SAN CLEMENTE

A controversial proposal to build a beachfront trail for cyclists and other recreational users was rejected by the City Council at a meeting that lasted into the early hours of Thursday. The trail has been debated since the 1960s, when it was first proposed as part of a 70-mile stretch of interconnecting coastal paths. The proposal would have put a 12-foot-wide path between the coastline and commuter railroad tracks.

Backers said it would have made the beach more accessible and safer. Several people have been killed walking along the tracks, the most recent death occurring Monday. Opposition grew when residents learned that the roadway would be paved and include a fence to divide it from the train tracks. Environmentalists and others said the trail’s width could take up too much of the coastline and contribute to beach erosion.

Also Thursday, authorities identified the homeless man who was struck and killed by a train Monday as Darryl Flicking, 26. Flicking was wearing headphones and did not hear the screams of a witness who saw the Los Angeles-bound Amtrak train approaching at 70 mph, authorities said.