Pedestrian-Friendly Makes Sense

Like many of Ventura County’s 10 cities, Thousand Oaks is pondering how to make its main commercial street a more appealing place to visit.

Thousand Oaks Boulevard snakes through the heart of town from Moorpark Road on the west to Westlake Boulevard on the east. Because it parallels the Ventura Freeway, its importance as a high-speed mover of people who merely want to get across town in a hurry is less vital than its role as shopping district, hub of government and cultural activity and symbolic “Main Street.”

The new Gardens of the World park opposite the Civic Arts Plaza and plans for new facilities next to it will only augment this role.

As years of talk evolve into actual plans, decisions must be made. A crucial one is how hard to try to make Thousand Oaks Boulevard inviting to pedestrians as well as motorists.

The city has received about $1 million in Community Development Block Grant funds and additional transportation funds from the federal government to use on the project. It has hired a consultant, the Arroyo Group of Pasadena, to turn long-discussed concepts into a workable plan. Last week the consultants met with about 50 local business owners and showed slides of potential street lighting, artwork and benches that could be incorporated into the plan. The session was one of a series of public forums to shape the project.

Among the options is a concept that would divide the boulevard into three sections, each with a distinct theme carried out through lighting, furnishings and artwork. The western stretch, from Conejo Road to Highway 23, would focus on the natural elements of Conejo Creek. The central portion, from Highway 23 to Conejo School Road, would center on the Civic Arts Plaza and have a contemporary theme. The eastern part, extending to Duesenberg Drive, would seek to create a village theme around the existing antiques stores and markets.

More hearings are planned as city officials actively reach out to residents for all suggestions. We encourage everyone to learn about the proposals and speak up now if they have concerns or better ideas.

However the final details shape up, we support a pedestrian-friendly approach. The heart of this family-oriented city should be a place to come stroll and linger, not merely zoom through with the car windows up on the way to somewhere else.