Traffic Study

* We moved to Newbury Park eight years ago, because of the quality of life we perceived was here. Now we are seriously considering moving out of the Thousand Oaks area because of the lack of responsible government to preserve that quality of life.

Specifically, I am concerned about the traffic impact on the Newbury Park area because of a flawed traffic study that will directly affect the health and safety of every citizen in the area.

The traffic study contains an arbitrary assumption that 30% of all traffic from the 2,350-unit Dos Vientos Ranch development will travel on Borchard Road and 70% will use Lynn Road. With the majority of single-family units of the project being built closest to the main artery of Borchard Road, the developers want us to believe that people will go out of their way to travel Lynn Road rather than take the direct route of Borchard to shopping, banking, schools, the library, the post office and the 101 Freeway.

Their assumption will create health and safety problems associated with increased traffic and put our children at greater risk of bodily harm while walking, biking, skateboarding or driving.

What will it take for our city government to understand the big picture here and take appropriate steps to assure the health and safety of our community?

It is appropriate for the developer to pay for improvements now that can save lives and our tax dollars later. Personally, I don’t doubt that Dos Vientos may be a beautiful community, but why must the remainder of Newbury Park pay the price with gridlock on our streets and in our schools and increased risk to the public’s health and safety?

DIANE ADELE SLATE SMITH

Newbury Park