6 Responses to “City Could Create Permanent Cycling Committee”
Comments
Cycling Behaviorist
February 23rd, 2010
NBPD Officer Michael O’Bierne has to be complimented for comparing “ideas” versus “human behavior”. Officer Michael O’Bierne is suggesting more work. And the work should be done by a traffic engineer specializing in bicycle and motorist behavior, and then perhaps reporting to a committee and eventually City Council. Are maps and racks a safety priority? The need is for evaluating each roadway for lane width, bike lane, driveways, sidewalks, traffic signal clearance times, and of course, “behavior”. This Task Force lacked Newport Beach Principal Civil Engineer Tony Brine and Traffic Engineer George Bernard as well as the vendor for Newport Beach’s traffic signals. Many of us have seen NBPD motorcycles come out of hiding at Villa Point to chase cyclists at the signal at Back Bay that had been set back to not detect bicycles. The chases included women in sports apparel. And NBPD police cars exploited a disconnected bicycle button at San Joaquin and Jamboree with a four second green clearance and one second yellow phase across six lanes for a single car. The NBPD cars without headlights at night in the Back Bay imply cycling defiance in a roadway for UCI student commuting. What is the percentage of cyclists that are “speeding” or “zooming”? Bicycles on crosswalks, even if dismounted, have proven to cause confusion with right turning cars or not visible across multiple lanes. Bicycles on sidewalks have the risk of hitting runners, walkers with dogs, or striking an obstacle like branches. Today, Newport Beach still has about ten traffic signals less than five seconds of green clearance if only one car is present. And there are about five more hilly roads and gated community entrances like Park Ridge-Tesoro. That is the work for the sequel to the Cycling Safety Task Force.
Slow Cyclist
February 23rd, 2010
At the Cycling Task Force, Traffic Officer Michael O’Brien pitched the same message that we’ve heard from the NBPD for the last five years about “speed” and “zoomed” cyclists with bicycle failure on Newport Coast Drive. About five years ago, a cyclist fatally crashed on Newport Coast Drive with technology failure on the bicycle. Officer O’Brien’s former commanders of Sergeant Mike James and Lieutenant Steve Shulman kept alluding to that accident as the reason for a broad engagement of chasing bicycles to concoct vehicle citations. Sgt. James and Lt. Shulman believed bicycles should pedal slowly and use crosswalks. The NBPD went on to exploit that City Engineer Tony Brine and the signal vendor replaced motion sensors with inductive wires not detecting bicycles. Meanwhile, California Statute AB-1581 was signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger to detect bicycles upon first installation or replacement. Today the Orange County Superior Court-Harbor Division has archived about a thousand vehicle citations contrived to bicycles. It is time for Newport Beach to comply traffic engineering with AB-1581, place warning signs at unsafe roadways, and end the predacious NBPD citations against cyclists.
Bicycle Technician
February 23rd, 2010
Can we get more information to analyze NBPD Officer Michael O'Beirne having seen a bicycle "actually come apart" due to "speed" and being "zoomed"? Thanks.
Concerned Resident
February 24th, 2010
The Bicycle Task Force should disband without a final report based on the NBPD presentation at this last session. The NBPD report lacks concern by portraying "zoomed" cyclists and "seeing bicycles actually coming apart". The actual zooming is by cars in the school areas after the school guards leave and business traffic arrives home. And what's coming apart are bicycle buttons and crosswalks in the school areas in the later afternoon hours. The NBPD statements imply that the city is testifying in the Ridge Park-Tesoro court case that the victim was zooming and the bicycle came apart. Safety begins with road design, reinforced with warning signage, and directed by traffic signals.
Dilapidated Bicyclist
February 24th, 2010
Regarding NBPD Officer O’Beirne seeing “zoomed” bicycles “coming part”, he might have seen me on my dilapidated mountain bike that clanks. As I was coasting down San Joaquin Hills Road, an NBPD motorcycle was parked perpendicular to the curb for two consecutive Saturdays. My dilapidated bicycle appeared to be falling apart because of clanking as I braked and swerved to avoid him and still not be hit by the adjacent traffic. My cycling skills are above average but definitely safe despite the bicycle being vintage technology.
Newport Coaster
March 2nd, 2010
I spent the weekend cycling around Newport Coast and did not see the "cyclists zoomed" and "bicycles come apart" that Officer O'Beirne reported. The only risk was on Sunday at an event in the recreation center across from Tesoro on Ridge Park. Some of the visitors lived in Tesoro, meaning that they turned right out of the recreation center and made an immediate left into Tesoro. The longer daylight will bring fitness cyclists out at 5:00-6:00 during rush hour traffic, especially around the apartment communities like the Baywoods and Newport Ridge. The risk is that they ride like vehicles in using left turn lanes. In the neighborhoods that are accustomed to bicycles like Eastbluff, motorists and cyclists share the road well. But at an area like the Belcourt entrance, motorists do honk horns and accelerate. Bison Rd. is uphill without a bike lane, a narrow right lane, and unrideable sidewalk.
