Gnarly traffic on Kanan Road has plagued residents for years. Now, something is being done to address the problem.
The City of Agoura Hills, Ventura County and two public school districts are trying to come up with a plan to ease traffic congestion on the road during peak periods.
A regional study of the Kanan Road corridor was discussed by the Agoura Hills City Council and Ramiro Adeva, the city’s director of public works, on March 13.
Adeva said the study “is focused on ongoing efforts to improve traffic flow and to enhance safety measures for all users of the corridor, including pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists.”
Michael Baker International, an engineering firm headquartered in Pennsylvania with offices in Los Angeles, was awarded a contract in 2018 to study how Agoura Hills can do its part to improve traffic in the Kanan corridor between Thousand Oaks Boulevard on the north side of the 101 Freeway and Cornell Way on the south.
Adeva said work on the study was stalled during the Woolsey fire recovery. He expects meetings to resume in April and May and looks for a completion of the Baker report in a year to 18 months.
While awaiting the report, Adeva said, the city has taken steps to improve traffic flow, including the better synchronization of traffic signals.
He said the study also has been slow because of the complexity of the road, which serves multiple government jurisdictions, and two school districts (Las Virgenes and Oak Park unified) and is the main route for hundreds of thousands of people visiting the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
Adeva said there are 10 intersections on Kanan Road, nine of which have traffic signals. The only exception is at Kanan and Cornell roads.
A separate School Traffic Study is also underway involving Agoura Hills, the school districts and the County of Ventura. The main traffic study will be completed first.
Staggered opening and closing bells at the schools that rely on Kanan Road are being considered as one way to ease the traffic.
Councilmember Chris Anstead wants Kanan Road to become a higher priority.
Anstead fears there’s a lack of “urgency” in getting the job done.
Adeva said that following the award of the contract six months ago, an extensive amount of data analysis, aerial photography and interagency communication have been completed.
He said the studies will provide relevant information and that the council will be updated periodically on the findings.
Mayor Linda Northrup said future meetings regarding the study will be announced to the public.
“You will be invited,” she said.
Agoura Hills resident Larry Brown said he “couldn’t resist” pointing out the incongruity of some of the plans.
The issue of Kanan traffic, Brown said, cannot be separated from Agoura Village. The proposed development just east of Kanan Road on Agoura Road will include residential, commercial and retail projects—including restaurants and hotels. The development will put additional cars on the road and make the existing traffic worse, he said.
Interim measures such as adding lanes and adjusting signals might be helpful, Brown said, but he fears the work will have little effect on traffic once Agoura Village has been completed.
“I reiterate, you can’t really do it; it’s impossible,” he said.