Strand Blockade Proposal Tabled

After hearing vigorous opposition from a group of residents, the Hermosa Beach City Council decided Tuesday to give more study to a plan to temporarily install wooden blockades on the Strand to slow down bicyclists.

Several residents presented petitions opposing the idea of erecting barricades for 60 days on the Strand, but they acknowledged that speeding bicyclists create a hazard. The council agreed to look at other options to control congestion on the popular beachfront path.

Councilman Robert Essertier suggested that the city use volunteers to notify cyclists when they are exceeding the current speed limit of 10 m.p.h. Others suggested that the fines for speeding be increased.

The issue of congestion on the Strand has been debated in Hermosa Beach for years. The council created a Strand Safety Advisory Committee in 1986 and the following year installed flashing yellow lights on one busy stretch. Bicyclists and skateboarders are required to walk through the area when the lights are activated.