Mellow Motoring : Thousand Oaks Has Message for Commuters

Every day at dawn they commute to Los Angeles and parts beyond dressed for corporate battle, slurping hot coffee and steeling themselves for the drive and the grueling day to come.

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But after they have slain the corporate dragon or just brought home another day’s pay, some Thousand Oaks residents will be greeted at various freeway off-ramps and city entrances with little green signs that say: “Welcome Home. Relax and Slow Down.”

The 18-by-24-inch rectangular signs feature white lettering against the green profile of an oak tree. They serve to advise people to check their car’s speed as much as their attitudes as they make their way home, said Jeff Alexander, a local businessman who helped spearhead the effort to get the signs made and posted.

“It seems that all people talk about around here is our lifestyle and how much we would hate it if we had to live in the [San Fernando Valley] or some other part of Los Angeles,” Alexander said. “These signs remind motorists to mellow out and to enjoy what we have here.”

Since the beginning of the month, 26 of the signs have been posted. Alexander said people have expressed support for the message that the enameled aluminum signs carry.

“A lot of people have come up and said, ‘Gee, it’s about time’ or ‘Hey, that’s a neat idea,’ ” Alexander said. “I even had one lady ask if she could buy one to post in her home for her husband when he gets home.”

According to Thousand Oaks Mayor Jaime Zukowski, the idea for creating the signs came from a community planning meeting about two years ago. During the meeting, residents complained that motorists were regularly exceeding posted speed limits--especially when coming from the freeways.

But instead of installing signs with stern warnings about speeding, Zukowski said the city decided to try and appeal to the motorists’ better sides.

“The thinking was that we wanted something that reminded people why they moved here in the first place,” Zukowski said. “We wanted to appeal to their concern for the community in which they live.”

Members of the Mayor’s Business Roundtable sprang for the $900 cost to design and make 30 of the signs. The city agreed to pick up the labor costs involved in installing the signs. The cost for that service was not available Wednesday.

Dennis Carlson, a member of the Business Roundtable whose building-supply business helped pay for the signs, said he hopes the roadside icons will foster community spirit.

“Even though we have a large number of people living here, Thousand Oaks still has a small-town atmosphere,” Carlson said. “It’s a place where there’s a pretty good chance you’ll know the person in the car next to you at the stop light.”