Popularity, Hazards of River Path Grow : Risky Mix of Runners, Bikers Crowd Trail

On a recent Sunday morning, a group of long-distance runners strode up the Santa Ana River Trail, nearing a turn. Suddenly, a covey of bicyclists swooped around the curve, narrowly missing the cluster of runners. One of the cyclists swore; a runner similarly uttered an oath at the passing bicyclists.

It was another near-miss on what is probably Orange County’s most crowded venue for fitness buffs.

The 26-mile-long, mostly paved trail meanders scenically from Huntington Beach to the Anaheim Hills area, with a constantly growing number of bird watchers, walkers, runners, skaters, horse riders and bicyclists pushing its safety margin to ever narrower extremes.

County parks officials say that at least a half-million people use the popular greenbelt annually. On weekends, the trail becomes as crowded as a freeway at rush hour.

“It’s become so dangerous that I no longer ride the Santa Ana River Trail,” said Michael R. Mott, chairman of the Orange County Bicycle Coalition, which represents about 2,000 cyclists.

“The real problem is that a bicycle is a vehicle, and vehicles and pedestrians don’t mix very well,” Mott added. “I’ve seen some bad accidents on that trail. I’ve been in some near-misses myself, and that’s why I just don’t ride there any more unless it’s to check on the conditions for our organization. That trail is much more dangerous than a street.”

Orange County’s Harbors, Beaches and Parks Department, which supervises the entire trail, acknowledges that the river pathways are getting crowded with users. But Robert G. Fisher, director of the department, said in a recent interview that no increase in serious accidents has resulted so far.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department, which patrols the trail, also said its officers so far have not noted a big upswing in accidents.

County officials, however, agreed that the potential for serious injury accidents is growing as use of the trail continually increases.

“It’s our most popular recreational trail, and it’s a real success story,” Fisher said. “We’re always working to keep it safe and clean. Although we haven’t had any major complaints about it, the potential for accidents is there because of the congestion. So we stress to the users to be aware of what they’re doing and use general courtesy to make the trail work for everyone.”

The Santa Ana River bisects Orange County, north to south, at the county’s most populous core. The banks and flat shoulders above the riverbed are mostly paved. The eight-foot-wide shoulders, on the east and west banks of the river, make up the Santa Ana River Trail. Painted striping down the trail’s center usually helps divide northbound users from those headed south.

But the narrowness of the pavement, which is hemmed in by closely packed development, and the idiosyncrasies of the various users, often results in near-collisions.

Traffic on the trail ideally stays to the right--just like cars on a two-lane street. Trouble occurs when either pedestrians or riders get several abreast and fill both right and left lanes of the trail.

Anthony James Rodriques, a Huntington Beach resident who organizes long-distance bike rides, said some pedestrians on the river trail make riding very hazardous.

“Some walkers and runners wear headphones and are just oblivious to what’s happening around them,” Rodriques said. “They don’t hear you when you yell that you’re passing them. And some (pedestrians) just get into your lane with no warning.

“Sometimes runners will just make a U-turn on the trail, right into the path of bike riders,” he added. “Dogs and children are also problems. Little children don’t know the rules of the road. And dogs get into the bike path, and sometimes you can’t avoid hitting them.”

Runners, however, counter that some cyclists speed down the trail, occasionally buzzing runners in an intentional game of “chicken.” “Most of the bike riders are pretty polite, but sometimes you have a rider who passes you with less than two inches to spare, and I don’t think that’s right,” said Dave Reynolds, owner of A Snail’s Pace, a Fountain Valley running equipment store. “We’ve had some pretty close calls out there.”

The danger for pedestrians increases at the various points where the paved path dips to go under bridges. The path narrows at the underpasses, and the visibility is limited.

“It can be dangerous for the runners because some of the bicycle riders are going 35 m.p.h., and it’s hard to see what’s coming from the other side,” Rodriques said.

Mott, the chairman of the Orange County Bicycle Coalition, suggested that better traffic rules would help ease conflicts between runner and rider. “Traffic going north should be restricted to the east bank of the river, and traffic going south should be on the west bank,” he said. Currently, he noted, riders and pedestrians go both north and south on each side of the river.

Easier said than done, said Patti Schooley, a county parks official. In some spots, where the trail becomes a dirt path, cyclists have to cross from one side to the other to stay on pavement.

“It would be nice, but you’re talking quite a bit of money to do something like (pave the entire trail),” she said. “Both banks of the river are not paved in all places.”

She noted that county government is already strapped for funds, and there is almost zero possibility for the county to come up with millions of dollars for extensive riverbank paving.

Schooley said the county parks system has warning signs to alert all users to safety on the river trail. But both runners and bikers have said the warning signs are too few and infrequently placed. All trail users could benefit by having more signs reminding people to stay to the right side of the striped marker on the trail, according to bike and running groups.

Despite the dangers, Rodriques said, hordes of Orange County fitness buffs are going to continue to use the Santa Ana River Trail. “There’s usually a pretty nice crew out there,” he said. “It makes you want to come back.”