18 Responses to “Council Votes to Add Sharrows in CdM; Advocates Laud “Huge” Decision”
Comments
July 11th, 2012
Barry’s inference that heads and other bike rider appendages will be littered about the CdM business district is just a bloody exaggeration. How is a cyclist with no head or legs going to sue the city anyway? For more of the Barry show, attend the Corona del Mar Residents Association meeting next Thursday, July 19 at 7:30 AM at the Oasis community center. Barry is on the board and he always has something colorful to say.
July 11th, 2012
While the 'bloody exaggeration' is probably just that, an exaggeration, the question, "how is a cyclist with no head or legs going to sue the city anyway?" You're really serious with that question? Let's see, a person with no legs is capable of doing anything you or I do, that includes riding a bike and filing a law suit. Granted a person with no head would find it more of a challenge however have you not heard of families filing a suit on behalf of the headless for example, wrongful death? I mean really.
July 11th, 2012
Paint or no paint I'm not giving the cyclist an inch and you can't argue with an SUV
July 11th, 2012
Great! That little stripe of paint on the asphalt is key to protecting you from the soccer moms in Range Rovers barreling down PCH while they're talking on their cell phones, drinking vanilla lattes and applying makeup..
July 11th, 2012
This is a stupid idea. Stripes on the street will give bikers no protection from semiconscious drivers. Stripes will give drivers no protection from the small percentage of bikers who will want to claim a traffic lane of their own.
July 11th, 2012
Re comment from "Paint or no Paint" Why not leave your real name so you can be arrested when you run over a cyclist? I guess you would be described as coming from the lower end of the food chain?
July 11th, 2012
John you have to realize as resident of CDM we are getting tired of bikers crashing thru stop signs and yelling I didn't hit you did I and giving you the finger! I is time for everyone to start follow our state laws....Then I think it will be time to look at options! Maybe we don't need any at all when we start working together. Walking this morning I was almost hit in a cross walk twice..Back in the old days you did not dare go thru a stop without stopping and looking both ways!!
July 11th, 2012
Looks like the packs of banshee cycle-gangers aren't as popular as they imagine themselves to be. Oh I bet the rate of bike v car incidents now increases. Pissed off or distracted drivers and arrogant pushy cycle-gangers..... not a good combo.
July 11th, 2012
Paint or no paint, Be careful who you mess with. If you buzz me and I happen to catch up to you (not very tough through traffic ridden CDM), I guarantee you either would not have a working passenger side mirror or would have a severely dented passenger side door.
July 12th, 2012
The escalating friction shown here with the direct threats vs the thinly veiled is escalating to the boiling point. Rather than be silently content with a "win" for sharrows James continues to prove why many people all over really dislike the bullying and hostile arrogance of the corporate sponsored "sport" riding, packs of cycle-gangers and why sharrows are NOT a good idea on PCH through CdM. Like I said, bike v car accidents are going to go up in CdM. Cars may be dented or scratched but the body is not so easily fixed. A fact cycle-gangers don't seem to comprehend or care about. So go ahead cycle-gangers, martyr yourselves into the wheelchair or to the death. Later you can post here and tell us how that works out for you.
July 16th, 2012
I live on Bayside Drive and I park IN MY OWN DRIVEWAY. Over the past six years I have had the followiing happen by the spandex bikers: One man crashed into my truck and fell over in my driveway and bled all over the place. We took him to Hoag. All he was worried about was his bike. I had to clean up all the blood and put his stupid bike in my garage. A group of them crashed into my truck, causing damage. Three of them stopped in my driveway and left their water bottles on my driveway. A gang of them threw their bottles in my driveway trying to hit the garbage cans, all of them missing. Again, I had to clean up after them. So no, all you bikers are NOT nice, are NOT respectful and do not follow the normal rules of the road. If you are going to start using PCH thru CDM, you better be on high alert because we are all sick and tired of you morons who think you own the road. SHARE the road, don't act like gangsters. And also, to the idiot who commented that all drivers are fat and need exercise. you are not living in the real world. If that is what it takes for you to justify your bad behavior, then I'll just wait until karma rears its ugly head to you. I've seen more than my fair share of fat asses and jiggly fat hanging off of your bike seats. Glass houses you moron. Stay off my driveway, stop ruining my property, stop throwing your trash on my property and start using your brains. And how about taking those stupid ads off your clothing. You aren't impressing anyone. If you want to go "bike riding" then get on your bike and ride. You don't need special outfits. Obey the rules of the road, treat people the way you want to be treated and stop thinking you are special.
July 16th, 2012
!!!! Jo Ann, that is an unbelievable sequence of events. I am trying to imagine cyclists crashing into a truck parked in a driveway on Bayside but can't see how that would happen. Is there something tricky about the intersection of your driveway and Bayside that would lead to such multiple collisions? And throwing water bottles at your trash cans!?!? Cyclists carry $10-25 reusable water bottles and tend to bring them home. They last a long time. I've circled back to retrieve even the oldest water bottle that I forgot at a water stop. There is no disposable water bottle that cyclists utilize. Throwing water bottles away, especially en masse, is as unlikely an occurrence as throwing your shoes or wallets away. Very colorful and curious story!
July 16th, 2012
To David Huntsman: No, there is nothing "tricky" as to where my driveway is. And this is not a story, it happens to be true. My driveway is in front of my home, like most driveways. It's not a big mystery, no need to call in Uri Geller to figure it out. It's private property. Sadly, not all of you use those expensive water bottles either. You may be among a select few who actually respect private property and for that I say thank you. And if you are on Bayside with the Indy 500 drivers AND all the bikers, then it's not a big stretch to see how crashes might occur. I know this because I saw it happen. Same as I saw the guy fall on my driveway after his tire hit the curb. For some reason, I am always around when it happens. Same as when I was parked at the Farmers Market and saw a girl biker in spandex run into the back of my truck as I was walking back with my stuff. When I walked over and said "what in God's name are you doing?" I got LAMBASTED by the whole group. As if my parked truck suddenly took on a life of it's own and attacked her. Again, not all of you spandex clad bikers are nice people. Same as all drivers are not nice people. As far as I'm concerned, this is not open for discussion anymore as fact is fact. The sharrow will get approved and chaos will most likely ensue until someone ends up getting seriously injured. Same as the motorcyclists.
July 17th, 2012
Well, Jo Ann, I once saw polo fans leaving Will Rogers throw a bottle of Perrier out the window of the car up in the Pacific Palisades. I thought that somewhat uncouth. I'd still like to know more about these crashes. Have you told the NBPD about them? I mean, they are pretty unlikely events based on your description and so there may be a cause that can be cured, like a road or curb design issue.
September 13th, 2012
Sharrows, or anything else designed to increase safety for cyclists are absolutely necessary. To argue that sharrows should not be present because of a potential increase in city liability is short sighted. The goal is safety of human life, not liability reduction.
September 17th, 2012
I'm disheartened reading the comments here because it illustrates that there is a huge divide between drivers of cars and bicyclists. Some of the comments are reprobate, as if making a person riding a bicycle a hood ornament or fatally injuring them is a point of pride. This is shameful. Would your views change at all if that same bicyclist were a 10 year old child or a mother riding her beach cruiser on PCH? The point is that we all have the right to ride our bikes on PCH and in bike lanes safely. It is a right, not a privilege. Driving on the other hand is a privilege and not a right. Paint or no paint and Jo Ann I am a cyclist. I am not a perfect human being but I do obey the traffic laws personally. Last September a woman pulled over in front of me on the shoulder in the wetlands in Huntington Beach and stopped to help a pelican. While it is not a bike lane it does say no stopping at any time. Long story short I hit the rear of her vehicle full speed and flipped over her car. I was taken by to the ER by ambulance, received 16 stitches for a laceration to my arm and was off work for 4 weeks. A really bad day for me but I do not hate drivers, not even that woman. I certainly do not care for her decision but I wish her no malice. I also see cyclists behaving irresponsibly on the road as well; running stop signs, not obeying safe bicycling laws, littering, etc. Not all of them are wearing spandex (it’s actually lycra I believe) and not all of them are on road bikes, some are riding beach cruisers, mopeds and even skateboards. I was born in Newport Beach and raised here. I can tell you that the number of cars on the road has increased manifold through the years, although sadly education and accommodations for vehicle pedestrians has not caught up. As a cyclist I ride in a group at times through CdM. It is dangerous but I feel that with cooler heads, education and dialogue we can arrive at a safer community that all can enjoy. To my fellow cyclists, learn and obey the traffic laws. Communicate with other riders and cars and don’t antagonize drivers please. Become involved in the progress of the city trying to meet our needs and improve our safety and that of drivers. To the small number of drivers who have responded to this post with a challenge; I hope I never meet you on the road. You win. You are driving a 2 ton vehicle and completely in control and my life is in your hands. I ask that you see me as someone’s son, father, brother and not the enemy. I’m just trying to enjoy myself and stay fit and healthy and at the end of the day if I were one of those who angered you would you really be pleased if you ran me over? Two female cyclists were run over and killed this past weekend. If you would not repeat the negative vitriol that you have posted here on this blog to the families of these women, then perhaps we have a chance to work together to make the roads safer for all. I believe that you would not and that you’re just frustrated. But two beautiful lives were lost and although the details are not available, what do they really matter? In the end their lives should stand for something and we should all take a deep breath and honor them both by being the bigger person and listening, not judging, by being respectful and not cruel and by showing compassion for others. Let’s work this out and avoid future tragedies and let’s share the road unequivocally on both sides.
September 18th, 2012
I am a 27 year old female with epilepsy. This means I have seizures therefore I cannot drive. Biking is the main method of transportation I use because I do not wish to rely on public transportation due to its unreliable nature. I do not wear spandex, I do not treat drivers in a disrespectful manner, and I do not run stop signs or red lights. I am extra vigilant, careful, and respectful to other drivers, pedestrians, bikers, skateboarders etc. Yet I am almost killed or hit everyday on my bike because of the complete lack of awareness of drivers. So, "Paint or no paint." Real tough guy/gal driving your SUV around town! You can't even use your real name to post a comment that does nothing but perpetuate stupidity and reckless hatred. FOR SHAME. Are you going to run me over with your SUV just because I ride my bike? Weighing in at 125 and standing at 5'4'' I must really be threatening to you, huh? I invite you to post with your real name and a time and date where we can meet face to face because I'd like you to look me in the eye and say the same exact thing to my face that you posted on this comment section. But I'll bet you can't/won't, because any normal human being would be too completely ashamed of their ridiculous and childish behavior to own up to it. That being said, I am aghast at the actions and childish behavior that come from cyclists on the road. Some of them act in a hostile, irresponsible, and unsafe manner when they are on the road. Blowing stop signs, ignoring traffic signals, and yelling at drivers is not going to foster any sense of community or encourage drivers to be more aware. Get OVER yourselves and show some respect and use common sense. Don't litter on people's yards or personal property, and when you run into a PARKED car... yeah. You're an idiot and you can't be mad at anyone but yourself. Instead of both sides squabbling like two bratty kids on the playground, let's try using more effective means of communication. Let's listen to each side of the story, show compassion and understanding and come to a middle ground where both parties compromise to reach a solution. The fact that someone in a car hit a biker and left them for dead is simply disgusting. Have we completely lost our minds? In the wake of a tragic death, inflammatory and disrespectful comments are made instead of demonstrations of support and concern for the victim's family. I have no unrealistic notion that we as humans are going to hold hands while skipping under the rainbow and live happily and peacefully ever after, but we can do a hell of a lot better than this.
September 18th, 2012
I applaud Newport Beach for making the decision to add sharrows. As a driver, I have much respect for the immense physical undertaking and risk any cyclist is facing (for leisure or out of necessity) in order to make the same commute I'm making. I mean, I'm a driver. I'm moving my foot an inch or so on a gas pedal; a cyclist is pedaling for *miles and miles* using merely his or her own brute force. I think I can stand to move over a lane or add a few minutes onto my commute in order to make sure that cyclist (and I) both commute safely. A little patience from a driver is worth the life of a cyclist.
