HUNTINGTON BEACH : New Traffic Lanes to Cut Into Bike Paths

With traffic increasing along the county’s beaches, state transportation planners are preparing to add an additional lane in each direction to Pacific Coast Highway through Huntington Beach.

The plan, however, has sparked concern among bicyclists who say the expansion will squeeze them out of a scenic and swift route.

This summer, state transportation officials plan to remove street parking from Pacific Coast Highway and restripe it, transforming the 2-mile stretch between Beach Boulevard and Golden West Street from a four-lane road into a six-lane highway.

But to widen the street, officials say that they will spend $12 million to acquire nearby private property and that they will have to shrink the bike path.

The bike path now used by cyclists--many riding to and from work--would be reduced in width from at least 6 feet currently to just 3 feet or less.

Cyclists say that will make the highway dangerous and will discourage bikers from using the route. Representatives from bicycle organizations say marked bike lanes should be at least 4 feet wide, even if that means the planned third traffic lanes have to be scrapped.

“All we need is an extra 2 feet on each side for a bike lane,” said Don Harvey, the leading spokesman on the issue for the Orange County Bike Coalition, which represents 3,000 cyclists.

But city and CalTrans officials say there are not even 2 more inches to be had.

“If I were king, I’d put in three lanes and an additional bike trail inside of the curb (and away from traffic), for bicyclists only,” said Louis Sandoval, the city’s public works director. But, he said, that is impossible without spending millions of dollars that are not available.

Huntington Beach City Hall has been the main stage for the feud between road planners and cyclists. But Sandoval says the city ultimately has little say in the matter.

“Pacific Coast Highway is a state highway, not a city street,” Sandoval said. “And as such, it is governed and administered by Caltrans. . . . As much as I’d like to, there are certain things I can do and cannot do.”

Some Huntington Beach City Council members have urged state officials to consider alternative plans to accommodate bicycles on Pacific Coast Highway.

“In an age in which we’re fighting to get people out of their cars and (cities) are mandated by (regulatory agencies) to do so, I don’t understand why this is not a top priority for Caltrans,” Mayor Pro Tem Grace Winchell said. “It seems very inconsistent to me.”

CalTrans officials, after a series of meetings with the cyclists, created the proposed 3-foot bike paths. But they cannot do any more, said Dale Ratzlaff, a Caltrans deputy district director based in Santa Ana.

“We looked at every reasonable alternative we possibly could,” Ratzlaff said. “We don’t think this is the best answer, but it’s the only answer we can afford right now.”

He added that the state is not obliged to provide a bike lane on any of its highways.

State officials said they believe that the restriping project will actually improve bike safety because it will eliminate street parking. But cyclist Harvey said that assertion is “cynical at best.”

Despite the cyclists’ disappointment, Harvey said he still hopes that some concession might be made before the project is completed this summer.

He said he hopes to rally cyclists to oppose a planned parking lot construction because it is intended to make up for the street parking being lost on Pacific Coast Highway.

“I think bicyclists should come out against that beach parking lot, because the alternative is three lanes on Pacific Coast Highway and no bike lane. And that’s dangerous for cyclists,” Harvey said.

“We certainly haven’t given up,” he added. “It may be that the City Council still will decide that Huntington Beach should remain bike-friendly.”