Trestles fans asking for safer path

Despite the great waves in Newport, Huntington and other Orange Coast spots, many surfers head south on big days to a famed break, Trestles.

Part of the lure of surfing Trestles, which is near San Clemente and San Onofre State Beach, is its path to the beach. Surfers and beachgoers wind through marshlands and undeveloped coastal beauty for at least 10 minutes. Some trails are paved, others are not.

Ultimately, they meet the coastal railroad tracks that give the break its name. The problem is there’s no way to cross over the tracks without potentially stepping in the path of a speeding train.

A nonprofit group called the Open Architecture Network has called for designs to fix this problem. It’s partnering with the San Onofre Foundation and the Surfrider Foundation, both conservationist nonprofit organizations, to get architects to design a safer crossing. The coalition says not only is the crossing dangerous, but the trail to Lower Trestles, the southern surf break, is damaging the wetlands.

“Ideally, the winning entry will be sensitive to the remote and undisturbed nature of the area — providing safe access without compromising the pristine environment,” the contest website states.

Bicyclists and pedestrians going to Trestles have been struck by trains in the past. In 1993, a 22-year-old man was killed while riding his bicycle across a narrow railroad bridge.

In 2004, officials from the North County Transit District attempted to close one of the paths. The path leads from the old Highway 101, which now serves as a parking lot for surf competitions.

Entrants to the design contest must submit plans for a disabled-accessible pedestrian/bicycle path from the parking lot to the beach, restrooms, a water fountain and a safe railroad crossing — either above, across or below the tracks.

Trestles is a 1.5-mile stretch of beach south of San Clemente. It’s known for world-class waves, including Lowers, a spot with a well-shaped peak break. Each year the beaches, parking lots and trails are used as a stop on the Assn. of Surfing Professionals World Tour.

The name for the competition — Safe Trestles — is a spin-off of the successful Save Trestles campaign waged against a proposed toll road that would have crossed through San Onofre Sate Beach. In 2008, the California Coastal Commission voted against the 241 South Toll Road, and the U.S. Commerce Department upheld the ruling last year.

The park is home to 11 federally endangered or threatened animal species.

Lower Trestles and the path leading to it are also part of San Onofre; the design competition’s winners will have to deal with bureaucracies at the state park, Camp Pendleton, the railroad and the multiple agencies associated with the adjacent 5 Freeway.

The competition’s organizers are calling for railroad crossing designs that “consider audio/visual solutions that will not disturb the park’s solitude.”

About 250,000 to 300,000 visitors trek to Trestles each year, the Open Architecture Network estimates.

“This foot traffic poses a serious public safety hazard resulting in many near train collisions, as well as many environmental consequences to the delicate coastal ecology,” its website states.

The contest will be open for submissions until April 17, when four or five finalists will be selected to develop their designs in a second phase. Each finalist will get $2,000.