Mike Schlimmer, San Clemente
If San Clemente’s new barrier on Pacific Coast Highway (North El Camino Real) heading into town was designed to save cyclists and runners, the city failed.
Two, 6-inch curbs with an occasional rock and plants will never stop a vehicle from entering that area. All we had to do was copy Dana Point. They have real barriers, and they are moveable if needed.
On a positive note, the surface on the new roadwork is really smooth.
This road is turning out to be a royal pain in the #%&@ and causing a lot of body work.
The real problem will surface when people are driving at full speed. The lanes have been narrowed to minimum width and a single double yellow line now separates on comming traffic. There used to be wide lanes and 2 double yellow lines separated by plastic poles. The poles prevented illegal passing and discourage drifting into oncoming vehicle’s. They also provided time and space to correct before having a deadly head on collision.
Go to my facebook page for all the information and news on this deadly city experiment. ( San Clementie’s New Head On Highway ).
Time will tell how effective these improvements will be.
Noticed recently that Laguna Canyon Rd has a prominent pedestrian/bike lane with no barriers which is troubling given the speeds and volume of traffic on that road.
Sadly, it does point out how disconnected residents have become. Which is not good.
Instead of residents bringing concerns up during the proposal stages where the public could weigh in with their concerns and pursue getting them addressed it is happening now as construction is nearing completion.
One positive note is that the TCA will not try to make ECR a high-speed arterial with all the pedestrian lanes.
I travel this road multiple times daily, and have been a frequent bike rider with my 10 year old daughter. I like that there is a separate bike lane and pedestrian lane separated from the traffic, and the bonus of doing the divider as a planter is a huge improvement over using Krail like Dana Point has. It keeps the road traffic much farther away from traffic, and the airflow is much better for bike riders as it avoids the wind-tunnel effect that you get when you ride in the DP path, and the air is cleaner. The other bike paths along the road can be looked upon as the road shoulder, and the road is easy to navigate. We think that this project has been done well and is a fantastic addition to the community!! A standing ovation to all involved, staff and council included.