Forward-Looking Symbols

Ventura County took two small steps toward cleaner air and a more energy-independent future last week:

* On Monday, the Ventura City Council discussed an ordinance to allow electrically powered bicycles to use city bicycle paths, at least temporarily.

* On Wednesday, a fire station in Oxnard switched to solar power.

Both actions are symbolic but merit a note of praise.

Recent technological advances have given a popularity boost to electric bikes, which can scoot along effortlessly at 20 mph using rechargeable batteries to supplement the driver’s pedal power. That power assist makes bicycling to work or school more attractive by extending the feasible commute distance, easing the uphill haul and minimizing the perspiration factor.

Several city residents have asked the city to make the change, arguing that electric bikes would be more appropriate on bikeways than dodging cars and trucks in street traffic. The police department agrees. With the Ventura River Trail about to open, linking the city’s network of bikeways to the Ojai Valley, the time is right for a trial run.

And for now, a trial run is all it is. The proposed ordinance would last a year. If all goes well, it could be extended. If safety problems emerge, it could be scrapped.

That makes sense to us. Electric bikes aren’t right for every resident or for every trip. But the more they catch on, the fewer cars will be clogging local streets, competing for parking spaces and fouling the air.

In Oxnard, Fire Station 6 on Peninsula Road became Ventura County’s first station to augment its conventional electric power with solar.

Fire Chief Joe Milligan says the new system will save the city about $200 a month in energy bills. At that rate it would take 75 years to recoup the $180,000 cost of the 192 photovoltaic panels and the rest of the system if the city were paying for it. Fortunately, it didn’t have to. Edison Technology Systems provided grants for and installed the system as a demonstration project. It will monitor the system and send the city monthly reports.

Forward-looking steps like these, even if some questions remain to be answered, are the sort of innovations that will help Ventura County to remain a clean and healthy place to live. Sometimes old problems demand new approaches.

We salute those who have the courage to seek solutions.