THOUSAND OAKS : City to Hear Plans to Ease Plaza Traffic

To deal with an expected crush of theatergoing traffic, the Thousand Oaks City Council on Tuesday will consider widening or re-striping stretches of Hampshire Road and Thousand Oaks Boulevard near the newly built Civic Arts Plaza.

Public Works Director Donald Nelson has drafted six options, ranging in price from $5,000 to $200,000.

Nelson said his first choice would be to restrict parking around the intersection of the two streets, ban U-turns and install new left-turn lanes along with a right-turn arrow. Those efforts would cost about $90,000, Nelson said, and would significantly ease bottlenecks.

But any proposal to tinker with parking at that intersection alarms several nearby business owners, who earn most of their money from customers who park on the street.

Sensitive to the business owners’ concerns, several council members have objected to any re-striping or road widening that could eliminate parking. Still, they acknowledge that they may have to convert some sidewalk into roadway to improve traffic flow.

“It’s a tough one,” Councilman Frank Schillo said. “If we take away parking spaces, those businesses are going to be out of business.”