Traffic Concern Spurs Truck Ban Proposal

Concerned that construction of a PriceCostco store in Westlake Village will bring additional large-truck traffic to Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Agoura Hills is considering banning such vehicles from a half-mile stretch of the street.

The Agoura Hills City Council will hold a public hearing on the matter Dec. 20, City Manager Dave Adams said.

A proposed ordinance would ban trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds from the stretch between Reyes Adobe Road and the Westlake Village city line.

The proposed ordinance was drafted at the request of several Agoura Hills council members, Adams said.

The ordinance is just a precaution, said Ed Cline, Agoura Hills’ traffic engineer.

While grading has begun at the site of the PriceCostco store, so far most large trucks have been using Lindero Canyon Road to get to the area from the Ventura Freeway, he said.

But there is concern, Cline added, that as construction progresses and truck traffic increases, some truck drivers may decide to use Thousand Oaks Boulevard as an alternate route.

The additional traffic would put undue strain on Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Cline said.

The ordinance would require two public hearings and readings, he said, and would not go into effect until February at the earliest.