Fountain Valley : Bicyclists Want River Trail to Stay Open

Members of the Orange County Bicycle Coalition are asking the City Council to help them in their campaign to keep the Santa Ana River bike trail open during construction of the next phase of the flood-control project.

Plans are to detour cyclists from the river trail to designated bike paths in Fountain Valley and Santa Ana during the next phase of the project, which stretches from the San Diego Freeway in Fountain Valley north to 17th Street in Santa Ana.

“There are safety concerns on the trail and with the detours onto the streets,” said Paul Pirtle, the Santa Ana River trail representative for the Orange County Bicycle Coalition.

“For novice cyclists, the best place to ride is on the trail--and that’s the majority of the people (who use the trail) and that’s why we want it open.”

City Manager Ray Kromer said the city will review the specifications for the flood-control project to determine whether the provisions should include a detour through the project area. He said the city staff will also review the plans to detour bicyclists onto bike paths on city streets.

The river bike trail has been closed for about two years, with cyclists rerouted onto city streets while flood-control improvements are made to the Santa Ana River between Pacific Coast Highway and the San Diego Freeway. Portions of the trail in this area are expected to reopen this summer.

Pirtle charged that the Army Corps of Engineers refuses to look at any option other than detouring bike riders onto city streets.

“We feel there are alternatives to keep the trail in the project area--either detoured or relocated,” Pirtle said.

Edward Andrews, Army Corps of Engineers project manager of the lower Santa Ana River Project, said bicyclists are rerouted onto streets because it is safer than riding through the construction area.

“It’s a safety consideration,” Andrews said. “With the heavy equipment, bicycle and pedestrian traffic don’t mix. The safest thing is to put them on designated bicycle trails on city streets.

“We realize all the bicyclists don’t like mixing with the street traffic, but we don’t have an alternative,” he said.

Andrews said the bike trail between the freeway in Fountain Valley north to Edinger Street in Santa Ana is expected to be detoured onto streets within the next week.