O.C. Wetlands Renewal Project Putting the Squeeze on Cyclists

They call this stretch of Pacific Coast Highway from Sunset Beach to Seapoint Avenue the 4,000 Meters. On any given morning, a train of cyclists would sprint the 2 1/2 miles through this corridor -- one of Southern California’s most popular pavements for riding.

But until October, while construction crews build a bridge that’s part of a long-awaited project to restore the Bolsa Chica wetlands, racers, recreational riders and cycling commuters alike will be pressured to leave the road and ride on a beach path with pedestrians, dog-walkers and surfers.

Bicyclists don’t like the arrangement, which began in January. Neither do pedestrians. But federal officials in charge of the project say there’s no getting around it. Cyclists may opt to use the highway lane, but many feel that’s dangerous.

Cyclists say there haven’t been any major accidents on the beach path -- yet. But as summer approaches, they say, competition for space will grow.

“When you mix pedestrians and bikes, it’s always not very good,” said Robbie McGinnis, 55, who has been knocked off his bike by a surfer who stopped on the beach path and turned without looking.

The bike detour begins at Seapoint Avenue in Huntington Beach and runs north 4,000 feet.

The construction zone takes up a portion of the 4,000 Meters, all but eliminating the cyclists’ sprint.

Plans call for an ocean inlet under the existing highway lanes; a traffic bridge will replace the original lanes when the highway is completed. Crews have already built the northbound detour, diverting cars to temporary inland lanes, and are now building the southbound lanes.

The reason for the recommended bike detour: Several oil wells just inland of the detour meant vehicle lanes had to be made narrower than usual, and the wide shoulders cyclists used are gone. Concrete barriers line the detour lanes.

“I think most of us believe this is an inconvenience to a component of the cycling community,” said Jack Fancher, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who is overseeing the restoration. “They have the option to use the traffic lane or to use the bike path, but they just need to observe the rules.”

The speed limit on the multi-use beach path is 10 mph, and 5 mph when pedestrians are present.

State lifeguards may enforce the limits by citing cyclists, but first-time offenders typically receive warnings, said Lon Graham, lifeguard supervisor at Bolsa Chica State Beach.

“We recommend they ride single file, not obstruct the whole walkway and be alert to the fact that there’s a lot of recreational traffic,” he said.

By law, cyclists are allowed to use the traffic lane, but even some veteran riders familiar with the route refuse to risk injury to save 10 minutes.

Riders generally felt safe using PCH’s wide shoulders before the detour, but most feel the revamped route is cramped and dangerous.

McGinnis leads weekend rides of as many as 110 cyclists along PCH between Long Beach and south Orange County. Despite complaints from a few of his riders, he now takes his group onto the beach path.

“I’d rather have a mishap on the bike path than on the highway,” McGinnis said, noting that his riders have been hit by cars when using the shoulder. He figures that the narrow lanes and concrete barriers will only worsen the odds.

“There’s always close calls on the [beach] path,” McGinnis said. “Nobody in the group has gone down yet, but it’s a matter of time.”

Eight or nine similarly sized bike clubs also use that stretch of PCH on weekends, he said.

Cyclists are drawn to PCH for the cool ocean breeze, natural wetlands and the fact that it’s flat.

“It’s very difficult to find flat roads around here,” said Roger Young, a former Olympian and director of next week’s Cycling World Championships in Carson.

“The ocean just lifts the spirits,” he said. “It’s the healthiest place we can ride.”

For Young, a cycling coach who sometimes takes his students on PCH through Huntington Beach, the bike detour presents a safety dilemma.

“Do I worry about somebody with a skateboard flying in front of one of the riders, or do I worry about a gravel truck running them down if we take an alternate route with more traffic?” he said.

Pedestrians are just as wary of bikes.

On a recent Sunday, Greg Rippe, 33, of Norwalk watched for cyclists as he led his 2- and 4-year-old children toward Bolsa Chica State Beach.

“I’m always paranoid of the bikes and my kids just running across the boardwalk without looking,” Rippe said. “I’m more scared of that than I am of the water.”

Few cyclists or pedestrians would argue that the wetlands restoration project should stop. But that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t like to see bike lanes or a shoulder added to the detour lanes.

Fancher, with U.S. Fish and Wildlife, is sympathetic, but he said the lanes and detour were dictated by Caltrans.

“To re-stripe for a bike lane is possible, but, as I understand it, only if you eliminate a traffic lane or narrow it to a point where it may be unsafe,” he said.

McGinnis understands the need for the temporary inconvenience, but nonetheless looks forward to the bridge and shoulders reopening in the fall.

“It’s a necessary evil,” he said. “Once they get the project done, it’ll be better for us.”