On Santa Monica's beachfront bike path, an uneasy mix LA Times May 3, 2009

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-
lopez3-2009may03,0,4627856,full.column
From the Los Angeles Times
STEVE LOPEZ
On Santa Monica's beachfront bike path, an uneasy mix
Steve Lopez
May 3, 2009
It's another lovely day at the beach in Santa Monica, with a light
spring breeze blowing across the sun-dappled sea and cyclists
pedaling stress-free along the bike path.
Paradise. Nirvana. Whatever you call it, we're lucky mugs to have a
tranquil respite from the urban madness and permanent bottlenecks.
But wait. Do I see a collision in the making?
A woman is pushing a stroller, a teenager is on a skateboard, a man
is walking a dog on a leash -- all of them idling along on a path
that's marked BIKES ONLY -- and here comes a cyclist, closing in on
this knot of nudniks. The cyclist slows, he weaves, he shoots past
them and all are safe. But it doesn't always work out like that.
"It happened right here," Jon Louis Mann is telling me as he replays
an accident that happened about a week ago. "I was heading south and
there's a guy standing in the bike lane with a dog on a leash, and
he's talking to another guy."
Mann swerved hard right, skidded and flopped down like a crash-test
dummy on the sand, injuring his elbow, shoulder and back. He was so
banged up, he couldn't get back on the bike. Before limping off to
the doctor's office, he informed the dog walker that the bike path is
for bikes and a separate pedestrian path is a mere 20 yards away.
So how'd that go over?
"He flipped me off," Mann says.
The term "bike path" doesn't leave much room for ambiguity. But
pedestrians just can't seem to get it. Mann believes the hazards are
mounting because so many people are on cellphones or using iPods,
oblivious to the world around them.
But I can say from experience that people have been inconsiderate or
clueless for years. I used to ride my bike on that path when I lived
in Santa Monica in the late '90s, and the hazards were no less
frustrating back then. You'd see a clot forming ahead and have to
slow down or change lanes, which sometimes meant getting brushed by
rollerbladers or cyclists who thought they were in the Tour de France.
My therapeutic outings often left me in a lather, muttering about the
parade of imbeciles, and I pedaled home feeling as if I'd just had a
nasty commute on the 405. Weekends were so bad, I rode before the
hordes descended or not at all.
"On weekends we see lots of accidents," says Matt Balke, who rents
bikes and skates at Spokes 'N Stuff. Lots of tourists, he says, and
they're too busy enjoying the sights to observe the rules of the road.
Just down from his shop, Tom Moran has owned Sea Mist rentals for 30
years, and he has signs warning customers of the risks they are about
to take, beginning with pedestrians and sand that blows onto the
trail, causing spinouts.
When it gets hot, thousands of people cross the bike path on their
way to the surf, many of them lugging so much beach gear you'd think
they were building villages at the water's edge. On some days,
lifeguards tell me, they spend more time responding to bike path
accidents than pulling swimmers to safety. Injuries slight and
serious are common.
"Oh, yeah, you name it," says Capt. Scott Grigsby.
His boss, Mickey Gallagher, adds: "You see head injuries,
dislocations, broken bones."
Nice.
As we look out from the operations tower, just south of the Santa
Monica Pier, there are as many pedestrians on the bike path as
cyclists. At times, groups of four or five stroll abreast of each
other, taking up most of the path as cyclists approach from both
directions.
"You see this woman walking and doing the arm exercises?" Gallagher
asks.
Yes, and I also see a dog walker with an outstretched leash, making
it look as though the bike path were an obstacle course.
None of this catapults the issue to the top of our list of regional
concerns. But how hard is it, really, to enforce regulations and
prevent accidents? Southern California does a lousy job of
accommodating bikes on city streets. You'd think we could at least
get it right at the beach, but hazards abound.
Santa Monica Police Officer Richard Carranza says he thinks City Hall
should send someone out with brochures telling pedestrians to stick
to the walkway and cyclists to the bike path in places where both
exist. Cyclists, by the way, are often on the wrong trail too. Every
once in a while, Carranza says, police do a sting and write tickets.
But as I discover in interviews with pedestrians lollygagging on the
bike path just a stone's throw from the designated walkway, many of
them have no idea they aren't supposed to be there.
"We didn't know," says British Airways flight attendant Nina Smith,
who is strolling with colleague Maria Lindos.
They're standing near a red painted symbol with a cross through a
pedestrian symbol, but it's worn by elements and obscured by sand.
Barbara Stinchfield, director of Santa Monica's Department of
Community and Cultural Services, says better signs are being designed
and the city is preparing the brochures Officer Carranza spoke of.
The city is working on additional solutions with the county, which
controls the beach path, and there's a $2.9-million proposal before
the Metro board to extend the pedestrian walkway north of the pier,
where walkers now share pavement with cyclists and rollerbladers.
For many people, the upgrades can't come soon enough. Scott Riddle, a
script reader, has used the path twice a week for 20 years, and he's
seen all manner of mishaps.
"Bikes hitting pedestrians, bikes hitting other bikes, bikes hitting
little kids," he says.
That's the worst problem of all, in his mind: clueless parents who
let their young children wander onto the path as speeding bikes
approach.
"It's a wonder dozens of kids aren't killed every day."
Some cyclists need to cool it, too, he says.
"With some of them, the attitude is, 'This is L.A.; I'll pass when I
want to pass.' " Ahhh, the scenery, the serenity. What a lovely getaway.
But be sure to bring a first-aid kit.
steve.lopez@latimes.com
If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at
latimes.com/archives.

Article licensing and reprint options
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_______________________________________________
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Comments
On Santa Monica's beachfront bike path, an uneasy mix LA Time
A similar incident happened on the bike path around Lake Merritt on the dam side. I politely told a runner to run on the sidewalk and he got nasty. Another incident was with another runner who I told to run on the sidewalk and she said that asphalt was more forgiving then concrete. So I suggested for her to run on the alternative path which wasn’t concrete or to deal with the little bit of concrete at the dam side.
I can’t wait until the reconstruction/reconfiguration of the Lake is completed. We still need to do a lot of education around bicyclists. There’s so much hostility despite the logical argument I give for choices of bike versus car mishaps.
Emily Montan
-----Original Message-----
From: ebbc-talk-bounces@lists.ebbc.org [mailto:ebbc-talk-bounces@lists.ebbc.org] On Behalf Of Leonard Conly
Sent: Sunday, May 03, 2009 12:08 AM
To: Conly Len
Subject: [Ebbc-Talk] On Santa Monica's beachfront bike path,an uneasy mix LA Times May 3, 2009

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-
lopez3-2009may03,0,4627856,full.column
From the Los Angeles Times
STEVE LOPEZ
On Santa Monica's beachfront bike path, an uneasy mix
Steve Lopez
May 3, 2009
It's another lovely day at the beach in Santa Monica, with a light
spring breeze blowing across the sun-dappled sea and cyclists
pedaling stress-free along the bike path.
Paradise. Nirvana. Whatever you call it, we're lucky mugs to have a
tranquil respite from the urban madness and permanent bottlenecks.
But wait. Do I see a collision in the making?
A woman is pushing a stroller, a teenager is on a skateboard, a man
is walking a dog on a leash -- all of them idling along on a path
that's marked BIKES ONLY -- and here comes a cyclist, closing in on
this knot of nudniks. The cyclist slows, he weaves, he shoots past
them and all are safe. But it doesn't always work out like that.
"It happened right here," Jon Louis Mann is telling me as he replays
an accident that happened about a week ago. "I was heading south and
there's a guy standing in the bike lane with a dog on a leash, and
he's talking to another guy."
Mann swerved hard right, skidded and flopped down like a crash-test
dummy on the sand, injuring his elbow, shoulder and back. He was so
banged up, he couldn't get back on the bike. Before limping off to
the doctor's office, he informed the dog walker that the bike path is
for bikes and a separate pedestrian path is a mere 20 yards away.
So how'd that go over?
"He flipped me off," Mann says.
The term "bike path" doesn't leave much room for ambiguity. But
pedestrians just can't seem to get it. Mann believes the hazards are
mounting because so many people are on cellphones or using iPods,
oblivious to the world around them.
But I can say from experience that people have been inconsiderate or
clueless for years. I used to ride my bike on that path when I lived
in Santa Monica in the late '90s, and the hazards were no less
frustrating back then. You'd see a clot forming ahead and have to
slow down or change lanes, which sometimes meant getting brushed by
rollerbladers or cyclists who thought they were in the Tour de France.
My therapeutic outings often left me in a lather, muttering about the
parade of imbeciles, and I pedaled home feeling as if I'd just had a
nasty commute on the 405. Weekends were so bad, I rode before the
hordes descended or not at all.
"On weekends we see lots of accidents," says Matt Balke, who rents
bikes and skates at Spokes 'N Stuff. Lots of tourists, he says, and
they're too busy enjoying the sights to observe the rules of the road.
Just down from his shop, Tom Moran has owned Sea Mist rentals for 30
years, and he has signs warning customers of the risks they are about
to take, beginning with pedestrians and sand that blows onto the
trail, causing spinouts.
When it gets hot, thousands of people cross the bike path on their
way to the surf, many of them lugging so much beach gear you'd think
they were building villages at the water's edge. On some days,
lifeguards tell me, they spend more time responding to bike path
accidents than pulling swimmers to safety. Injuries slight and
serious are common.
"Oh, yeah, you name it," says Capt. Scott Grigsby.
His boss, Mickey Gallagher, adds: "You see head injuries,
dislocations, broken bones."
Nice.
As we look out from the operations tower, just south of the Santa
Monica Pier, there are as many pedestrians on the bike path as
cyclists. At times, groups of four or five stroll abreast of each
other, taking up most of the path as cyclists approach from both
directions.
"You see this woman walking and doing the arm exercises?" Gallagher
asks.
Yes, and I also see a dog walker with an outstretched leash, making
it look as though the bike path were an obstacle course.
None of this catapults the issue to the top of our list of regional
concerns. But how hard is it, really, to enforce regulations and
prevent accidents? Southern California does a lousy job of
accommodating bikes on city streets. You'd think we could at least
get it right at the beach, but hazards abound.
Santa Monica Police Officer Richard Carranza says he thinks City Hall
should send someone out with brochures telling pedestrians to stick
to the walkway and cyclists to the bike path in places where both
exist. Cyclists, by the way, are often on the wrong trail too. Every
once in a while, Carranza says, police do a sting and write tickets.
But as I discover in interviews with pedestrians lollygagging on the
bike path just a stone's throw from the designated walkway, many of
them have no idea they aren't supposed to be there.
"We didn't know," says British Airways flight attendant Nina Smith,
who is strolling with colleague Maria Lindos.
They're standing near a red painted symbol with a cross through a
pedestrian symbol, but it's worn by elements and obscured by sand.
Barbara Stinchfield, director of Santa Monica's Department of
Community and Cultural Services, says better signs are being designed
and the city is preparing the brochures Officer Carranza spoke of.
The city is working on additional solutions with the county, which
controls the beach path, and there's a $2.9-million proposal before
the Metro board to extend the pedestrian walkway north of the pier,
where walkers now share pavement with cyclists and rollerbladers.
For many people, the upgrades can't come soon enough. Scott Riddle, a
script reader, has used the path twice a week for 20 years, and he's
seen all manner of mishaps.
"Bikes hitting pedestrians, bikes hitting other bikes, bikes hitting
little kids," he says.
That's the worst problem of all, in his mind: clueless parents who
let their young children wander onto the path as speeding bikes
approach.
"It's a wonder dozens of kids aren't killed every day."
Some cyclists need to cool it, too, he says.
"With some of them, the attitude is, 'This is L.A.; I'll pass when I
want to pass.' " Ahhh, the scenery, the serenity. What a lovely getaway.
But be sure to bring a first-aid kit.
steve.lopez@latimes.com
If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at
latimes.com/archives.

Article licensing and reprint options
Copyright 2009 Los Angeles Times | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service
Home Delivery | Advertise | Archives | Contact | Site Map | Help
partners:  

_______________________________________________
Ebbc-Talk mailing list
Ebbc-Talk@lists.ebbc.org
http://lists.ebbc.org/listinfo.cgi/ebbc-talk-ebbc.org
_______________________________________________
Ebbc-Talk mailing list
Ebbc-Talk@lists.ebbc.org
http://lists.ebbc.org/listinfo.cgi/ebbc-talk-ebbc.org
On Santa Monica's beachfront bike path, an uneasy mix LA Time
The Chronicle has a story today about how bicyclists and peds don't
mix on
the Golden Gate Bridge. It's worse on weekdays when we're all crowded
onto
the East side.
At least the story didn't point fingers at local cyclists. I hope as
a group we know
that you have to be patient on the pathway. Should cyclists pay a
toll for the
use of the bridge? After all it does cost something for us to use it.
-phil
On May 4, 2009, at 11:10 AM, Emily Montan wrote:
> A similar incident happened on the bike path around Lake Merritt on
> the dam side. I politely told a runner to run on the sidewalk and
> he got nasty. Another incident was with another runner who I told
> to run on the sidewalk and she said that asphalt was more forgiving
> then concrete. So I suggested for her to run on the alternative
> path which wasn’t concrete or to deal with the little bit of
> concrete at the dam side.
>
> I can’t wait until the reconstruction/reconfiguration of the Lake
> is completed. We still need to do a lot of education around
> bicyclists. There’s so much hostility despite the logical argument
> I give for choices of bike versus car mishaps.
>
> Emily Montan
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ebbc-talk-bounces@lists.ebbc.org [mailto:ebbc-talk-bounces@lists.ebbc.org
> ] On Behalf Of Leonard Conly
> Sent: Sunday, May 03, 2009 12:08 AM
> To: Conly Len
> Subject: [Ebbc-Talk] On Santa Monica's beachfront bike path,an
> uneasy mix LA Times May 3, 2009
>
> 
>
>
>
> http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-
> lopez3-2009may03,0,4627856,full.column
> From the Los Angeles Times
> STEVE LOPEZ
>
> On Santa Monica's beachfront bike path, an uneasy mix
>
> Steve Lopez
>
> May 3, 2009
>
> It's another lovely day at the beach in Santa Monica, with a light
> spring breeze blowing across the sun-dappled sea and cyclists
> pedaling stress-free along the bike path.
>
> Paradise. Nirvana. Whatever you call it, we're lucky mugs to have a
> tranquil respite from the urban madness and permanent bottlenecks.
>
> But wait. Do I see a collision in the making?
>
> A woman is pushing a stroller, a teenager is on a skateboard, a man
> is walking a dog on a leash -- all of them idling along on a path
> that's marked BIKES ONLY -- and here comes a cyclist, closing in on
> this knot of nudniks. The cyclist slows, he weaves, he shoots past
> them and all are safe. But it doesn't always work out like that.
>
> "It happened right here," Jon Louis Mann is telling me as he replays
> an accident that happened about a week ago. "I was heading south and
> there's a guy standing in the bike lane with a dog on a leash, and
> he's talking to another guy."
>
> Mann swerved hard right, skidded and flopped down like a crash-test
> dummy on the sand, injuring his elbow, shoulder and back. He was so
> banged up, he couldn't get back on the bike. Before limping off to
> the doctor's office, he informed the dog walker that the bike path is
> for bikes and a separate pedestrian path is a mere 20 yards away.
>
> So how'd that go over?
>
> "He flipped me off," Mann says.
>
> The term "bike path" doesn't leave much room for ambiguity. But
> pedestrians just can't seem to get it. Mann believes the hazards are
> mounting because so many people are on cellphones or using iPods,
> oblivious to the world around them.
>
> But I can say from experience that people have been inconsiderate or
> clueless for years. I used to ride my bike on that path when I lived
> in Santa Monica in the late '90s, and the hazards were no less
> frustrating back then. You'd see a clot forming ahead and have to
> slow down or change lanes, which sometimes meant getting brushed by
> rollerbladers or cyclists who thought they were in the Tour de France.
>
> My therapeutic outings often left me in a lather, muttering about the
> parade of imbeciles, and I pedaled home feeling as if I'd just had a
> nasty commute on the 405. Weekends were so bad, I rode before the
> hordes descended or not at all.
>
> "On weekends we see lots of accidents," says Matt Balke, who rents
> bikes and skates at Spokes 'N Stuff. Lots of tourists, he says, and
> they're too busy enjoying the sights to observe the rules of the road.
>
> Just down from his shop, Tom Moran has owned Sea Mist rentals for 30
> years, and he has signs warning customers of the risks they are about
> to take, beginning with pedestrians and sand that blows onto the
> trail, causing spinouts.
>
> When it gets hot, thousands of people cross the bike path on their
> way to the surf, many of them lugging so much beach gear you'd think
> they were building villages at the water's edge. On some days,
> lifeguards tell me, they spend more time responding to bike path
> accidents than pulling swimmers to safety. Injuries slight and
> serious are common.
>
> "Oh, yeah, you name it," says Capt. Scott Grigsby.
>
> His boss, Mickey Gallagher, adds: "You see head injuries,
> dislocations, broken bones."
>
> Nice.
>
> As we look out from the operations tower, just south of the Santa
> Monica Pier, there are as many pedestrians on the bike path as
> cyclists. At times, groups of four or five stroll abreast of each
> other, taking up most of the path as cyclists approach from both
> directions.
>
> "You see this woman walking and doing the arm exercises?" Gallagher
> asks.
>
> Yes, and I also see a dog walker with an outstretched leash, making
> it look as though the bike path were an obstacle course.
>
> None of this catapults the issue to the top of our list of regional
> concerns. But how hard is it, really, to enforce regulations and
> prevent accidents? Southern California does a lousy job of
> accommodating bikes on city streets. You'd think we could at least
> get it right at the beach, but hazards abound.
>
> Santa Monica Police Officer Richard Carranza says he thinks City Hall
> should send someone out with brochures telling pedestrians to stick
> to the walkway and cyclists to the bike path in places where both
> exist. Cyclists, by the way, are often on the wrong trail too. Every
> once in a while, Carranza says, police do a sting and write tickets.
>
> But as I discover in interviews with pedestrians lollygagging on the
> bike path just a stone's throw from the designated walkway, many of
> them have no idea they aren't supposed to be there.
>
> "We didn't know," says British Airways flight attendant Nina Smith,
> who is strolling with colleague Maria Lindos.
>
> They're standing near a red painted symbol with a cross through a
> pedestrian symbol, but it's worn by elements and obscured by sand.
>
> Barbara Stinchfield, director of Santa Monica's Department of
> Community and Cultural Services, says better signs are being designed
> and the city is preparing the brochures Officer Carranza spoke of.
>
> The city is working on additional solutions with the county, which
> controls the beach path, and there's a $2.9-million proposal before
> the Metro board to extend the pedestrian walkway north of the pier,
> where walkers now share pavement with cyclists and rollerbladers.
>
> For many people, the upgrades can't come soon enough. Scott Riddle, a
> script reader, has used the path twice a week for 20 years, and he's
> seen all manner of mishaps.
>
> "Bikes hitting pedestrians, bikes hitting other bikes, bikes hitting
> little kids," he says.
>
> That's the worst problem of all, in his mind: clueless parents who
> let their young children wander onto the path as speeding bikes
> approach.
>
> "It's a wonder dozens of kids aren't killed every day."
>
> Some cyclists need to cool it, too, he says.
>
> "With some of them, the attitude is, 'This is L.A.; I'll pass when I
> want to pass.' " Ahhh, the scenery, the serenity. What a lovely
> getaway.
>
> But be sure to bring a first-aid kit.
>
> steve.lopez@latimes.com
>
>
>
>
> If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at
> latimes.com/archives.
>
> 
>
> Article licensing and reprint options
>
>
> Copyright 2009 Los Angeles Times | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service
> Home Delivery | Advertise | Archives | Contact | Site Map | Help
>
> partners:  
>
> 
>
> _______________________________________________
> Ebbc-Talk mailing list
> Ebbc-Talk@lists.ebbc.org
> http://lists.ebbc.org/listinfo.cgi/ebbc-talk-ebbc.org
> _______________________________________________
> Ebbc-Talk mailing list
> Ebbc-Talk@lists.ebbc.org
> http://lists.ebbc.org/listinfo.cgi/ebbc-talk-ebbc.org
_______________________________________________
Ebbc-Talk mailing list
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On Santa Monica's beachfront bike path, an uneasy mix LA Times M
> Should cyclists pay a toll for the use of the bridge?
> After all it does cost something for us to use it.
=v= Impact on road surfaces is based on the fourth power of
the axle weight. Given current fares for cars, a toll that
might seem fair for bikes would be on the order of 1/10ths
of a cent, which would not pay the costs of collections.
=v= *Any* tolls, fees, etc. for bicyclists would be inherently
unfair, though. Motorists do not pay their own way and are
therefore subsidized by the general population. The upshot of
this is that anyone using any alternative to the car is already
subsidizing more than their fair share. Since bicycles use less
energy and have less impact than any other ground transportation
ever devised, bicyclists are subsidizing them the most. Not a
penny more.
<_Jym_>
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On Santa Monica's beachfront bike path, an uneasy mix LA Times
*Toll just for cyclists? If a toll is to be charged (which I fervently
oppose) then why discriminate? Charge all or none.*
On Mon, May 4, 2009 at 11:22 AM, Phil Morton wrote:
> The Chronicle has a story today about how bicyclists and peds don't mix on
> the Golden Gate Bridge. It's worse on weekdays when we're all crowded onto
> the East side.
>
> At least the story didn't point fingers at local cyclists. I hope as a
> group we know
> that you have to be patient on the pathway. Should cyclists pay a toll for
> the
> use of the bridge? After all it does cost something for us to use it.
>
> -phil
>
>
> On May 4, 2009, at 11:10 AM, Emily Montan wrote:
>
> A similar incident happened on the bike path around Lake Merritt on the
>> dam side. I politely told a runner to run on the sidewalk and he got nasty.
>> Another incident was with another runner who I told to run on the sidewalk
>> and she said that asphalt was more forgiving then concrete. So I suggested
>> for her to run on the alternative path which wasn’t concrete or to deal with
>> the little bit of concrete at the dam side.
>>
>> I can’t wait until the reconstruction/reconfiguration of the Lake is
>> completed. We still need to do a lot of education around bicyclists.
>> There’s so much hostility despite the logical argument I give for choices
>> of bike versus car mishaps.
>>
>> Emily Montan
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: ebbc-talk-bounces@lists.ebbc.org [mailto:
>> ebbc-talk-bounces@lists.ebbc.org] On Behalf Of Leonard Conly
>> Sent: Sunday, May 03, 2009 12:08 AM
>> To: Conly Len
>> Subject: [Ebbc-Talk] On Santa Monica's beachfront bike path,an uneasy mix
>> LA Times May 3, 2009
>>
>> 
>>
>>
>>
>> http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-
>> lopez3-2009may03,0,4627856,full.column
>> From the Los Angeles Times
>> STEVE LOPEZ
>>
>> On Santa Monica's beachfront bike path, an uneasy mix
>>
>> Steve Lopez
>>
>> May 3, 2009
>>
>> It's another lovely day at the beach in Santa Monica, with a light
>> spring breeze blowing across the sun-dappled sea and cyclists
>> pedaling stress-free along the bike path.
>>
>> Paradise. Nirvana. Whatever you call it, we're lucky mugs to have a
>> tranquil respite from the urban madness and permanent bottlenecks.
>>
>> But wait. Do I see a collision in the making?
>>
>> A woman is pushing a stroller, a teenager is on a skateboard, a man
>> is walking a dog on a leash -- all of them idling along on a path
>> that's marked BIKES ONLY -- and here comes a cyclist, closing in on
>> this knot of nudniks. The cyclist slows, he weaves, he shoots past
>> them and all are safe. But it doesn't always work out like that.
>>
>> "It happened right here," Jon Louis Mann is telling me as he replays
>> an accident that happened about a week ago. "I was heading south and
>> there's a guy standing in the bike lane with a dog on a leash, and
>> he's talking to another guy."
>>
>> Mann swerved hard right, skidded and flopped down like a crash-test
>> dummy on the sand, injuring his elbow, shoulder and back. He was so
>> banged up, he couldn't get back on the bike. Before limping off to
>> the doctor's office, he informed the dog walker that the bike path is
>> for bikes and a separate pedestrian path is a mere 20 yards away.
>>
>> So how'd that go over?
>>
>> "He flipped me off," Mann says.
>>
>> The term "bike path" doesn't leave much room for ambiguity. But
>> pedestrians just can't seem to get it. Mann believes the hazards are
>> mounting because so many people are on cellphones or using iPods,
>> oblivious to the world around them.
>>
>> But I can say from experience that people have been inconsiderate or
>> clueless for years. I used to ride my bike on that path when I lived
>> in Santa Monica in the late '90s, and the hazards were no less
>> frustrating back then. You'd see a clot forming ahead and have to
>> slow down or change lanes, which sometimes meant getting brushed by
>> rollerbladers or cyclists who thought they were in the Tour de France.
>>
>> My therapeutic outings often left me in a lather, muttering about the
>> parade of imbeciles, and I pedaled home feeling as if I'd just had a
>> nasty commute on the 405. Weekends were so bad, I rode before the
>> hordes descended or not at all.
>>
>> "On weekends we see lots of accidents," says Matt Balke, who rents
>> bikes and skates at Spokes 'N Stuff. Lots of tourists, he says, and
>> they're too busy enjoying the sights to observe the rules of the road.
>>
>> Just down from his shop, Tom Moran has owned Sea Mist rentals for 30
>> years, and he has signs warning customers of the risks they are about
>> to take, beginning with pedestrians and sand that blows onto the
>> trail, causing spinouts.
>>
>> When it gets hot, thousands of people cross the bike path on their
>> way to the surf, many of them lugging so much beach gear you'd think
>> they were building villages at the water's edge. On some days,
>> lifeguards tell me, they spend more time responding to bike path
>> accidents than pulling swimmers to safety. Injuries slight and
>> serious are common.
>>
>> "Oh, yeah, you name it," says Capt. Scott Grigsby.
>>
>> His boss, Mickey Gallagher, adds: "You see head injuries,
>> dislocations, broken bones."
>>
>> Nice.
>>
>> As we look out from the operations tower, just south of the Santa
>> Monica Pier, there are as many pedestrians on the bike path as
>> cyclists. At times, groups of four or five stroll abreast of each
>> other, taking up most of the path as cyclists approach from both
>> directions.
>>
>> "You see this woman walking and doing the arm exercises?" Gallagher
>> asks.
>>
>> Yes, and I also see a dog walker with an outstretched leash, making
>> it look as though the bike path were an obstacle course.
>>
>> None of this catapults the issue to the top of our list of regional
>> concerns. But how hard is it, really, to enforce regulations and
>> prevent accidents? Southern California does a lousy job of
>> accommodating bikes on city streets. You'd think we could at least
>> get it right at the beach, but hazards abound.
>>
>> Santa Monica Police Officer Richard Carranza says he thinks City Hall
>> should send someone out with brochures telling pedestrians to stick
>> to the walkway and cyclists to the bike path in places where both
>> exist. Cyclists, by the way, are often on the wrong trail too. Every
>> once in a while, Carranza says, police do a sting and write tickets.
>>
>> But as I discover in interviews with pedestrians lollygagging on the
>> bike path just a stone's throw from the designated walkway, many of
>> them have no idea they aren't supposed to be there.
>>
>> "We didn't know," says British Airways flight attendant Nina Smith,
>> who is strolling with colleague Maria Lindos.
>>
>> They're standing near a red painted symbol with a cross through a
>> pedestrian symbol, but it's worn by elements and obscured by sand.
>>
>> Barbara Stinchfield, director of Santa Monica's Department of
>> Community and Cultural Services, says better signs are being designed
>> and the city is preparing the brochures Officer Carranza spoke of.
>>
>> The city is working on additional solutions with the county, which
>> controls the beach path, and there's a $2.9-million proposal before
>> the Metro board to extend the pedestrian walkway north of the pier,
>> where walkers now share pavement with cyclists and rollerbladers.
>>
>> For many people, the upgrades can't come soon enough. Scott Riddle, a
>> script reader, has used the path twice a week for 20 years, and he's
>> seen all manner of mishaps.
>>
>> "Bikes hitting pedestrians, bikes hitting other bikes, bikes hitting
>> little kids," he says.
>>
>> That's the worst problem of all, in his mind: clueless parents who
>> let their young children wander onto the path as speeding bikes
>> approach.
>>
>> "It's a wonder dozens of kids aren't killed every day."
>>
>> Some cyclists need to cool it, too, he says.
>>
>> "With some of them, the attitude is, 'This is L.A.; I'll pass when I
>> want to pass.' " Ahhh, the scenery, the serenity. What a lovely getaway.
>>
>> But be sure to bring a first-aid kit.
>>
>> steve.lopez@latimes.com
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at
>> latimes.com/archives.
>>
>> 
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The 12th St dam bike path is
The 12th St dam bike path is unique in Oakland. Emily is right, there needs to be education for everyone. Some people are just not used to the idea of separate space for just bikes. For myself, I slow down and ring my bell if someone is in my way.
The asphalt argument makes so much sense now. So that's why I see joggers in the street (and bike lanes) so often.