Editor,
The Jan. 9 story about safer streets was primarily about bicyclists, with 25% more mentions of bicycle issues than pedestrian issues. While accommodations for pedestrians are mentioned several times, those mentions primarily involve crosswalks. But pedestrian issues also are about sidewalks, which are seriously lacking south of Nyes Place and other areas of Laguna Beach. Almost anyone can be a pedestrian throughout the city and walk without an investment in anything but comfy shoes. Yet all we ever hear about are crosswalks.
In addition, the front page photo is a clear indication of how ridiculous the new three-foot buffer rule is since most of our streets don’t have three extra feet even to swerve to avoid someone getting out of a parked car, much less for the parade of bikes racing through town. Three feet may be reasonable in Irvine, but it’s nearly impossible in Laguna.
While the pictured bicyclist complains about not have three feet of clearance, he has the option of noting the vehicle’s license plate to report the driver. We who drive through town—to jobs, on errands that involve purchasing more than one item, or to complete tasks in less time than walking would take—do not have the option to report bicyclists who flout stop signs and traffic lights with regularity, because they do not have any identifying mark such as a bike license. Even an errant pedestrian can be asked to show identification.
How can bicyclists be reported, especially if the offenders are in a group of bicyclists in uniform? It’s not easy to whip out your cell phone to snap a photo that still might not identify the offender. And then you’d be breaking the law by using your phone while behind the wheel. So perhaps it’s time for Laguna Beach to explore bicycle licenses that would identify egregious offenders and not interfere with those who follow the rules. Then we’d get a better picture of who creates the most dangerous situations on our roads.
Sandi Cain, Laguna Beach
[…] Laguna letter writer says it’s those damn cyclists that make the streets unsafe, not all those angelic, law-abiding drivers. Well, okay […]
I applaud your concern for pedestrians. As a law abiding cyclist I appreciate the 3 foot rule and the sign on PCH promoting it. Downtown Laguna is a very scary place to ride and I’m thankful if cars give a 12 inch buffer that might save my life or that of other cyclists. I stop for pedestrians in sidewalks and honestly try to be a good citizen. However, I do not agree that in order to increase pedistirans rights and safety that my own must be sacrificed. Let’s try working together instead.
Oops, typo should have said crosswalks and not sidewalks. I do not ride on sidewalks,because it’s illegal