Every time I drive on Laguna Street, I wonder why traffic is pushed outward as you approach Ortega Street. What’s the reasoning? —K.
I emailed the Streets Operation & Infrastructure Management Division of the city’s Public Works department, and I heard back from two experts.
“The yellow markings on the ground were installed before my time here at the City, my best guess is over 10-15 years ago—though I have not been able to find any readily available documentation for them,” wrote supervising transportation engineer Behdad Gharagozli. “With that said, I believe the intent of the installation was to act as a sort of traffic calming device by reducing the perceived width of the roadway/lanes and creating some “friction” for drivers (we normally observe lower speeds with narrow roads/lanes). In this case, a driver would be shifted over from the centerline, which in turn could create some ‘friction’ and theoretically could result in lower speeds through that area—though I cannot speak directly to the effectiveness of this installation.”
And principal traffic engineer Derrick Bailey explained why this intersection has the triangles and not other ones along that stretch of Laguna: “The deflection requires a significant amount of red curb at intersections. There was already a lot of red curb at this intersection due to the large city vehicles that maneuver through this intersection because it is right beside the city yard. To have that amount of red curb at other intersections would remove neighborhood parking.”
Got a question? Email [email protected] or text 917-209-6473.
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••• What are those poles in the ocean near the Ritz-Carlton Bacara?
••• Are people really allowed to set fires in the middle of Montecito?
••• What’s the story with the half-finished lot next to the Montecito Country Mart?
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