Laguna Canyon Bike Trail Best Option

The city has received several letters from bicycle enthusiasts questioning why the (Laguna Beach) City Council is not supporting on-road bicycle lanes for the portion of Laguna Canyon Road, which is proposed to be widened to four lanes by Caltrans.

The original project report calls for eight-foot-wide shoulders on each side of the roadway. Those shoulders would provide a bicycle lane.

The council is interested in reducing the amount of paving to the extent possible to reduce the cost of the project and to preserve the ambience that millions of residents and visitors have enjoyed.

In lieu of an on-road bicycle path, the City Council has supported an off-road bicycle trail that would connect the same two points. It is the council’s position that the bike trail should be away from the main road although parallel to the main highway.

In that manner, bicyclists would have a safer, more pleasant trip--with less traffic and air pollution--between Laguna Beach and Irvine. The trail could accommodate bicyclists in concert with the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park.

We believe that option is much preferable to having bicycle lanes on the road, but in any case, the City Council is very supportive of having access for bicycles parallel to Laguna Canyon Road.

ANN CHRISTOPH, Mayor, Laguna Beach