OXNARD : Speed Limit Reduced on Rural Highway

State transportation officials have lowered the speed limit on a rural highway between Oxnard and Camarillo, saying that the combination of fast commuter traffic and slow farm vehicles has led to a high accident rate.

New signs on the 13.2-mile stretch of Fifth Street between Oxnard Boulevard and West Street reduced speeds by as much as 15 m.p.h. and raised the blood pressures of some motorists.

“It seems stupid to me,� said Gordon Dietz, who commutes daily to Oxnard from Camarillo on the two-lane Fifth Street, which is designated as California 34.

Dietz, who said a speed limit of 45 m.p.h. “is extremely slow for the highway,� said he travels the farm- lined highway through the Oxnard Plain to avoid congestion on other routes.

The new limits vary from 30 m.p.h. in Oxnard to 50 m.p.h. east of Pleasant Valley Road.

It is the first time that there has been a posted speed limit for much of the westbound highway.

Motorists were driving faster than the new speed limits when a survey was conducted last year for Caltrans.

The survey showed that average speeds ranged between 48 and 58 m.p.h. for portions of the highway where the posted speed limit is now 45 m.p.h.

The survey also showed that the “critical speed,� which is the speed that only 15% of the public exceeds and is often used to set speed limits, was as much as 20 m.p.h. above the new speed limits.

But highway officials consider more than just the existing speeds and the likelihood of driver compliance, Caltrans traffic engineer Arnold Mahelona said.

Caltrans focused on the high accident rate for portions of the highway.

In a two-year period, about 50% more accidents were reported on the seven miles of Fifth Street east of Oxnard Boulevard than would be expected for a comparable roadway.

Joe Genovese, a traffic engineer with the city of Oxnard, blamed the high accident rate on a combination of factors, including a narrow road, lack of left-turn pockets and frequent use by trucks and farm equipment.

“It’s the difference in speeds between a slower-moving vehicle and someone who may be passing illegally that contributes to accidents,� Genovese said.

Motorists stopping at the Chase Bros. Dairy Store, a market on Fifth Street at Pleasant Valley Road, grumbled about the new limit.

“There’s nothing out here,� said Michelle Ruiz of Oxnard, explaining why she felt the limit should be 55 m.p.h.

Tom Field, the owner of a mobile car wash firm who regularly drives Fifth Street, said cars approach each other too fast on the narrow, two-lane road.

But he said the change may have an unintended effect.

“Maybe you’ll have more people pass each other� because of the low speed limit, Field said. “It may end up to be more dangerous.�