Calabasas parking signal gets green light





By Michael Picarella
pic@theacorn.com

Some area residents don’t want a traffic signal on Parkway Calabasas at Paseo Primario in Calabasas, but safety concerns have prompted the city council to consider at least some traffic signal designs.


Four experts said a signal is warranted at the intersection. In fact, said Calabasas City Attorney Michael Colantuono, the city would be open to litigation if it does not take action.


A city report said that for the past several years Calabasas residents have requested traffic solutions along Parkway Calabasas at the intersection of Paseo Primario and Park Entrada. These requests have significantly increased, officials said.


High traffic volume in the area is expected to worsen as New Millennium Homes’ project at the western end of Parkway Calabasas grows. To date, about 180 of the 560 planned homes have been built.


Traffic in the area backs up mainly during the hours before and after school, officials said. Much of the school traffic comes from Bay Laurel Elementary School on Paseo Primario.


According to statistics, three broadside accidents were reported on Parkway Calabasas at Paseo Primario in the past four years. Four broadside accidents were reported on Parkway Calabasas at Park Entrada. (Even though Park Entrada is stop-controlled, motorists confuse the right-of-way and collisions occur, according to a city report.)


Police reports show 289 moving violations at Park Entrada (mainly speeding and stop-sign violations) and 18 moving violations at Paseo Primario.


In the past, the city’s traffic department and other traffic experts have discussed alternatives to a traffic signal, but no plan solves the issue like a signal light, according to Calabasas Mayor Pro Tem Barry Groveman.


The city also wants to enhance visibility at the stop-controlled Parkway Calabasas/Park Entrada intersection.


After the traffic department designs the signal and stop-control device, proposals will go to the city council. Calabasas Transportation/Intergovernmental Relations Director Robert Yalda expects to have a plan by early February.


The city will examine the traffic devices six months after they are installed to determine if controls should be removed and replaced with alternative solutions.


Some who spoke at the recent city council meeting favored the intersection improvements. They said public safety is at risk.


Initially, Calabasas Planning Commission Chairman Gary Klein did not support a traffic signal because of aesthetics. But he changed his mind.


Some area residents, who said they feared a signal would urbanize the area, favored going back to the drawing board. They said safety issues are related to driver behavior, and a traffic signal would not be effective.


The Calabasas City Council unanimously voted in favor of designing the signal and stop-control device.


Calabasas Mayor Michael Harrison, however, said he’d meet with more experts to discuss other options. He doesn’t like the signal, he said.



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