Make no mistake: Traffic initiative is bad for T.O.

The "Right to Vote on Traffic Congestion" initiative that will appear on the June 3 ballot is a cruel deception for Thousand Oaks residents not only because it's an attempt by one business owner- Do-it Center - to avoid competition, but because it doesn't provide the opportunity to vote on traffic congestion.

The latter claim is based on the unproven and irrational assumption that two 50,000squarefoot businesses will generate less traffic than one 100,000-square-foot business.

The measure would send us to the polls not when traffic congestion is found to be a problem but rather when a large development, including replacement of an existing aging building, is being planned.

As residents of Thousand Oaks, we and our elected officials need to address traffic congestion. However, we don't need the Do-it Center to tell us how to do it in a manner that, incidentally, benefits their business interests.

Vote no on this initiative. Nick Fotheringham Thousand Oaks