Ojai police present traffic‑safety campaign as motor deputy starts ebike enforcement

Chief Steve Jenkins told the council that the city recorded 77 collisions in 2024, including 31 injury collisions and one bicyclist fatality. Jenkins identified Ojai Avenue, Grand Avenue, the Arcade/shopping center and a grocery area as collision hot spots and said the most common causes were unsafe speed, improper turning/passing, wrong‑way drivers and distracted driving.

Chief Jenkins introduced a traffic‑safety campaign, “Be a Good Neighbor,” and said the department produced a community flyer with a short safety video and information on the most common violations. He then introduced Deputy Eric Burnett as Ojai’s new motor officer; Burnett described his prior work in Santa Paula, experience with bike rodeos and school outreach, and said officers will be encouraged to use ebike patrols several times a week. Burnett said the educational‑first approach includes contacting parents and escalating to citations only for repeat or dangerous violations.

A public commenter asked whether officers ticketed drivers who stop to let a neighbor turn into traffic; Jenkins said stopping to impede traffic can cause rear‑end collisions and that enforcement will target stops that obstruct through‑traffic except in heavy bumper‑to‑bumper situations. Jenkins emphasized that educational contacts are the primary approach and that citations will be used if collision rates and behaviors do not improve.

Next steps: the department will distribute an informational mailer that explains ebike classifications (prepared jointly with the city attorney’s office), deploy ebike patrols more frequently over time and monitor collision data for changes.