Traffic measure lets big projects get a closer look

Measure B is an elegant solution to a growing traffic problem. It allows the citizens of this community to provide input on the development and growth of our town, to give us a tool to help protect the beauty and quality of life that drew us all to the area in the first place.

Measure B is not about business, city revenue, hospital closures or any of the other threatening red herrings that keep being tossed about by opponents of Measure B.

Measure B is about traffic.

Before moving to Thousand Oaks, our family lived in the city of Alhambra. My office was 11 miles from my home, which should have been a 15-minute drive. It took me an hour to and from work by any route, freeway or surface streets.

When Alhambra was planned as a city, it wasn't congested either. But time, population growth, economics and politics all played into creating the unplanned mess we all call L.A. Is this the game plan in store for Thousand Oaks?

I resent the implication that the voters of Thousand Oaks aren't intelligent enough to make appropriate decisions regarding the farreaching, largescale development plans for the city.

I resent the scare tactics being used to frighten voters into voting against voting. It needs to be emphasized that the measure only addresses buildings of 75,000 square feet or larger. To put this in some kind of context, The Lakes shopping center next to the civic center is 55,000 square feet. So obviously, when the measure passes, it will only be implemented with an eye toward very, very large development.

I would think most T.O. citizens would like a voice regarding the additional traffic that comes with these types of projects.

Measure B won't stop development; it will give voters an opportunity to help direct the future of large projects in T.O. while maintaining the quality of life we all cherish.

Martha Jackson

Thousand Oaks