Candidates' Answers to Question #2

2. How will you correct the current lack of safe north/south bicycle routs within the Ventura Avenue community, and the lack of connection to the ocean?

Bill Fulton: I actually think the issue of bicycle routes is much larger than just north-south
connections on the Avenue. We have many excellent bicycle routes in Ventura, but our
system is disconnected. For example, the vast suburban expanse of East Ventura has parts
of a very good system, but critical links are missing – especially across Harmon Barranca
and in the vicinity of the Main/Telephone intersection. I believe we get the most “bang
for the buck” by identifying the missing links that, if connected, would make the biggest
difference in allowing bicyclists to traverse the city quickly and safely. I believe our
pending bike plan revision will come up with the answers.

Doug Halter: I would, first lobby to cover the freeway from Ash Street to Oak Street and reconnect 5 streets back to Harbor Blvd and bring back our heritage of a coastal City. That will allow us the land to create more bike and pedestrian access, reduce noise pollution, and a place to put our multi-modal transportation center. In addition, we should consider a bike/pedestrian trail along the hills east of Cedar, with a cross over path somewhere before Main St to connect to our coastal path.

Christy Weir: The city’s Public Works department is currently working with the public on a Bicycle Master Plan that will culminate in the implementation of bike route connectivity throughout the city.

Carroll Dean Williams: The avenue community has access to the beach via the bike trail. The bike trail from the beach to Ojai. Christy Weir: The city’s Public Works department is currently working with the public on a Bicycle Master Plan that will culminate in the implementation of bike route connectivity throughout the city.

Mike Gibson: As a member of the City Council, I would advocate creating more linkages throughout the City's bicycle path network system to promote better connections to the ocean as well as other desirable locations. As your question indicates, there is currently a lack of bikeway connections to the beaches from the Ventura Avenue area, which is unfortunate given the high level of bicycle usage and dependency in this area of the community.

In terms of funding these additional bikeway connections, I would propose that the City pursue State and federal grant funds for bikeway construction with the City matching a certain percentage to better leverage these funds. I would also advocate working more closely with the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) to identify and prioritize the funding that the VCTC allocates annually for bikeway improvements.

Carl Morehouse: This continues to be a challenge. When the “rails to trails” conversion took place and the bike path was installed to connect between Main Street and Foster Park, there was a great deal of debate about it’s functionality beyond simply recreation. There were some efforts to bring the path physically closer to the community and to provide connections along the way to invite commuters to use the bike trail. However, this concept was protested heavily by some neighbors who felt a pathway to crime was being created through an extension of the bike trail in certain neighborhoods. Thus, I believe that the full potential of that bike path has not been realized. Today, the recreational bike path is the only Class 1 bike path available on the Westside.

Currently, there are Class 3 routes along Ventura Avenue and Olive Streets with proposed connections along Stanley. There is also a proposed Class 1 extension along Cedar Street from its disconnected ends. In the Ventura Avenue community, which is an older part of town and comprised of a variety of land uses -- some of which are very auto dependent (industrial uses) -- it is not easy to convert those areas to Class 2 or Class 1 bike paths. As the City moves forward with the Westside Community Plan and the Mobility Study that is currently underway, I will continue to explore ways to develop safe bike routes and connections within the Ventura Avenue community.

Jerry D. Martin: We must continue to maintain and improve the Ventura River Bike Path and create Avenue bike lanes with adequate bike path signage and improved access to the beach at Figueroa and California Streets.

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