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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMASTER PLAN - PATHS AND TRAILS - 1993 - Safety Hazards and D hinnies and letters are due by the • Advertisl Rates. �.l 20th of all even-numbered months.Mail is published six times a year by the to:David Underwood,2517 Vista Baya, (This is a special issue.The normal Orange County Bicycle Coalition.Sub- Newport Beach,CA 92660-3637.All sub- full page image area is 71%"x 10':) scriptions are available with a$10 or missions must be typed and double- VI (7S sq. in)..............$30.00 greater membership fee to OCBC. spaced and are subject to editing. Full Page , Half Page(37/sq.in.)..........$20.00 Quarter Page(18h sq. in)....$10.00 r—————------------------ BusinessCard(2"x3%").......$5.00 7:!�V—OLUMWE ewe-getter of the ®range County Bicycle Coalition. I AiR US.-send in your membership fee to OCBC today!(check one): I y Submit all ad copy to David Underwood, ❑Century($100) ❑Half-Century($50) 0 Quarter-Century($25) ( Newsletter Editor(address at upper left). 11, NUMBER THREE MAY/DUNE, IL993 2ND ANNUAL SPRING "NOSTALGIA" ISSUE 0 Regular($10) ❑Bike Club or Organization($50) ❑Bike shop($25) I Name I OCK Officers. MORE WINS FOR OCBC Happenings Me M _9788 Along the I Address I VICE CHAIR - ANDOCCYCLISTS Don Harvey/896-3321 • • j city ZIP I SECRETARY Two Clear Victories Have Been Scored This Spring For River Trav Jim /Konopka 7242224 TRopkaER ; OC Cyclists With The Cooperation Of Caltrans. ByPAULPIRTLE Phone Patti Clasen/841-3615 OCBC mcmbcrs receivc bimonthly issues of Spokespeople and arc notified of major OCBC activities. I ByDONHARVEY As reported in the last issue of NEWSLETTER Spokespeople,the latest reopening date Mail to. David Underwood/548-9627 ORANGE COUNTY BICYCLE COALITION I MARKETING/P.R.R PCH South of Corona del Mar cause Caltrans, who would design the for the Santa Ana River Trail below R S.Glassell St Suite C Orange,CA TIO I Fred AnKETIevalos/G/P.R. 2.4 miles from Cameo Shores to the Date bridge,believed they would not be al- Adams Avenue is July.An April 2 meet- + + g + Shack is now being redone.It was always lowed to design it wider than needed ing with the Army Corps of Engineers L——————————————————————J pretty clear that the final product would for the traffic planned for by Irvine for (COE) seems to confirm the fact that include bike lanes-but what about dur- both sides.In particular,it could not be the attitudes of Costa Mesa riverside ing construction,which could take years? designed wide enough for bike lanes; homeowners(and not"safety"as alleged Orange town_ fy original plans for this period included and thus,whatever Irvine might be per- by the County Board of Supervisors)is two twelve-foot traffic lanes in each di- suaded to do in the future, this new the reason the trail remains closed: n■evale toal■fion Place ffi rection, with no room for bikes. After bridge would always be a tourniquet on During the meeting with COE,I saw 630 S. Glassell St., Ste. 100 FirstClass much discussion,Caltrans agreed to what the bike lane system. drawings dated early 1992 that depicted is now on the ground: two eleven-foot Caltrans didn't like this prospect any three trail detour alternatives from PCH Orange, CA 92666 Postage traffic lanes,plus a four-foot shoulder, more than we did, and, with our sup- to I405.One of the drawings very clearly on each side. port and encouragement,figured out a - Please Turn To Page 4,CoL I Address Correction Requested Here Caltrans has shown good faith so way to get room for eventual bike lanes far, and we have no doubt that they included on the bridge.As a result,we • g Mond T,LIe OF nL� intend to continue to do so;but some- have time to work on Irvine. a Jul�"a times slip-ups occur.If anyone sees sig- nificant or long-lasting dirt on the shoul- ders, or encroachment so they're less RECEIVED AND MADE A than four feet wide,please call me with Calling this last a"win"mayseetntoo Effective Cycling .................2 the details (accurate enough so I can much to claim-there are no more bike Vigilance a Irvine..re!.......2 Pi'.RT OF THE RECORD AT Tree-Huggers,Beware!.......3 L find it!)at 896-3321. lanes today on Jamboree than there were ' `� 1�'? MEETIN5 yesterday,and in any case,Caltrans did Multi-Mod Farewell ..................3 Jamboree at the 405 it, with only words of encouragement A Fond Farewell t...............4 As many of you know,Irvine has plans from us. But a big loss has been pre- Irvine Best t Test...............5 ITEW NO �,rL!!�C_ for Jamboree(and for some other big vented. Meeting Notes g I.,ocation .. -A ll:�Q1i' streets) that don't include bike lanes. And the positive influence of Regular Meeting Location ..6 " I� `��� • OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK Irviit�s pans do, however, include a Caitratns in both utese wins is to be j `� June Potluck Meeting.......... i n 1 CONNIE BROCKWAY new•bridge for Jamboree over the 405. applauded. It is a step towards the day ( OCBC Officers..... Back page :l• • And this was going to be a problem,we I when every street and highway will be I Member Form....... Back page were warned informally by Caltrans;be- bike-safe and bike-friendly. l _ r �•'S P O FQ true Cycling Instructors(ECIs)were ter- each.Among the items covered are basic 2nd AL POTLUCK OP LF �s_p -� tifred. bicycle maintenance,types of bike cloth- Q� PL In 1979,Forester was elected League ing and their function,bike fit,correct ` SpOK 5 president. Bill Frey, one of the early posture,the whys and wisdom of traffic MEETING AND FUN RIDE ECIs, was appointed as the head of a law,accident types,accident mitigation ByMMOTTIKE new Effective Cycling Committee for measures,cold weather cycling,cycling the League.In 1979 Frey developed the in the rain,proper techniques for inter- In 1974 John Forester taught an adult cycling knowledge and criteria that are sections,gearing,night-time cycling, A Good Time Will Be Had B All At OurJune Outdoor Extravaganza. � Y g g g g, � Y �>and Y 9 cycling course in the San Francisco area. used for certification as an Effective much more.With more experienced stu- The primary purpose of the class was to Cyclist(EC). dents the material may be covered in n keeping with our "nostalgia" bicycle tour of this wonderful open space. teach the principles and on-the-road After the first few ECIs were certi- four sessions of three hours each.At the theme, this year's outdoor meet- Well breeze around the lake and boat- )j skills necessary for safe cycling in traf- fred,it became evident that a standard end the EC student will take a SO-ques- ing will be held at Irvine Regional house,follow the flow of Santiago Creek fic. Early on, John realized that tion exam and an on-road cycling Park in the eastern foothills of while exploring the riverside bike trail, the course had to include basic test to ensure that the principles Orange County. Formerly known as and perhaps cross over some of the very bike maintenance skills for his of Effective Cycling are under- Orange County Park,Irvine Park is the spots where vaqueros lassoed grizzly students. John had looked for a Effective Cycling stood.Students successfidly com- oldest dedicated outdoor space in the bears in the nineteenth century. basic text on bicycling,and fmd- pleting the course are awarded an county,-having been granted by James After our ride,well share festive treats ing none,he wrote and published' Effective Cycling patch. Irvine-Ihiw 1897. in a potluck picnic.Bring whatever you t • - "' ': Effective Cycling in 1975. The sixth for skill level was needed for certifica- This ear I enrolled m self in the As with last year's meeting at New- think is appropriate(no alcoholic Bever- Y Y Pa+K&Pitt S-fW-W-*Kftl*W - edition of this important book was just tion as an Effective Cyclist and Effec- Effective Cycling program. If all goes port Durres,there is a parking fee charged ages,please).We'll then"slide into"our recently published. five Cyclist Instructor. The fast Stan- according to schedule, I should com- for motor vehicles, so we encourage regular meeting around 7:00 p.m., in- In 1975,Forester attended a League lards were developed in 1981. It was plete my EC training by the end of members to arrive on their bikes if pos- cluding the election of new OCBC of- June Meeting Location. ofAmerican Wheelmen(LAW)meeting intended that EC and ECI candidates April.Within a month of receiving my sible.If you live too far away from the ficers. N IRVINE and proposed a League program based could complete the exams in about 3 EC patch,I plan to become ECI certi- park to consider riding all the way(and The parles official closing time is A Santiago REGIONAL upon effective cycling.The LAW board hours. However,the early exams took fred. If I am successful and if there is all the way back after sunset!),there is 9:00 p.m., but(as with our regular li- N PARK agreed with Forester,and the LAW Ef- more than four hours for most candi- enough interest,I will teach an EC course plenty of street parking available within brary meeting place) the rangers will Katella Villa Rd program a couple of miles of the front entrance. start to"round u "all the strays around festive Cycling was bom.From dates. The exams were shortened and from time to time. I will also be happy P P Y Ave. Park Rd. this meeting until 1977,Forester worked put into their current form in 1982. to help others become ECI certified. If You can unload your bikes,arrive with a 8:45. Remember to bring a helmet a`•'••:< >: on an Effective Cycling Instructors Today the course is designed to be you are interested in the EC program, healthy glow,and fool everyone in the and gloves if you're riding,and lightspy�' `' A manual.Late in 1977,the first 15 Effec- covered in eleven sessions of three hours please feel free to contact me. Processf for the ride home (or back to your Grata 18 You'll want to have your bike with automobile). YOU in any event,because the park of- So mark your calendar for June 21 Y,lgi&nee affedliormMe h proval at the March meeting;that Irvine iendlylrvine Two motions won overwhelming Irvine fers a plethora of tree-shaded trails,walks (the fust day of summer),and well see m By BILL STANTON trails would replace eliminated on-road provide bicycle lanes on all major streets and roads to cycle.Plan to arrive at 6:00 you there!Check for signs at or near the �o p.m. (or a little earlier)if you want to front entrance for our specific meeting trails. and thoroughfares and that bicycles not take part in aquick-and�asy 30-minute location. 5 �m ""We must continue to be vigilant,""is However, several of the concerned be prohibited on any street. the advice offered to bicyclists by Jim bicyclists that packed the Bicycle Trails von Tungeln has reported a feeling �"� y " Join Us For A Fun Ride �, von Tungeln,chair of the City of hvine's Committee meeting room responded that the city will not prohibit bicycles on ''"T•_ � ,,v Around Irvine Park! Bicycle Trails Committee. that continuing the on-road trails is any streets.At the same time,he warned i ._�_+'_ '= von Tungeln offered the advice as necessary if the city is to encourage that vigilance is necessary.He also said - _. 0 From Bears to Briquets:A History of the city considers possible elimination bicycle commuting. that the City Council has directed that _, ' if Irvine Park 1897-1997 by Jim Sleeper, of some on-road bicycle lanes in order the Traffic Engineer prepare a formal - '' L; - - Orange County historian: to(what else?)create additional auto- Genuine Sidewalk recommendation in the matter. - 1 - p' Balloon tires replaced burros as the mobile lanes on the affected roadways. That recommendation will be re- - park's"most exciting ride" in 1932. In Bicycles service since 1918, the cantankerous Ironically, at the same time Irvine viewed by the Bicycle Trails Committee V`- considers this step backward, OCBC FOR FUN: and its parent body, the Traffic Com- `� beasts had long discoverd that a low- has approved a first-place award to the mission, as well as Irvine's Planning - lying limb was the quickest way to dis- city in the advocacy group's first annual F r aOT� Commission. It is expected that the .r.- charge a passenger.Seeking something o Bicycle Friendly Cities Competition. ."e alb 4% City Council will then make a final to cut down on his feed and first aid On March 17,von Tungeln chaired of Agr _ = g decision in the next few months. .,,,,. _ _--.�_ bills,Joe Irwin started with ten Sears& a meeting of his committee where the Potentially affected would be por- - Roebuck bicycles. He ended in 1967 Irvine Traffic Engineer pre- tionsof Irvine Center Drive,Main Street, with 200,and considered the sented proposed changes, - ={- = "� switch from burros the hap - (Sears Po g (Sears MacArthur Boulevard and Jamboree ••`�� x I piest day of his life. it emphasizing that off road Catalog, 1927.) Road. - - -- Y rMTeethiong op��FTwo- eel Tree Huggers, Beware! Pgoiingo OPL� By MIKE MOTT best,when they act and are treated like While contemplating recent statewide motorvehicles"." : Y bicycle advocacy events, I began to "But Mike,"you say,"what does this n miles per hour, or c3 �: ,- puzzle on the matter of environmental have to do with two-wheeled tree probably even slower.Now I don't know —P'll get there. about you,but I like to ride a little faster Notes bicycle advocacy. You know the old huggers"?"Wait a minute k argument—should bicyclists be"car hat- It seems to me that over the last than that. March Meeting _ ers"?Before I get ahead of myself,let several months,those most vocal about What then are we working towards? Treasurer Patti Clasen presided in the k`. try me bring you up to date: CABO's shortcomings are the cyclists We should continue to work towards absence of other officers. Patti read a i Carl Matthey,lately of Bike People with the greatest environmental lean- bicycle safety, and use all of the tools report by Don Harvey that bike access + `-1 and Human Powered Transit Authority, ing. Or more precisely, those cyclists that government has provided.The best on PCH south of Corona del Mar was ��. - .. . _ .-: who has attended our meetings,is push- who view automobiles as a particular tool currently available is environmen- "still OK"during construction. ing to create a statewide bicycle advo- evil,and the bicycle as something that tal law.A key reason that people don't Kathy Shapiro reminded members _ cacy organization. In the opinion of can save the ecosystem of the planet,if use their bikes for transportation is that about the March 17 meeting in Irvine r some people,the California Association we can only get people from their cars they don't feel safe on the roads. From over potential bikeway restructuring. near future.Kelly Dozier volunteered to over the lack of balance in the helmet-. of Bicycle Organizations(CABO)is nei- and onto their bikes.Maybe they aren't cycling accident studies we know that Bill Stanton reported that the"Bike chair the committee and is looking to issue editorials in the March/April-issue - ther effective nor moving quickly enough quite that radical,but they are close.If their fear is not completely justified. Friendly Committee"had met and"is June as the best time to stage the event. of Spokespeople. as an organization. The center of con- you haven't seen a newscast lately,the However,by working with government moving forward."Four new cities(in- Bill Stanton then reported on TEA Other upcoming events mentioned cem for these people is the relative more radical environmentalists have to make streets in Orange County more cluding Anaheim) had returned their (Transportation Enhancement Activi- was a trails conference on April 6 at the inaction in California regarding ISTEA been referred to as"tree huggers."Ex- bicycle-friendly,we will be creating a questionnaires. Kathy Shapiro volun- ties),a program with its funding dead- Los Alamitos Community Center and funds. I agree with these people that panding upon this term for cycling en- network of roads upon which people teered to contact Santa Ana to try to get line on April 1. Jim Konopka men- an event on how to conduct a bicycle CABO is lagging in the area of ISTEA, vironmentalists,I coined the term"two- will feel comfortable riding their bikes that city to respond also. tioned that Caltrans was submitting an rodeo in Huntington Beach. and needs some restructuring. I don't wheeled tree huggers." Before you get for transportation as well as recreation. Bill also reported that he will``follow application;Bill reported"working on" necessarily agree that a new statewide too unhappy with me, I am very pro- As people become more envirownen- the EIR"on Harbor Blvd.,which is be- Garden Grove to submit their master April Meeting organization is a good thing. It may environment myself tally aware,bicycle trips will naturally ing continually"pushed forward."Bill plan ofbikeways.Bill called for a resolu- (No minutes for the April meeting were prove to be,but not at this time. Let us consider,for just a moment, replace automobile trips,and that will will contact OCTA every three months tion approving the application of Gar- submitted by the publication date.) CABO was established initially as an the result ifthe two-wheeled tree huggers be good for Mother Earth.This will hap- to monitor the situation. den Grove, which passed by a voice organization whose members consisted were successful. Which is to say, it is peamore quickly ifpeople feel that they Paul Pirtle reported on the Santa vote. primarily of bicycle clubs and bicycle now 1999 and everyone is travelling by can do this safely.As OCBC members Ana River trail and called for a con- Vince Buck reported that the Fuller- businesses.To study the history of bike bicycle in Orange County.Like most of know,riding our.bikes in traffic isn't as certed petition/membership drive event ton Street Faire will be held on Satur- PIANO advocacy in this country is to realize the you, I thought that was a wonderful hazardous as most people believe.Our to be held on or near the trail in the day,May 8.He also expressed concern N I NG contributions to cycling made by mem- vision until I began to think about it.If job is to educate government on the needs bers of CABO.The key contribution is such an unlikely event happened,Beach of cyclists, and to educate cyclists on RegularMeetingLocation DY JOHN the recognition of the vehicle model for Boulevard would look like Main Street proper cycling techniques.If we are suc- OCBC meetings are normally held next few months are:May 17,June 21 bicycling on streets.As stated by John China during rush hours. You would cessful,who knows what Beach Boule- at the Civic Center Branch of the Gar- (at Irvine Park--see next page),July 19, Forester, "Cyclists are safest,and fare see thousands of cyclists on beach crisis- vard may look like in a few years? den Grove Public Library, two blocks August 16,and September 20.See you north of the intersection of Euclid and at the meetings! PIANO /ACCORDION - Titillating Tidbits On The Bizarre Rite Of Multi-Modalism. Garden Grove Boulevard. • "Multimodal transit" refers to com- • Laguna Beach city buses sport racks Head downstairs to the meeting Regular Meeting location. TUNING AND bining one or more means oftranspor- that can hold two bikes. They are room, opposite the library bookstore. N REPAIRING tation;in this case,bikes and buses. useful(for instance)in exploringAliso- Please observe quiet outside the meet- 5 Woods Park b mountain bike. ATECHNICIAN •i _ • A study of Chicago-area transport y ing room; also, eating, drinking and c Library s , ` found that creatingimproved facili- • Several California transit enciesoffer smoking are not permitted in the build- 120o Stanford $ P ties for bikes on public transit was 10 extensive bike/bus facilities,includ- ing. LA MIRADA times more cost-effective in removing racks and hour discretion- Meetings begin at 7:00 p.m.and last cnapma^ t ' g l? 714/521-7845 about two hours. The lights flicker at + r urban smog than the next alternative. ary bike boarding.Rural routes in San 8:45,8:50 and 8:55;please stay an extra Lampson c . The Orange County Transportation Diego County carry bikes on racks as far as Julian and Anza-Borrego. minute to help rearrange the chairs. Sunford GARDEN GROVE Authority(OCTA) currently has no Meetings are held on the Au official policy,but most bus drivers • Virtually all public bus third Monday of each ca,ae^ c. a�. Everything Old Is New Again: will allow any type ofbicycle aboard if lines allow folding bikes month. The dates for the 22 European Military Bicycle c. 1870. space permits. almost all of the time. 61 rwould oKe Happenings Along the River Trail GIVEN THE TE T• QEOP�F . t"OPSContinuedFrontPage1 1 8POO-8,During previous discussions with trail.An irrigation system will of course IRVINE FINISHED BEST have used all of COE, they have indicated that a trail be incorporated for the vines.It is clear protested-by-homeowners) detour around the construction yard the county is bending over backwards The City of Irvine has captured first sion,with facilities earning points equal did not take part. Banning Channel service road(The Ban- just north ofAdams would be provided. to appease 45 homeowners—but not for place in OCBC's first-ever Bicycle- to the total of the bicycle safety and "It was especially disheartening that ning Channel is east of the river and runs This"run-around"trail detour still hams the thousands of cyclists that use the Friendly Cities Competition. government actions divisions. the county's largest city and county seat, parallel to it below Adams Avenue.)We been planned.It must include a connec- trail. Newport Beach and San Clemente It was in facilities scoring,based on Santa Ana, and Huntington Beach, a believe this road was completed early tion to the temporary Banning Channel OCBC has noted other problems have been awarded first and second run- miles of bikeways in proportion to popu- large city very important to cyclists,did and now sits with new shiny locked Bridge(the bridge is aligned with the with this project. According to detail ner up honors in the contest developed lation,that Irvine seized an insurmount- not return questionnaires, despite two gates at both ends instead of providing asphalt trail coming down the hill in drawings the plans will build a Vail that to focus positive public attention on able lead requests that they do so,"Stanton said. cyclists with a badly-needed detour Fairview Park and will eventually con- is below Caltrans and state standards local government support of bicycling. Newport Beach led in local govern- "Either they were incapable ofdoing what through the project area. nett it to the river trail)and three changes for width, turn radius and sight lines. In addition, 16 other cities were ment support of bicycling and San most of the county's cities could do,or During a tour of the project area in grade(two drops of 8 feet and a rise OCBC doesn't believe that the concept awarded Honorable Mentions for dem- Clemente was the top point-getter in theyjustweren'tintereste(L•° with COE,OCBC noted a critical prob- of 16 feet). The detour will cross the drawings for the next segments are work- 'onstrating a positive interest in com- bicycle safety. Winning Honorable mentions were lem with a safety barrier at the east construction yard access road from able,and that schedule slips-and delays muter and recreational bicycling and Developing and scoring the Bicycle the following cities:Villa Park,Cypress, end exit from the multispan bridge. Placentia Avenue that is located along will be experienced for these.The cur- their benefits to the community. Friendly Cities Questionnaire were an Tustin, San Juan Capistrano, Mission The bridge exits to a narrow north- the south side of the Fairview Channel. rent project clearly called for the con- The awards were based on a ques- OCBC committee of David Underwood, Viejo,Fullerton,Fountain Valley,Costa south trail that is about 8 feet above OCBC has tentatively scheduled a tractor to provide a detour through the tionnaire with three divisions: bicycle Jim Konopka and Bill Stanton. Mesa,La Habra,La Pahna,Los Alamitos, the service road along the Banning meeting with COE to review these"run- project area, and this was ignored. A facilities(i.e.,existing bikeways),bicycle Committee members expressed satis- Anaheim,Laguna Beach,Westminster, channel west bank. There is only a 3- around"detourdrawings.We believe that new plan is in the works to haul fill dirt safety,and local government actions in faction that more than half of Orange Dana Point and Garden Grove. or 4-cable fence separating the trail and its complications will delay the opening from the channel on Talbert to a site in support of bicycling. County's cities participated,but particu- the road below. Cyclists exiting the of the trail. Huntington Beach. The gravel trucks Points were assigned to each divi- lar disappointment over two cities that A Fond Farewell bridge at excessive speed have an 8- The following item is of particular running fill dirt on Talbert will not Continued From Page 4 foot drop and will either be impaled interest to cyclists. To appease the 45 enhance the cycling experience for cy- Bicycle. Friendly Cities on posts of the cable fence or strained Costa Mesa homeowners who have de- clists using these bike lanes.All of these tasks We e be done than should look for sponsors rsponsors such as people to do them. through the top of the channel chain layed the trail,a set of walls(called"J" things point to the fact that the county w w Competition - 1992 link fence. The COE has agreed that walls)will be constructed to insulate is not feeling enough pressure from the AQMD, BFA, and bike shops to heir. this is a serious safety problem and these homeowners from their so-called cycling community. Name of City Facilities Sifely Goverment Total Rack fund a membership drive.The sponsors suggested that OCBC call Dave "spandex terrorists."After providing the OCBC needs your help. In the near Irvine 39 5 14 58 1 can fund us to print extra newsletters or Marshall,OCEMA,who is apparently walls,county planners also caved in to future,some of our members will staff Newport Beach 24 5 20 49 2 to develop a handbill, which REI has responsible for hazard mitigation.The the homeowners' concerns about graf- an informational booth on the river trail volunteered to circulate with their di- OCBC will locate Marshall,bring this frti:decorative textured concrete panels on weekends. This will help bring the San Clemente 23 8 10 41 3 rect mailer. safety hazard to his attention,and have and landscaped vines have been incor- problem to the attention of cyclists and VillaPark 31 6 3 40 4 We must continue our efforts to es- him develop a concept for a safety bar- porated into the walls on the side facing create more effective pressure on county Cypress 22 5 11 38 5 tablish the Orange County Bicycle Fund rier and a schedule for implements- the homeowners.the vines are rooted government Please volunteer to spend to work with Safe Moves to bring bicycle Tustin 18 7 6 31 6 training to youngsters.Finally,we need lion. This could delay the trail re- in 12"wide curbed planters;this space some time in the booth.If you can help, San Juan Capistrano 15 5 10 30 7 to work with state and national advocacy openi an ng schedule. will come out of the width of the bike contact Kelly Dozier at 753-1287. to train OCBC members. Mission Viejo 9 7 13 29 8 groups A Fond Farewell. that we are working to place into the Fullerton 8 6 12 26 1 9 We must build bridges with othe- Count Master Plan.In the future,when bike organizations and environments' Fountain Valley 9 5 9 23 10 to further the cause, including By MIKE MOTT approved, this will provide OCBC a groupsg new tool with which to improve the Costa Mesa 6 5 10 21 11 the Orange County Wheelmen and the To all of my cycling friends,I must say So many of you have helped so much facilities for all cyclists in Orange County. La Habra 7 4 9 20 12 Bike Club of Irvine,both of which are thanks and good-bye,at least for now. that I can't thank all of you individually. Speaking of the future,I believe the IaPalma 12 3 4 19 Tied-13 interested in advocacy.We have become My"other" career is going to pull me All of the OCBC officers have helped important tasks for OCBC will be men- effective on the Santa Ana River Trail_ LosAlamitos 11 4 4 19 Tied-13 down to Houston for at least four me greatly for the past eighteen months. berships,training,and coalition build- but we need to combine with the moun• months. Because of this,I will not be They truly give OCBC something of ing. Memberships mean political clout Anaheim 1 5 11 17 Tied-15 tain bike people as well. able to serve as a club officer in the which to be proud. and funding. At some point in the fu- IagunaBeach 10 3 4 17 1 Tied-15 Enjoy each other and continue to Westminster 2 7 8 17 Tied-15 foreseeable future.For the June meeting We've accomplished so much in the ture we may face a major test of political improve cycling in OC.When I get back and elections, Don Harvey, last two years.The victory on PCH was wills;a large membership will help us into the area,I look forward lbour very capable vice-chair, truly amazing.Just as amazing(but much carry the day.Also,there are many more Dana Point 0 5 11 16 18 to hearing about all of your will hold the gavel. less well known) is the new language Please Turn To Page S,Column 3 Garden Grove 1 6 1 8 15 19 accomplishments. ift EL P 0 COC PEN TI?E TRA IL H 0 • Does construction need to close the Santa Ana river trail? NO! ® OCBC has just found that the contract specifications say: L"6A safe and continuous bicycle trail through the project area shall be open at all times." (W) S .0 The Corps of Engineers and Orange County government have agreed to this! ® Then why is the trail closed? Pick one: ❑ The Corps is out of control ❑ The contractor is getting a windfall ❑ Orange County government (bids expensive, works cheap) is falling down on the job ❑ All of the above HELP 0CDOCYS FIGHT TO SAVE THE TRAIL ! WRITE Harriett Wieder, Chairman Congressman Christopher Cox Orange County Board of Supervisors 4000 MacArthur Blvd., s. 430 Or 10 Civic Center Plaza Newport Beach, CA 92660 CALL: Santa Ana, CA 92702 (714) 756-2244 Congressman Dana Rohrabacher Ask diem to make the Corps of Engineers 16162 Beach Blvd., s. 304 and its contractors fulfill the contract Huntington Beach, CA 92647-3813 and reopen Me trail! (714) 847-2433 JOIN OCBC_NOW AND MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! irejoin US!--send in your membership fee to OCBC today! (check one): ❑ Century ($100) ❑ Half-Century ($50) ❑ Quarter-century ($25) ❑ Regular ($10) ❑ Bike Club or Organization ($50) ❑ Bike shop ($25) Name O R A N G E Address C O U N T Y city ZIP B I C Y C L E OCBC members receive bimonthly COALITION Phone notified of Spokespeq?le and are of major OCBC activities. 630 S . GLASSELL ST . Mail to: c;6 SUITE 1 0 0 &j . ORANGE COUNTY BICYCLE COALITION 630S.G1assell, Suite 100 ORANGE , CA 92666 Orange,CA 92666 RIVRFLYR.CDR Saturday, May 22, 1993 B I C Y C L E COALITION RECEIVENAND UA PART OF THE RECORD AT MEETING ITEM N0, Supervisor Harriet M. Wieder OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK Chairman, Orange County Board of Supervisors CONNIE BROCKWAY 10 Civic Center Plaza Santa Ana, CA 92701 Supervisor Wieder, Recently we exchanged letters concerning the Santa Ana River Trail (SART) - the OCBC requested that you intervene on behalf of cyclists and reopen the SART in the lower reaches of the flood project; you responded that this section of the SART would remain closed until it was safe for cyclists to use it. After careful review of the SART in the flood project and elsewhere, primarily by OCBC member Paul Pirtle, the OCBC believes that either bicycle safety is not well understood by county planners and engineers, or bicycle safety is not a priority for county planners and engineers. The enclosed report details the many safety problems, design deficiencies, and specification non-compliances that the OCBC has uncovered. The OCBC believes that we have uncovered a pattern of disregard for the safety of cyclists, and for that matter pedestrians, along the SART that is severe enough to indicate negligence on the part of county government. Children and novice cyclists are the most common users of the SART, and their safety must be paramount in all decisions made with respect to the flood project impacts on SART. When the OCBC became involved with the SART last summer, we discovered that the detour provided by county planners was routing children to one of the busiest intersections in the county- an intersection with no bike lanes. In good faith, the OCBC developed a surface-street detour that was reasonably safe for chilcken and novice cyclists. I say in good faith, because it was with reluctance and the assurance that the SART would be reopened in a couple of months that we developed the detour, knowing as we did that many of these riders, for their safety, belonged in the project area and not on busy surface streets. Orange County Bicycle Coalition M P.O. Box 19793-311 GVO Irvine, CA 92713 The county, on the other hand, does not seem to be acting in good faith. For example, the schedule to reopen the SART in the lower reaches of the flood project has slipped from a couple of months to a year, perhaps more. Also, the bid package specifications for the lower reaches of flood project contained provisions for a bicycle detour through the project area. According to project documentation reviewed by the OCBC, the detour was built and sits idle today. Considering the safety of so many children, why, other than bad faith, would the county allow a detour, that was planned and constructed, to sit unused? The detailed plans for the next reaches (3 and 4) of the flood project and the SART are severely deficient and constitute a grave safety hazard for the children and novice cyclists who will use these sections of the SART once construction is complete. As an example, the OCBC has checked the grade of each underpass on this section of the SART, and found that many of them exceed the Caltrans and county standards for maximum grade by 55%. Such steep grades result in high bike speeds, making children quite susceptible to falls and serious injuries of death at the bottom of these grades. If the county is concerned with the safety of children along the SART, why is the design of NEW CONSTRUCTION so deficient. The OCBC understands the gravity of the statements we have made in this letter, and that is the reason we are providing this information to bicycle accident attorneys and the media. Time is of the essence, because safety of the public is involved and construction is on-going. The OCBC is convinced that when you look carefully into the details of this matter, you will agree that the county can and should provide safe detours for the SART through the flood project area, and that design changes in the upper reaches (3 and 4) of the flood project will be required to make the SART safe in the future. Regards, Michael M. Mott Chairman, OCBC 14541 Hunter Lane Midway City, CA 92655 (714) 892-9788 cc: file Gary Brustin, 8383 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 919, Beverley Hills, CA 90211 Raymond J. Mosher, 18837 Brookhurst, Suite 201, Fountain Valley, CA 92708 Michael M. Ruane, OCEMA Bill Billiter, LA Times Michelle Nicolosi, OC Register B I C Y C L E _ C O A L I T I O N SAFETY HAZARDS AND DESIGN DEFICIENCIES of the SANTA ANA RIVER TRAIL PREPARED BY THE ORANGE COUNTY BICYCLE COALITION May 1993 Orange County Bicycle Coalition policy goals with regard to the Santa Ana River Trail (SART) are as follows: Provide cyclist access to the SART on a continuous basis. Our priority is to have SART detours, if absolutely necessary, to be safe and designed incorporating enveloping requirements of either the CalTrans Highway Design Manual, Chapter 1000, Bikeway Planning And Design or the Master Plan of Countywide Bikeways Component, including Annexes. Our priority for SART detours is that they be built within the Flood Project rather than on city streets. Our general objectives for bicycle advocacy are consistent with those included in the Orange County- Master Plan of Countywide Bikeways Component. Our representative's personal inspections of the Santa Ana Flood Project and the SART, discussions with the Orange County Environmental Management Agency (OCEMA) and the US Army Corps of Engineers (COE) staff, and review of the Santa Ana Flood Project Reach 2/3 bid package have generated the concerns detailed below. Note that the specification for BICYCLE TRAIL DETOUR, which we reference, has been put on the contract by the COE for the Reach 2/3 Flood Project Contractor. See the attached map for location of the various Flood Project Reaches in Orange County. REACH 2/3 CONCERNS Our major concern is that the specification, "BICYCLE TRAIL DETOUR, Section 01450, LOWER SANTA ANA, REACH 3 AND 4, W9360007" is not being complied with and given the current OCEMA management approach, non- compliance will increase. This non-compliance has apparently been accepted by OCEMA, Flood Program Division (see H.I. Nakasone letter, 3 Mar 93, to Bob Peterson, Subject: "Bike Detour for Reaches 3 and 4 of the Santa Ana River") without detailed, technically justified considerations of any options for SART detour location in the Flood Project. We requested from OCEMA staff, in our 5/11/93 meeting, copies of decision memoranda related to this decision. We were provided a partial transmittal after the meeting, in response to our request. The Nakasone memo cited describes only one option, prices it, and dismisses any detour in the Flood Project, all in a single page. In addition, the option described "next to the far left or right R/W" does not exist on the plans. The option requested was that the trail be maintained through the project area, as required in the contract specification. If this is economically unreasonable or excessively hazardous, a reasonable alternative would be to build the east levee (or west levee) maintenance road first, divert bicycle and pedestrian traffic to the newly constructed pavement and then proceed to complete the rest of this phase of construction. There is insufficient support for this decision, particularly when provisions for SART detours in the Flood Project were studied, designed and partially implemented in Reach 1/2 of the Flood Project. Of course any option is probably more expensive than the $13,000 COE A&E Contractor estimate of the cost of the on- street SART detour cited in the Nakasone memo. The lack of consideration of any construction phasing approach for accommodating the SART detour in the Flood Project is a major deficiency, particularly when the specification itself requires the accommodation of the detour through the Flood Project. Page 2 Other Flood Programs Documentation (R.D. Runge letter to Hamid Bahadori, Feb 05 1993, "Bike Path between Talbert Avenue and 405 Freeway in Reach 3 of the Santa Ana River") indicates a willingness to "...delete the detour from the plans and close the trail within the City of Santa Ana". If other options or approaches were developed, subjected to preliminary pricing, and considered in an objective decision process we would like to be provided documentation of them, if they in fact exist. The on street conceptual detours defined in the bid package drawings and planned to be implemented in non-compliance of the specification have no detailed requirements defined to meet CalTrans or OCEMA bicycle design standards. Compliance with these standards is apparently being left up to the City of Fountain Valley and the City of Santa Ana. Bicyclists may be faced with detours that meet neither CalTrans nor OCEMA standards and will be exposed to totally unnecessary traffic hazards. Why are not detailed standards used as requirements for these conceptual detours, included in the design package, and addressed in OCEMA negotiations with the cities? The Phase I Conceptual Detour lies principally in Fountain Valley but a portion of it also lies in Santa Ana. No discussions have apparently been held with Santa Ana on this segment. Our discussions with Fountain Valley's Planning and Engineering Divisions indicate that approval of the Phase I Conceptual Detour (the portion in Fountain Valley) has not been given; although discussions have been held with OCEMA (no discussions during the past six months). Fountain Valley stated that it still has concerns and reservations about the detour. Why was a definitive .agreement not made with Fountain Valley (MOA or MOU) by OCEMA before bid release and contract award? The Phase I Conceptual Detour design at the SART connection with Talbert Avenue is not defined and will be a serious safety hazard to bicyclists if the current concept is implemented. We have commented on this hazard in our meetings with staff but have had no response. Making this concept safely workable will require a U-turn lane with a bicycle loop sensor for signal control at Highland Street in the Santa Ana portion of the detour. No discussion of this, or other provisions, has been held with Santa Ana. Page 3 Permit applications for the Phase I Conceptual Detour in Fountain Valley and Santa Ana have not yet been made by the COE contractor. Installation of the detour is therefore being delayed while COE pressure to begin Reach 3/4 construction is growing. COE has already approached OCEMA with an informal request to close the SART and begin construction of Reach 3 without any detour either on the streets or in the project. If this request is granted by OCEMA the SART will be closed from above the San Diego Freeway all the way to Pacific Coast Highway for an indefinite period into the future. This closure in Reach 3 would be an additional violation of the referenced COE contract specification. _ . Design of the temporary bicycle trail between the San Diego Freeway and Talbert is incomplete. Connection of this trail to the Phase I Conceptual detour at Talbert has not been designed. Use of existing asphalt surface in this area, as planned, is impossible due to destruction of existing pavement by construction traffic currently supporting Reach 2 construction. This deficiency has been brought to the attention of staff and site visit by design personnel suggested. Their response or intent, if any, is unknown. Reach 3/4 Drawing Review identified that all the ramps, that the SART will use, have slopes that significantly exceed grade design standards (approximately 55% steeper) for bicycles. Crest vertical curves for sight lines are not included in the design. Sag vertical curve lengths and design speeds do not meet design standards for bicycles. Why is OCEMA allowing completely new construction, that the SART will use, to be built without compliance with any bicycle design standards? Detailed standards, both County and CalTrans, are available and should be used. OCEMA staff has advised us that similar comments were made regarding COE construction drawings in the bid package, most of which were not implemented by COE, and that a contract change request is proceeding to add crest vertical curves. The intent of the OCEMA initiated contract change request is to use vertical curve design speeds (and resulting distances) that still do not meet design standards. No modifications to correct the ramp grade design deficiencies are being considered. These design deficiencies create a significant and serious safety hazard for maintenance and patrol vehicles that will use the service roads on both sides of the river, as well as for the numerous bicyclists and pedestrians on SART. Why is the COE and their contractor being allowed to implement a hazardously deficient design? Existing underpass designs for Reach 314 violate all CalTrans and Orange County standards for both bicycle trails and motorized vehicle roads, thereby creating a significant safety hazard for maintenance and patrol vehicles, bicyclists, equestrians, and pedestrians. The underpass ramps, roads, and SART in this Project are being deliberately constructed to not meet known accepted design standards. Page 4 SAFETY HAZARDS ON SART A SART closure was recently encountered at Katella Avenue in Anaheim on 4/10/93. The closure was intended to allow the Anaheim Arena contractor to construct a drain line into the Santa Ana River along the north side of Katella and down the slope adjacent to the Katella Bridge. This construction was under an approved permit from OCEMA. The detour provided by the contractor was extremely hazardous, required bicyclists to proceed on Katella in travel lanes against oncoming traffic, in clear and flagrant violation of CalTrans standards, and had no on the street lane striping or adequately located signage.. This situation persisted from 4/10/93 until 5/9/93. This was discussed with OCEMA staff beginning 4/12/93 through 5/8/93 through various telephone conversations, with no action taken until the week of 5/3/93. OCBC representatives contacted Anaheim officials as well and eventually got the Anaheim engineering staff to respond to the hazard. We are still researching this problem and have requested copies of the OCEMA permit that approved this construction. The processes to ensure that SART closures do not occur without adequate detour planning and implementation were a total failure in this case. We request you review this case, and at a minimum; • Implement a permanent process that ensures that all permits that close any section of SART have detour implementations that comply with CalTrans Highway Design Manual, Chapter 1000, Bikeway Planning And Design or the Master Plan of Countywide Bikeways Component (including Annexes), whichever is safer. All on street detours must comply with Class II bike lane standards, all off street detours must comply with Class I bike path standards. Require design review of detour provisions prior to permit approval. Ensure that permit review and approval personnel clearly understand the design standards. • Include in the permit process provisions to trigger aggressive on site inspection and follow up to assure that the detour provisions, as well as the construction provisions, are being satisfied for the duration of the construction. •Take action in all cases to effect shut down of construction for violation of permit detour provisions and require that work remain stopped until adequate detours are available. • Assure timely restoration of SART facilities to original condition upon completion of construction. We are continually being assured by OCEMA that "bicycle safety is a top priority". Our continuing experience in identifying significant hazards on SART, bringing them to the attention of OCEMA or COE, and getting the hazards eliminated indicate that there is little real commitment to safety if it requires effort, resources, or vigilance to actually implement. Additional examples follow below. Page 5 Construction contractor trucks have been breaking up the pavement on the SART segment from the 1-405 freeway north to Talbert. The broken pavement just north of the tunnel is on a fairly steep trail downslope from the levee top to the tunnel entrance and the broken pavement and debris is a serious hazard to cyclists. We have repeatedly brought this to the attention of COE and OCEMA (transportation, construction / inspection, etc.) from 3/13/93 to the present, with no elimination of the hazard. Finally, for our meeting of 5/11/93 we took color photos of the area and provided a set for OCEMA. We demanded that this hazard be corrected. We have been given OCEMA verbal assurances that the hazard will be corrected before the 5/15-16/93 weekend because there is a large bicycle event on the trail (OCEMA permits approved and issued). Correction of this hazard will most likely be coincident with completion of concrete hauling over SART due to completion of the Edison tower bulkhead construction. During a meeting with COE on 4/2/93 our representative, in reviewing the Reach 1 _drawings, identified a serious safety hazard at the east end exit of the bicycle bridge over the Santa Ana River. The hazard is a lack of fencing or barrier to prevent cyclists exiting the bridge from going off the extremely narrow trail, down an approximately 12 foot bank, and into the fence or over the fence and into the Banning Channel and falling to their death on the concrete channel bottom. This hazard was confirmed by our representative during a site inspection with a COE representative. OCEMA staff was notified by our representative and we have had verbal assurance that the hazard will be corrected. Apparently the planned staff approach was to sign the bridge for cyclists to walk their bicycles across the bridge. This indicates to us a total lack of interest or understanding on the part of staff as to how bicyclists will actually use the SART facilities. OCEMA Flood Programs was notified by letter by our representative in November 1992 of hazardous SART paving at the Hamilton-Victoria bridge underpass in Reach 1. We have received no response to our letter though we have been given verbal assurances by OCEMA staff that the hazard will be corrected. Page 6 SAFE DETOURS IN REACH 1/2 In our meeting of 5/11/93 we distributed a copy of a Costa Mesa letter (Peter Naghavi to Bill Gallegos, cc to Terrie Medeiros, "Santa Ana Bicycle Trail Detour", May 3, 1993) notifying the COE that the Placentia Avenue portion of the Reach 1/2 SART detour will not be available from June 1, 1993 to September 20, 1993. We also have determined that the COE contractor (Yeager) is not planning to finish the Reach 2 SART detour until October or November 1993. The result of this situation is that under present OCEMA/COE planning, SART in Reach 1/2 will be closed for yet another summer and that the on street detour in Costa Mesa will not be available either. We demand that action be started immediately by the OCEMA and the COE to open, as a temporary detour for SART, the east service road of the Greenville-Banning Channel from Gisler Street in Costa Mesa to Pacific Coast Highway, a connecting detour around the COE/Yeager construction area, and connecting access to the service road at the Hamilton-Victoria Bridge (both sides). We are fully aware that this route was originally planned as an in-project detour in Reach 1/2 and that it was not implemented in response to objections of the homeowners living along the Greenville-Banning Channel in Costa Mesa. We consider that decision to have been made in private with the homeowners, without any input from the bicycle community despite our repeated attempts to determine what course OCEMA Flood Programs was pursuing. If use of this route is politically unfeasible then action must be taken to accelerate the completion by COE/Yeager of the SART route on the west bank of the Greenville-Banning Channel at the earliest possible date and link it with the other route segments identified above. If the above actions are not taken and Reach 3/4 construction is allowed to begin without detours in place cyclists will be faced with potential closure of the SART from Edinger Avenue in Santa Ana to the Pacific Coast Highway, with no on street detours available. Page 7 1111 � 111 ■ �� F' _ W � InqAS► � it g1m, ., 1 - �� � •► ■Illl�n� ���� �� W' 1 � III Ell SOON .ilucii :ONMMM ■I®rMIA11111IMM. M=1 1 MINN y� �, 1 = ■ �. 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