OJAI : Modified Walkway Plan OKd by City

Over the objections of local residents, the Ojai City Council has voted to build a pedestrian and bicycle path connecting the unincorporated area of Meiners Oaks with Ojai.

Before unanimously approving the path Tuesday, the council agreed to modify several aspects of the pathway, which will wind through the Arbolada area on Cuyama, Sierra and El Paseo roads.

In comments before the vote, council members said the pathway was a step that they could take to make a dangerous area safer.

“I’ve walked, jogged and biked in that area for 17 years, and it is not safe,” said Councilman Joe DeVito.

Ojai Mayor Robert McKinney agreed with DeVito while incorporating ideas raised by several opponents into his comments. “I don’t think you can walk that area and not feel there is a safety issue,” he said.

The issue has pitted local residents against one another since it was proposed in February. Arbolada residents argued that the proposed walkway would not cut down on the number of vehicles in the neighborhood, which they said was the real safety issue.

“The real issue is the need to control and reduce the volume of traffic through a residential neighborhood,” said Arbolada resident Dennis McCarthy.

But others, including parents and Ojai Unified School District board members, said the walkway was needed to ensure the safety of students walking or biking to and from school.

“I want to encourage you to think of the safety of our children over the effect this may have on property values,” said Peggy Brown, another Arbolada resident and mother of three.

The council approved the first stage of the $160,000 walkway and also approved several modifications made in an attempt to satisfy opponents.

Revisions include keeping the path on the south side of Cuyama Road, covering it with decomposed granite rather than asphalt, and rerouting the path south of the Del Norte Road intersection to stay clear of the Arbolada area.