Bikers, Pedestrians Kept Off Onramp

Bicyclists who ride a beachfront stretch of Pacific Coast Highway through south Orange County will continue to be barred from an access ramp in Dana Point that links two sections of the route.

Concluding a year-old lawsuit brought by the Orange County Bicycle Coalition, Superior Court Judge Michael Brenner ruled late Thursday that Caltrans can prohibit bicyclists and pedestrians from using the onramp at Doheny Park Road and northbound PCH.

The coalition, which represents local bicycle clubs and individual cyclists, sued in September 2000, claiming that Caltrans had failed to fulfill a long-standing pledge to open the access ramp.

State law allows cyclists to ride on the highway and Doheny Park, but Caltrans designated the connecting road as “freeway,” which by law excludes bicycles and pedestrians.

“Safety for the traveling public, including bicyclists, is always our paramount concern,” said Beth Beeman, a Caltrans spokeswoman. “The court, in this instance, has ruled to uphold public safety. We agree with that decision.”

The disputed onramp breaks up a popular bicycle route along PCH that runs below the bluffs in Capistrano Beach before heading into Dana Point, Monarch Bay and Laguna Beach. It is used by bike commuters and recreational cyclists.

The coalition contends that the ramp’s closure forces riders to illegally use the connector or make a three-mile detour to get back onto northbound PCH via Del Obispo Street in Dana Point.

“Caltrans has been promising to let us on that ramp for years,” said Don Harvey, executive director of the bicycle coalition. “But when you take them to court, they don’t agree to fix what they’ve promised. They defend themselves. I’ll be dead before anything happens now--that’s dead from old age.”

The coalition wanted Caltrans to lift the onramp’s freeway designation and tear down signs warning bicyclists to stay off it.

Its attorney, Rock Kendall of Laguna Hills, himself a cyclist, contended that the department had no right to discriminate against bicycle riders and that Caltrans mislabeled the ramp as freeway, although it is only a third of a mile in length.

But Caltrans argued that the Doheny Park ramp is part of the southernmost portion of PCH--a roughly mile-long stretch between the San Diego Freeway and San Juan Creek that is officially considered freeway. The designation is justified, officials say, because motor vehicles coming off Interstate 5 onto PCH travel at high speed.

Court records also show that Caltrans had plans to let bicyclists eventually use the ramp, including a $1.5-million access project with a start date tentatively scheduled in 2004. Beeman said the proposal has not been funded yet.

In his ruling, Brenner agreed with Caltrans’ position that the onramp is freeway and that the agency complied with all laws in providing reasonable and safe alternative routes for bicyclists.

“I am profoundly disappointed, but judges are there to rule. I can’t fault him for his decision,” Kendall said. “Nevertheless, it’s still a convoluted situation for bicyclists trying to head north on Pacific Coast Highway from San Clemente.”

Harvey said the coalition will not appeal the ruling because it has little money.