulted in at least 20 percent of trucks being put out of commission in order to correct problems, said CHP officials.

Truck drivers are at fault in fewer than half the accidents on the stretch of highway. They use the rural 118 to save gas and time because it's a flatter and quicker route than the main highways farther south, where there is a steep grade, said CHP officials.

Moorpark concerns persist

Commercial traffic is a burden for Moorpark residents and business owners, said Dale Parvin, president of the board of the Moorpark Chamber of Commerce.

"The trucks are killing us. We need relief in Moorpark," he said. In addition to affecting the quality of life of residents, the multitude of trucks using Los Angeles Avenue discourages people from patronizing local businesses along the busy highway.

While most businesses in Moorpark are within the 118 corridor, Moorpark officials don't have the authority to make road improvements on the highway because it's a state route managed by Caltrans, Parvin said.

"Roads are being torn up, and the impact on businesses is dramatic," he said.

Parvin suggested informational signs be installed on the 23 and 118 freeways to warn truckers about the upcoming inspection station west of Moorpark.

"That would discourage commercial vehicles from out-of-state from using the shortcut through town," he said.

Educating drivers

Automobile drivers should also be educated, said Joyce Taylor, senior administrative assistant for Ventura County Supervisor Kathy Long, who represents the Camarillo region. People who continue to speed and jump in front of trucks should remember they have greater control of their cars than truckers have of large rigs, she said.

Caltrans representatives said at the meeting that the agency will fund the installation of protective barriers between the truck scales and the road. Caltrans has also committed to the maintenance of existing warning signs along the route to ensure that dangers are clearly communicated to drivers.

Challenges ahead

Caltrans transportation engineer Nayna Shah said the agency can't make any significant improvements on the 118 because of a lawsuit filed by the Save Our Somis group, which wants to preserve the rural atmosphere of the region.

The lawsuit mandates a $5million environmental study before any major work can proceed.

"We do want improvements; we just don't want gigantic improvements," said John Kerchoff, who represents Save Our Somis on the task force.

Projects aren't easy to complete, but incremental improvements have been made, said Butch Britt, director of transportation for Ventura County's Public Works Agency.

A traffic light was added at the busy Grimes Canyon Road intersection, the site of many accidents in the past, and minor traffic safety upgrades have been made in Somis.

However, the definition of a "significant" improvement is open to interpretation.

Cumulative minor improvements can be considered major after a while, so Caltrans officials are reluctant to proceed, fearing more costly lawsuits, Britt said.

"You kind of put your toe out there, and if no one sues you, then you assume you're okay," he said.

Deborah Tash, who owns property at the intersection of Balcom Canyon Road and the 118, offered easement on her property to enable Caltrans to build an acceleration lane for traffic merging onto the 118 from Balcom Canyon. However, that won't solve the need to also have a deceleration lane at that intersection, she said.

Fiscal constraints will limit progress in coming years, Foy said.

"Even with all the money in the world it could take a decade before the road is improved," he said.

The 118 Task Force will meet again in October to review progress made between now and then and to brainstorm further solutions.