With more people in the Thousand Oaks area riding bicycles, safety has become even more important.

Kathy Lowry, bicycle coordinator for Thousand Oaks, said concern over bicycle safety has been increasing since the death of dentist Glenn Garvin, who was hit by a car while riding his bicycle on Westlake Boulevard four years ago.

Since that accident in September 2006, the city has created programs for children and adults to teach them about bicycle safety and has increased the number of bike lanes on major roads and offroad bike paths.

Lowry said there are four upcoming projects in the Conejo Valley area, including the creation of bike lanes on Hillcrest Drive.

“The main goal is to get people who are driving to drive safely around the bicyclists and people who are bicycling to follow the rules of the road,” Lowry said.

Cyclists are reminded to wear helmets, a requirement for riders under 18, and to ride safely by following the same traffic laws as motorists.

“(Cyclists) are required to abide by the same rules as vehicles that are on the roadway,” said traffic Sgt. Rick Harwood. “They are subject to citations like everybody else on the road.”

One of the biggest problems in Thousand Oaks, Harwood said, is bicyclists who ride against the flow of traffic.

“Cars need to pay attention and be alert,” Harwood said. “Thousand Oaks is a big cycling community.”

One of the main issues with cyclists is that motorists have difficulty seeing them, and even if they do see them they have problems trying to gauge how to respond to them, said J.C. Simmons of Newbury Park, former president of the Conejo Valley Cyclists.

“They don’t see us as equals on the road, which makes it really difficult,” Simmons said.

Simmons said that in the past decade the number of bicyclists has increased, which makes drivers more aware of them.

“Thousand Oaks has already gotten safer because more people are riding,” he said. “It’s more accepted now. People are realizing that we’re going to be in the road when we need to be in the road.”

Simmons acknowledged that cyclists need to follow the rules.

“Once you’re a serious rider, you need to ride your bicycle like you operate your car—you stop at lights, you stop at stop signs, you ride as far to the right as is safe,” Simmons said. “Be predictable, be visible.”

In addition to general problems of bicycle safety, retired dentist and Westlake resident Jeffrey Wissot raised concerns about an uprooted oak tree on Westlake Boulevard that could pose a problems for bicyclists.

“Road conditions for cyclists in the Conejo Valley are far better than most areas but still need improvement,” Wissot said in an e-mail.

Although city officials have been notified that the tree has been uprooted for more than a year, it’s not within the city’s jurisdiction. Lowry said that area is the responsibility of the California Department of Transportation; therefore, the city doesn’t have authorization to proceed. The city is, however, urging Caltrans to fix the problem as soon as possible, Lowry said.