Drivers Ignore ‘No Stopping’ Rules Near Emerald Bay

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Editor,

 

I loved the letter a few weeks ago with the picture of the LB cycle map (“Peddling the Uncongested Path,” Letters, Feb. 17). This is a great resource. Very useful to help get around town safely without adding to traffic congestion or pollution. It also takes you along streets that you may not normally travel and points out things of interest such as historic homes.

 

It’s wonderful that the city has started to acknowledge that Laguna streets are for more than just motorists. Now it’s time for the city to increase the “sharrows” to include the streets on this bike route and more besides. The more sharrows, the more cyclists, and the more cyclists the safer cycling becomes. I do have to request that cyclists please share the road with motorists just as you wish for them to be considerate of you. I would love to see loads of people cycling around Laguna but it also drives me crazy when “Tour de Orange County” barges along Coast Highway taking up an entire lane with riders three abreast.

 

On the subject of Coast Highway, once north of Ledriot Street there is a wide shoulder that cyclists can ride in to keep out of traffic, which is good for everyone, keeps the rider safe and traffic flowing. This shoulder is peppered with “No Stopping Any Time” signs and yet almost every morning there is a line of vehicles parked in this shoulder waiting to gain access to Emerald Bay and Irvine Cove. If this shoulder should be kept clear and all the signs are valid, then why don’t police enforce the law? It would be a great relief to me when cycling to work in Newport early in the morning. Currently, I’m forced out of the shoulder and into the traffic to get around these illegally stopped vehicles. Enforcing the law along this section of Coast Highway would greatly increase safety to cyclist and runners using this section of road.

 

Once we have safe streets and lots of cyclists nipping around town, where do all the bikes go? We have a distinct lack of bike racks. Why are there hardly any bike racks at our beach access streets or around town?

 

I hope that in the near future many more local trips will be conducted by bike or on foot than by car. This would make for a much more pleasant Laguna and a much fitter population. Imagine, almost silent bikes rather than cars and motorbikes, no traffic congestion and so much excess parking that carparks are returned to green space. Imagine people being able to stop and chat as they pass each other.

 

Laguna is almost ideal for cycling, perfect climate and size. The only problem for some are the hills and yet we have a local bus service with, for the most, part empty bike carriers and we now have excellent electric assist bikes that take the strain out of the hills. Therefore, Laguna could easily become tranquil and uncongested and so continue to be a highly desirable place to live and visit.

 

Max Isles,

Laguna Beach

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