Cars and trucks stream along this stretch of Santa Rosa Road in Camarillo, past Santa Rosa Magnet School. Until recently, there was no sidewalk or bike path here, making it a safety hazard, explains cyclist Sam Proia.
"This road was hazardous to our health because of the rumble strip and the fact that the bike lane was not wide enough to navigate between the roadway and the rumble strip. So this is a much safer setup now," Prioa said of the new improvement which creates a safer cycle and pedestrian pathway.
Proia is part of a local bike club called Old Cranks and rides around a hundred miles a week. He says the new bike lane improvements are very welcome.
"Well, it's nice to know that a lot of the safety issues have been resolved or been addressed and this is just a big improvement," said Proia.
Completing the missing stretch of bike lane is part of a bigger plan to provide countywide bike connectivity, says Jeff Gorell, Ventura County Supervisor for the 2nd district.
"We want to connect the entire county with bicycle lanes, but not just bicycle lanes, safe bicycle lanes - inviting bicycle lanes that people feel comfortable navigating," said Gorell.
"This is one of those portions of that network that connects the entire county, Camarillo, to Thousand Oaks and ultimately to Simi. So we're really proud of the work we've taken on to connect the entire county with bike lanes," said Gorell.
He says it’s not just important for the safety of cyclists, but also for students walking to school from nearby communities.
"A lot of people will benefit from this - drivers, pedestrians. But the real people that we're going to get the day to day best help from this improvement are going to be students leaving Santa Rosa Valley Technology Magnet School and going to the residential communities near here," said Gorell.
"Also for our bicyclists who are riding these roads and having to share the road with these vehicles - now you've got more space to do it and they've got more of a buffer and they've got a brighter, wider lanes, including better marked, marked rumble strips so they can avoid. So a number of different improvements to make riding bikes a better experience in Santa Rosa Valley," said Gorell.
Director of Roads and transportations for Ventura County Public Works agency, Anitha Balan, says the bicycle lanes and walkway will increase safety for all road users but especially the younger generation.
"There's a community down there where a lot of the kids live. So now they can walk to school," she said.
Further safety improvements are being planned for this stretch of road, including advanced video detection warning systems.
