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By Jeffrey Weinstein
Please print the following Letter to the Editor as Ojai Valley News will no longer print my letters (censorship) because the current owner and publisher do not agree with my position, and support the City Council. What ever happened to providing the public with objective information so they can make up their own minds, and acknowledging the opinions of those with whom you don’t agree?  .
It is shameful that John Trent and the Ojai Valley News exploit the tragic death of Marion Weil while riding her bike on narrow (24′ wide) and hilly Cuyama Rd. at 7pm Friday 8/7 when the setting sun is blinding traveling due west, to buttress support for lane reduction on Maricopa Hwy (100′ wide) serving multiple schools, churches, medical offices, shopping centers and Ojai’s only hospital. An investigation of the unfortunate accident is ongoing, yet both Mr. Trent and this newspaper jump to the conclusion that our streets are unsafe. The truth is the City of Ojai ranks near the top in both pedestrian safety (54th out of 75 similar-sized cities) and bicyclist safety (62nd out of 75 cities) for all persons less than 15 years of age, in other words, we are in the 70th percentile for pedestrian safety and 80th percentile for bicyclist safety. Â
Have you think if we have another fire like saint Thomas fire, Ojai has few roads to leave the area, if we have narrower lanes it would be more difficult to leave.
LOL! And a footpath would be even safer, but a lot harder to get where you’re going with longer distances and heavier loads. You are a “true believer,” huh?
Regarding the letter to the editor dated 8/23/20 entitled “Lane Reduction on Maricopa Highway, I have a few questions and comments:
What is the source for the writer’s statement that Ojai “ranks near the top” in pedestrian and cyclist safety? And if Ojai ranks 64th and 57th out of 75 cities, doesn’t that rank it nearer the bottom? I assume 1st would be the safest and 75th the least safe.
Also, while the estimated increase in Nordhoff High School cyclists is indeed approximately 7-8 students, this represents a 50% increase in cyclists. Percent increase is defined as (new value – old value)/(old value)x100. 2% of 729 = 14.58 and 3% of 729 = 21.87. At any rate, there are many more cyclists on the road than NHS students, especially during these trying times.
Bike sales have increased dramatically (L.A. Times, 6/25/20, “Bicycles have enjoyed a boom during the pandemic” and Washington Post, 5/15/20, “What do bikes and toilet paper have in common? Both are flying out of stores amid the coronavirus pandemic”, to cite just a few articles.) A safe environment to continue this healthy, cost saving and environmentally friendly means of transportation.
Finally, at least one study has shown that narrower lanes can be safer (ResearchGate.net, June 2015, “Narrower Lanes, Safer Streets”). Widening the already very wide Maricopa Highway at this location may not be the solution – restructuring it will be.
I suggest a following the “National Example”. Organize and have ongoing “Peaceful Protests”.