Do you stay inside all the time?
Do you stay in your house all day and all night? Though there may be a few folks out there in this category, I suspect the majority do cross the threshold into the greater Ojai Valley and beyond. This begs the question of how we choose to get around. Do you walk? Ride a bike? Skateboard? Drive a car? A motorcycle? A electric car? Perhaps you even ride the bus or participate in a car pool? We have many choices for meeting our transportation needs. Beyond our decision of mode of transportation, we then have the decision of frequency of transportation. Do we drive around the Ojai Valley multiple times in the day or do you combine trips? What about participating in a no car day?
These are some of the questions the transportation committee of the Ojai Valley Green Coalition is trying to explore. Beyond these basics, we really don't have an agenda. This is where you come in. What ideas do you have pertaining to transportation in the Ojai Valley? What are the issues? What could be done differently? Who needs to talk to whom to improve the environmental impacts of transportation? Think differently. Think radically. No idea will be dismissed.
If you'd like to actively participate on this committee, join our email list. In the meantime, post your comments over on the Ojai Valley Green Coalition blog.
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Comments (3)
I've gone ahead and opened up comments here on the Post (though I wanted to push traffic over to the OVGC site).
Tell us what you think. Where should we be putting our efforts?
Comment #1 Posted by: Kenley | January 22, 2008 11:29 PM
Kenley -
I know there's an express bus that goes direct from Ojai (next to Chaparral i think) to the Ventura County Government facility. Is there any direct transportation to the City Hall/downtown Ventura area?
Comment #2 Posted by: Tyler | January 23, 2008 08:40 AM
Thank you Kenley and the rest of the OVGC Transportation Committee for carrying the green transportation torch!
I think I have finally recovered from the trauma of a bunch of fuddy- duddies voting against "safe bicycle routes" to all the schools, so I will cautiously chime in.
I think Ojai is ready for a Car-Free Day! Years ago a group of bicycle advocates put forth the idea of making Ojai Day a Car-Free Day! The first Ojai Day in the 90s we provided an area for secure bicycle parking. (I got the idea from when I was in Eugene, Oregon where there were acres of secure bicycle parking at the Oregon Country Fair and similar events. There are fabulous bicycle cart systems that carry huge loads, so a Car-Free Ojai Day is do-able. It would make international headlines if we had car parking on the outskirts of town and all Ojai Day visitors walked, rented bikes or took the trolley to town.
All of May is National Bike month. How about this year the OVGC Transportation Committee works with the Ventura County Bicycle Coalition and have Ojai join in National Bike to Work/School Day in May.
People are asking whatever happened to the Ojai Bicycle/Pedestrian Master Plan. Can you give us an update?
It's been almost ten years since I spent the day bicycling around town with a planner to show where we need bike racks. There are a few--but not nearly enough. Remember the Golden Rule: Bike parking must be as convenient as car-parking. No fair making cyclists park blocks away from their destination when cars can park ten feet from the entrance. Still no bike rack at the Post Office. None where I teach at 410 Bryant Circle.
It's all about creating a bicycle/pedestrian friendly infrastructure. You are going to have limited success in getting people out of their cars till public transportation is as comfortable and convenient as the private car. The City of Ojai has still not made the paradigm shift where Pedestrians are King of the Road, Bicycles are next and Cars are last. All you have to do is look at the street. 90% of the average Ojai street space is devoted to the convenience of cars. Car parking is considered more important than bicycle lanes, which could also be used by kids on skateboards and other humanpowered vehicles.
If you are serious about reducing traffic put in place a valleywide car parking moritorium. Once people figure out it takes longer to find a parking space than to walk a few pleasant blocks to town, they will get it together to pull shopping carts or ride their bike.
Children learn by example. Get the parents and teachers out of their cars and the students will follow. Give PE credit to all who walk, bike or skateboard to school.
That's enough on this beautiful rainy dy!
Comment #3 Posted by: Suza | January 23, 2008 01:38 PM