Pacific Coast Highway is one of the most widely used routes for bicyclists in Southern California.  Unfortunately it is also dangerous. In the last year alone we have had several bicyclists killed or seriously hurt on PCH.  We have had bicyclists killed on PCH in Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Sunset Beach. And just over a week ago we had a bicyclist seriously injured in Seal Beach.

As a bicycling community we need to be proactive in addressing safety issues when we see them.  We need to reach out to and push our elected officials and our government agencies to make sure that they are working with us to provide safe facilities for all road users…not just motorists.

The purpose of this post is to highlight safety concerns with a section of PCH in Seal Beach and to ask you to help us reach out to CalTrans (who controls this portion of PCH), the City of Seal Beach and to Orange County transit to help remedy these conditions. Please help by signing this petition.

We propose four things to make PCH safer through Seal Beach

Background

PCH through Seal Beach is one of the most heavily used Bicycle Routes in Southern California. It is routinely used by 1000′s of bicyclists riding both north and south along the southern California Coast.

This is also a stretch of highway that is far more dangerous than it needs to be!!! To highlight this…just a week ago a bicyclist was “pinched” between a moving RV and parked bus. Fortunately the bicyclist was not killed, but did suffer broken bones and as we understand is still in the hospital. There are far too many bike related fatalities on PCH…and the situation in Seal Beach is likely to lead to yet one more. Please help us make this stretch of California Highway safe for all users.

There are several factors that contribute to this section of PCH through Seal Beach being more dangerous than it needs to be.

The consequence of this is that cyclists are forced out into the travel lane…where the speed limit is 40 mph, or they are forced to use the sidewalk in an area next to a bus stop, where pedestrians are common.

What this stretch of Highway looks like from a bicyclists perspective

Narrow lanes, parked buses and trucks and heavy traffic volumes put bicyclists in a vulnerable position.

With heavy traffic there is no room for a bicyclist to ride between the bus and the car…and no room for the car to move to the left to provide adequate room for the bicyclist to ride safely.

This is the view a north bound bicyclist sees a they approach the bus layover.  Buses routinely layover in this location for 20 minutes at a time.  And when one leaves … another one pulls up.

For the bicyclist there are only two options…one is to take the lane with traffic… The other is to ride on the sidewalk…where they compete with pedestrians and the bus stop.

It is not uncommon to have more than one bus, a tow truck and a pick up all parked in a row in this one block stretch of PCH between Balboa Drive and Main Street.

How is a bicyclist suppose to safely navigate this section of PCH????

This combination of factors – parking of oversize vehicles, narrow travel lanes, high vehicular traffic volumes, large number of bicyclists, pedestrian traffic associated with the bus stop … result in an unsafe condition for everyone involved. For bicyclists, motorists and pedestrians.

How can you help us make this safer for everyone…bicyclists, pedestrians, bus riders and motorists?

Sign the petition that recommends:

If you support this effort..please sign the petition…and consider joining  BIKEable Communities in order for us to continue this important work of helping to make our streets a safer place for everyone.