FREEWAY CRASHES SNARL VALLEY TRAFFIC COMMUTERS CAUGHT IN GRIDLOCK CONDITIONS.Byline: Jason Kandel Staff Writer Three major collisions wreaked havoc on morning and afternoon commutes in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. on Thursday, just as travelers were gearing up for Labor Day Labor Day, holiday celebrated in the United States and Canada on the first Monday in September to honor the laborer. It was inaugurated by the Knights of Labor in 1882 and made a national holiday by the U.S. Congress in 1894. weekend. A motorcyclist died in one of the crashes, and thousands of motorists were gridlocked grid·lock n. 1. A traffic jam in which no vehicular movement is possible, especially one caused by the blockage of key intersections within a grid of streets. 2. in traffic jams that lasted well into the evening. Freeway traffic slowed to a crawl, and surface streets throughout the West Valley became clogged as drivers looked for alternate routes. ``When you have to get off the freeway to avoid traffic after a crash, that's bad. When there's an accident, you're screwed,'' said Bo Montalvo, a courier with the Golden West overnight service as he sat in his Ford Ranger The Ford Ranger name is used on two distinct and unrelated pickup truck lines by the Ford Motor Company
The collisions in Camarillo, Tarzana and Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, were not connected to the Labor Day getaway, but roadways were crammed with commuters and those trying to get an early jump on the last three-day holiday of the summer. ``Everything slows to a crawl,'' said Marie Montgomery, a spokeswoman with the Automobile Club of Southern California The Automobile Club of Southern California was founded December 13, 1900 in Los Angeles as one of the nation's first motor clubs dedicated to improving roads, proposing traffic laws and improvement of overall driving conditions. . ``It's hard to say where those people were going, but in general you are going to see an increase in traffic before a three-day holiday, even on Thursday. It lasts and lasts and lasts.'' The incidents began at 6:30 a.m. in Camarillo when motorcyclist Herman Bolte IV, 24, a naval officer NAVAL OFFICER. The name of an officer of the United States, whose duties are prescribed by various acts of congress. 2. Naval officers are appointed for the term of four years, but are removable from office at pleasure. Act of May 15, 1820, Sec. 1, 3 Story, L. working at Point Mugu, was killed along the Ventura Freeway near Santa Rosa Road. He had been riding his 2002 Harley Davidson motorcycle when it was struck by a red 1991 Ford Taurus as it crossed over three northbound lanes in an attempt to make a quick exit at Santa Rosa Road. CHP CHP Chapter CHP Combined Heat and Power CHP California Highway Patrol CHP Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (Turkish: Republican People's Party) CHP Chemical Hygiene Plan (OSHA) CHP Community Health Plan Officer Steven Reid said Bolte lost control of his bike after he was hit and began swerving. ``The motorcycle eventually overturned and threw Mr. Bolte off,'' Reid said. Police were searching for the driver of the Taurus, which contained two passengers and was last seen heading east on Adolfo Road. The occupants of the car were described as Hispanic and in their 20s or 30s. Police said several witnesses attempted to chase the Taurus several blocks to get a license plate number. That number was not immediately available. Anyone with information about the hit-and-run collision is asked to call the CHP Ventura office at (805) 654-4710. At noon, a 35-foot travel trailer overturned on the Ventura Freeway in Tarzana near the Tampa Avenue offramp, forcing the closure of several lanes. There were no reported injuries. A half-hour later, a big rig plowed into a parked 18-wheeler in the south lanes of the Golden State Freeway The Golden State Freeway is a north-south freeway running through Kern County and Los Angeles County, California. Originally built as U.S. Highway 99, it was re-signed as Interstate 5 in 1964. in Santa Clarita, near the Calgrove Boulevard offramp, causing a fuel spill. There were no injuries. The CHP said that despite the three crashes and subsequent traffic backup along side streets in the Valley, the commute was typical for a Thursday. ``It's a normal day,'' said CHP Officer Leland Tang. ``We've been quite fortunate.'' Commuters on Thursday got a taste of what could be record numbers of travelers hitting the roads over the Labor Day weekend. About 4.77 million Californians and 3 million Southern Californians will take holiday trips this Labor Day weekend - the busiest for travelers in recent years, the Auto Club said. Staff Writer Rachel Uranga contributed to this report. Jason Kandel, (818) 713-3664 jason.kandel(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): box, map Box/Map: ACCIDENTS CONGEST con·gest v. To cause the accumulation of excessive blood or tissue fluid in a vessel or an organ. estrogens, conjugated Warning - Hazardous drug! C.E.S. SOUTHLAND FREEWAYS Daily News |
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