Jeff Campbell, San Clemente
I too use the Beach Trail because it is off the roadways, quieter, and more enjoyable to be by the ocean; but I use an E-bike. I commute to work from Forster Ranch to South San Clemente where there are safe bike lanes to ride from Forster Ranch to North Beach. But, starting at North Beach going south, the decision to ride the Beach Trail or the streets is easy. To ride a bike down El Camino Real is taking a big risk. We read all too often of a car hitting a bicyclist on the streets, but I doubt there are many serious injuries or fatalities caused by bikes hitting a walker on the trail. From my experience, walkers seem to get “startled” and sometimes overreact by the simple biker courtesy of saying “on your left” as we pass by. Let’s not force bicyclists back onto the streets (with no bike lanes) where there would be a much higher risk of a collision; often fatal to the bike rider. I hope we can all be more aware of each other and continue to share the Beach Trail.
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