Transportation chief outlines safety projects; residents press for stronger ebike and speed enforcement

Ria Lowe, the city’s chief transportation officer, briefed the town hall on the city’s 2025 safety action plan, recent speed surveys that make arterial segments eligible for police radar enforcement, and a suite of projects from protected bikeways to grade separations. "We have conducted speed surveys on a number of the really critical arterials ... and that has made those arterials now eligible for enforcement by PD," Lowe said.

Lowe also highlighted the Safe Routes to School program and the Ventura bicycle safety garden and said the bicycle and pedestrian plan is scheduled for council consideration on June 15. She noted some projects are funded by a Transportation Development Act grant and federal grants for grade separations.

Residents at the meeting repeatedly pressed for more visible enforcement after describing fast driving on neighborhood streets and unsafe ebike behavior on shared paths. "We see cars fly through the stop sign every minute of the day ... I've almost been hit," said Kelly Stafford, a Matadero resident. Police and transportation staff acknowledged enforcement limits tied to staffing and to the difficulty of policing narrow multi‑use paths; they described school outreach, bike inspections and planned targeted enforcement where feasible.

Why it matters: speed and ebike safety affect school routes, pedestrian multi‑use paths and local business access. Staff cited concrete next steps (radar enforcement eligibility and a June 15 council review of the bicycle/pedestrian plan) and urged residents to report recurring problem locations to prioritize enforcement.