In re: Walt McKee, “Stop Ducking the Question,” letters, Aug. 14.
Like Mr. McKee I live one block from the intersection of Newhall Ranch Road and McBean Parkway and just a about a week ago three ducks were hit and killed by a vehicle as they tried to cross the street. I have lived in the same place since 1995 and when they built the shopping center with the small lake and the community across the street, also with a lake and a large grass area, huge numbers of ducks started hanging out, which is why the caution signs were put in, followed by the electronic sign that Mr. McKee finds so objectionable. Prior to the shopping center, school, park and additional housing projects being built, Newhall Ranch Road dead-ended at both Bouquet Canyon Road and McBean and the south side of the street was a huge barren field all the way to the riverbed.
Ever since they opened Newhall Ranch Road across Bouquet and McBean, Newhall Ranch has literally turned into a race track with vehicles speeding to get to Interstate 5 in the morning and doing the same in the evening when going back home. My backyard faces Newhall Ranch Road, which has also become a raceway for the huge trucks going to and from all the new housing projects being built east of here. According to the city, the intersection of Bouquet and Newhall Ranch is the busiest in the entire valley with thousands of vehicles using it every day. If you are turning onto Newhall Ranch from a side street between Bouquet and McBean and are the first vehicle at the light, you had better not take off immediately when the light turns green because of vehicles blowing the red light and shooting through the intersection at high speeds. The posted speed limit is 50 mph but huge numbers of vehicles are driving far in excess of that. Ask any deputy if you doubt this.
The speeding cars in this valley create an extremely dangerous situation. Note the articles frequently in The Signal showing the very violent wrecks caused by speeding as well as by the idiots who are looking down at their smartphones while driving.
I’m a retired stuntman and as I have pointed out here before the vast majority of people on the city roads and the freeways are driving at speeds far in excess of their ability to handle their vehicle in an emergency situation. Like it or not, that’s just a fact. Ask any cop what causes car wrecks and they will tell you excess speed and drivers not paying attention.
Personally I would rather have more ducks and fewer people out here!
Rick Barker
Valencia
