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Pedestrian safety campaign to start
Recent death sparks action by Westlake Village
STORY TOOLS 
More from Conejo ValleyWestlake Village officials are taking steps to create an educational campaign for pedestrians, which city leaders say will promote safety and complement a long-term sidewalk master plan also under development.
"It's an old concept gaining new force. We are trying to encourage walking and bike riding, but the citizens need to know the rules of the road," said Council member Philippa Klessig, who wants to promote Westlake Village as a healthy city.
Klessig and Mayor Susan McSweeney envision the public-awareness campaign as a way to encourage walking against the flow of traffic and using safe walkways. They say it also would publicize scenic routes around the city.
On June 3, a man was hit by a car and killed as he walked on Lindero Canyon Road near Baronsgate Road. Authorities said Hua Davison Zhang, 52, of Agoura Hills, was walking in the same direction as the car that hit him.
McSweeney and others met recently with officials at the Lost Hills Sheriff's Station to discuss residents' safety.
"The No. 1 issue people have is public safety," McSweeney said. "We have had a tragedy in our community and so have outlying areas. When something tragic happens, you want to look at whether or not you are doing everything possible."
Officials anticipate sharing the safety and health information with pedestrians through public meetings, in the city's newsletter and by other steps.
The city's sidewalk master plan also is in a preliminary phase.
"We are currently at the stage where we are trying to rate where we are seeing more activity and assess where we need sidewalks or where the safety of an area could be enhanced," Klessig said.
City Manager Ray Taylor said no timeline for implementation of the sidewalk master plan has been established.
"The goal of the master plan is to look at where we might need additional sidewalks," Taylor said. "There are two specific areas of focus."
One area is north of Highway 101 in the vicinity of the business park. The area is bordered by Lindero Canyon Road on the east, Via Colinas on the southwest and Thousand Oaks Boulevard on the north.
Turning to the second area, Taylor said the city is looking at the need for a sidewalk on Agoura Road between Lake-view Canyon Road and Lindero Canyon Road, and on Lindero Canyon Road to Rustic Oak Drive.
Plans are being prepared for further review by the City Council. The fiscal effect of the project is still being evaluated, but it will be a multi-million dollar program involving a multi-year approach, officials said.
"We want people to have a way to get around," Klessig said. "We are looking at safe routes you can walk or bike ride all around the city. That is our goal."
"I think anything that keeps our citizens safer improves the quality of life in our community," McSweeney said.
Posted by ssakoian on July 25, 2007 at 7:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
You know, all this is well and good, but a major problem for people riding bicycles is the same as pedestrians walking in the same direction as traffic: you don't see what is coming at you. I think it is far safer to let bicyclists ride facing traffic, rather than going with the flow because drivers just don't expect them, any more than they do the pedestrian. As a result, both bicyclists and pedestrians in the flow of traffic often cannot, and do not, see the blind driver.
Posted by breakinbonesmd on July 25, 2007 at 9:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
westlake has a looooong road ahead of it! as it is now, the city IN NO WAY caters to pedestrians or bicyclists. i live in ventura and work in westlake. as a personal choice (as opposed to necessity) take the bus to/from work and opt to walk to my lunch hour destinations. everyday, multiple times in a day, i am almost hit by drivers making right-turns. there is little to no consideration for those walking. i'm incredibly familiar with the fundamentals of being a safe, smart, and defensive pedestrian, but more important than me knowing what to to is that the person behind the wheel of the 4,000 pound suv be on the alert. additionally, on my way to my afternoon bus, i am forced to walk through parking lots, as there is no sidewalk on our stretch of road AND i'm made to cross at corners with NO crosswalks. crossing with no designated crosswalk, on a street with parked cars blocking view... that's a recipe for disaster. on top of all that, the t.o. transit buses don't even run on weekends... right, that totally promotes walking and bicycling in the 100 degree heat. you need a bus to break up the walk/ride. when i go into the t.o. public works department to get my monthly bus pass, the place is covered with posters and products showing how "green" the conejo valley is... right. the hypocrisy in this area is stifling. and for all you people who are going to say "then get a job somewhere else"... "no one is forcing you to be here."... come on now, really. don't kid yourselves, you know this needs to be fixed sooner or later. this all feeds into the reason you can never get a parking spot at your posh little shopping centers... everyone's driving, no one's walking.
whoo. my rant is done and DONE.
Posted by Andrew_Smolik on July 25, 2007 at 11:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It's not the bicyclist who is supposed to get out of the way of a passing motorist; it's the passing motorist who is supposed to get out of the way of the bicyclist!!! :
Vehicle Code Section 21750. βThe driver of a vehicle overtaking another vehicle or a bicycle proceeding in the same direction shall pass to the left ***at a safe distance without interfering with the safe operation of the overtaken vehicle or bicycle***...β
On the other hand, bicyclists β just like motorists β are not supposed to make lateral movements without a neck-turn scan for nearby traffic, yielding, and signaling anyway. Mirrors alone are insufficient!
While pedestrians on foot can normally walk over curbs or onto rough surfaces to get out of the way of vehicles, the same is not the case for bicyclists on wheels! Bicyclists approach motor-vehicle speeds on downhills (e.g., eastbound Thousand Oaks Blvd. around Lindero Canyon Rd., or southbound Lindero Canyon Rd. from Thousand Oaks Blvd. to Via Colinas or from the southeastbound 101 interchange to Agoura Rd.), especially in congestion. The speed differential between a motor vehicle and bicycle would be many times larger for a bicyclist going against the flow than for a bicyclist going with the flow of vehicular traffic.
Posted by sbrandenburg on July 25, 2007 at 2:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't care if I get a ticket. I ride against traffic, so I can see the idiots that aren't paying attention... Way too many times have I almost been killed by some jerk that came up behind me and wasn't paying attention (on the phone, messing with the radio, etc). It's almost to a point you can't ride a bike anywhere anymore.
Posted by cmpvr on July 25, 2007 at 3 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Westlake Village has miserable sidewalks in some places. Sometimes they are only on one side of the street, other times they don't exist at all. Look at Via Colinas as an example. I've almost hit members of the Oaks Christian high school cross country team as they run *on* that street because there is no sidewalk. How did they let dole build the headquarters there without requiring a sidewalk?
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