TO:Andrew P. Powers, City Manager
FROM:Nader Heydari, Public Works Director
DATE:March 24, 2026
SUBJECT: 2026 Active Transportation Plan
RECOMMENDATION:
1. Adopt resolution adopting the 2026 Active Transportation Plan.
2. Find that the Active Transportation Plan is statutorily exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Public Resources Code (PRC) Section 21080.20.
LEVINE ACT ITEM: No
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
No Additional Funding Requested. Minimal staff time and costs to prepare this report are included in the Adopted FY 2025-26 General Fund Budget.
BACKGROUND:
In December 2019, the City adopted an Active Transportation Plan (ATP), which was developed to provide bicycle and pedestrian planning guidance for non- motorized travel infrastructure improvements. The ATP’s goals include making multimodal transportation more accessible and enjoyable, while also promoting bicycling and walking throughout the City. This initiative helps to reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. A copy of the adopted 2019 ATP is included as Attachment #1. ATPs are designed to be updated every 5-7 years to continue to help the City continuously plan for future pedestrian and bicycle improvements.
The update to the ATP (2026 ATP) is a data-driven analysis that incorporates input from the community, stakeholders, and City staff – serving as a tool to facilitate planning and the pursuit of grant funding. The 2026 ATP was prepared over the past 12 months and is included as Attachment #2.
2026 Active Transportation Plan
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The 2026 ATP continues to support the following goals established in the previous 2019 ATP:
1. Foster an Active Transportation-Friendly Environment
2. Expand a Connected Network
3. Encourage Local Planning Efforts
4. Provide an Education and Promotion Roadmap
On February 11, 2025, City Council approved a Professional Services Agreement with Linscott, Law & Greenspan, Engineers (LLG) to prepare an update to the 2019 adopted ATP.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
The 2026 ATP furthers the City’s ongoing commitment to becoming a greener, more pedestrian and bicycle-friendly community. The framework for the 2026 ATP includes a focus on connectivity, enhancing pedestrian and bicycle mobility, public outreach engagement, and identifying priority projects and funding opportunities.
The 2026 ATP builds upon the 2019 ATP foundation and incorporates more recent infrastructure assessments, demographics, traffic volumes, speed limits, transit data, and collision data. Furthermore, a composite Geographic Information Systems (GIS) model was developed to examine the relationships among various data layers.
This GIS Propensity Model is built from three sub-models: the attractor, generator, and barrier models. The attractor and generator components assess travel demand based on the density of destinations, and the barrier component addresses how certain factors of the existing transportation network (missing facilities, roadway speed, elevation, etc.) discourage active transportation travel demand. These three sub-models are merged to form the bicycle and pedestrian propensity maps to identify locations in the City with the highest levels of projected use. A detailed discussion of the GIS Propensity Model is explained in the 2026 ATP.
When comparing community feedback from public workshops, stakeholder meetings, assessing patterns of how cyclists currently navigate, and online feedback forms, strong alignment was found between high-propensity areas and the input received. As such, this comprehensive, multi-faceted approach ensured robust data collection and allowed for effective validation of findings. 2026 Active Transportation Plan
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The analysis summarized above was then used to develop infrastructure enhancements to improve bicycling and walking throughout Thousand Oaks. The 2026 ATP outlines both near-term and long-term projects, organized to guide the City’s funding decisions as resources become available. The bicycle recommendations mainly focus on closing the gaps and completing the bike network in the City. The pedestrian recommendations aim to maximize connectivity and accessibility.
It should be noted that all bicycle and pedestrian recommendations listed in the 2019 ATP were re-evaluated as part of this update and reprioritized based on the updated framework summarized below. Detailed maps and tables specifying each improvement’s location, scope, and type can be found in the 2026 ATP.
The recommendations were prioritized based on a data-driven scoring framework that translates the qualitative Caltrans Scoring Rubric into a consistent, quantitative methodology and incorporates feedback received through community engagement. Furthermore, this prioritization retains the core Caltrans criteria while also integrating the previously described GIS Propensity Model and Level of Traffic Stress (LTS) indicators to better reflect likely demand and user comfort in weighing projects.
The resulting scores provide an objective reference for sequencing project implementation, though they do not dictate a fixed construction order. Actual implementation timing will depend on funding availability and alignment with the City’s broader capital improvement priorities.
The draft 2026 ATP was released for public review on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. On February 25, 2026, the Traffic and Transportation Advisory Commission (TTAC) reviewed the draft ATP. There were two speaker cards and two emails submitted to the TTAC for public comments. With a 5-0 vote, the TTAC unanimously recommended that City Council adopt the 2026 ATP with consideration of the public and commissioner comments provided during the meeting. The final 2026 ATP considered all feedback and comments received during the entire public outreach process, as well as from the TTAC.
The resolution (Attachment #3) adopts the 2026 ATP and replaces the existing 2019 ATP, providing the City with updated planning guidance for future bicycle and pedestrian improvements.
Adoption of the ATP is statutorily exempt from the CEQA pursuant to PRC Section 21080.20. Unless another exemption applies, individual projects included in the ATP may be subject to CEQA, which will be evaluated at the time that they are implemented.
2026 Active Transportation Plan
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Community Outreach: Staff performed an extensive and robust public outreach campaign across 2025 and 2026, during the entire development process of the 2026 ATP, which is summarized below. The public engagement and outreach process also included focused print and digital media in both English and Spanish, as well as a dedicated website. From April 17, 2025, through March 6, 2026, six posts about the ATP were published on Instagram, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter). Instagram garnered 5,782 views, reached 3,235 accounts, received 121 interactions, and obtained 100 likes, 18 shares, 12 profile visits, and six external link taps. Facebook garnered 2,412 views, 19 interactions, five shares, eight link clicks, and one new follower. X garnered 2,683 impressions and received 56 engagements. In addition, a quarter-page, colored advertisement was included in the Friday, February 27, 2026, edition of the Thousand Oaks Acorn (Acorn). The Acorn has a total readership of over 80,000, including both print and digital readers.
Information about the ATP was also included in three citywide email newsletters and the Bicycle Advisory Team (BAT) notifications, reaching a combined subscriber list of approximately 25,000 people. Emails were sent multiple times alerting subscribers to different phases of feedback opportunities between April 2025 and March 2026. Information on the update was also displayed on digital signage at both library locations.
In addition to digital outreach, staff attended a myriad of events to promote the ATP, including:
Arbor Earth Day Workshop on April 19, 2025
Meeting with BAT on May 15, 2025
TTAC meeting on September 24, 2025
Conejo Valley Unified School District Workshop on October 14, 2025 Conejo Senior Volunteer Program Wellness Fest on January 21, 2026 Ventura County Bike Rodeo & E-Bike Safety Event on January 24, 2026 Meeting with BAT on February 12, 2026
TTAC meeting on February 25, 2026
Community Free Marketplace Workshop on February 28, 2026 (bilingual community)
Bicycle Repair Workshop on March 7, 2026
Community Free Marketplace Workshop on March 14, 2026 (bilingual community)
Promotion in the Acorn Newspaper and various City-wide Newsletters 2026 Active Transportation Plan
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COUNCIL GOAL COMPLIANCE:
Meets the following City Council goals:
C. Operate City government in a fiscally and managerially responsible and prudent manner to ensure that the City of Thousand Oaks remains one of California's most desirable places to live, work, visit, recreate, and raise a family.
F. Provide and enhance essential infrastructure to ensure that the goals and policies of the Thousand Oaks General Plan are carried out and the City retains its role and reputation as a leader in protecting the environment and preserving limited natural resources.
PREPARED BY: Mark Anthony Bueno, Associate Engineer
Attachments:
Attachment #1 – 2019 ATP
Attachment #2 – 2026 ATP
Attachment #3 – Resolution to Adopt 2026 ATP
DPW: 590-30\ev\Council\2026\032426\2026 ATP staff report.docx