March 14, 2012 – Police to Target Bike Violators Mar. 17 & 24 The Newport Beach Police Department will be conducting a specialized Bicycle Safety Operation on March 17th and 24th, 2012. Extra officers will be on duty patrolling areas frequented by bicyclists, pedestrians and vehicles. Officers will be addressing traffic violations made by all vehicle operators, bicyclists, and other vehicle drivers that lead to vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian collisions.
h/t bikenewportbeach.
January 06, 2011 – Newport Beach City Council approved the formation of a standing Bicycle Safety Committee, which due to it’s broad scope acts like a true Bicycle Advisory Committee. In addition to Bicycle Club of Irvine member Barbara Danzi, Council Member Nancy Gardner, and NB Police Chief Jay Johnson, City Manager Dave Kiff participate with city engineers to better integrate bicyclists into the city’s traffic mix.
Sharrows, introduced last fall along Bayside Drive, will appear this year on Pacific Coast Highway. This is a first for any city in Southern California. Underway, too, is a review of all bicycle accident data with an eye toward the root cause of traffic conflicts. These efforts reflect an enlightened attitude toward the future of cycling in Newport Beach, moving this city among the leaders in the county.
April 21, 2010 – Lots going on in Newport Beach.
Last December, Council Member Nancy Gardner convened a Task Force on Cycling Safety. OCBC Director, Brian DeSousa spoke on behalf of safe and legal on-street accommodation of bicyclists, thousands of whom use Pacific Coast Highway every week. In March committee recommendations went to city council and we’re awaiting results.
Thanks, Daisy!
Meanwhile, major construction and repair by OC Sanitation District along Pacific Coast Highway will be diverting traffic for months. The site is along a particularly congested section known as “mariner’s mile,” where even without the construction all vehicles northbound from Dover merge from three lanes to two. When the barricades went up cyclists were forced into the already congested right hand lane.
OCBC Director, Michelle Kashima, contacted Sanitation District employee, Daisy Covarrubias, to inform the agency about the site design which put bicyclists at increased risk. Rather than excuse the layout as an unavoidable result of a needed project, Daisy worked with traffic engineers in Sanitation and the city of Newport Beach to give cyclists a few feet to ride. It took three design submittals to Caltrans– in charge of all work on state highways– to configure a usable bike lane.
“We know a lot of bicyclists use PCH and we’re concerned about their safety,” said Daisy. “The city of Newport Beach cared, too.”
For her perseverance on behalf of bike safety in Orange County, OCBC presented Daisy Covarrubias our Excellence Award.
Where were you “crossing Bayside?” Please provide the exact location– between X Street and Y Street– your direction of travel, side of the roadway, time of day, traffic volume, etc. The more details the better.
Newport Beach is actually trying to improve conditions for bicyclists, but Education there has so far fallen completely into the hands of Enforcement.
I was just ticketed by NPD for crossing bayside. The cop told me that I need to ride in the gutter which would have subjected me to getting t-boned or made ride in the spray painted area construction area.
This class 2 is not properly marked and does not meet several class 2 requirements. The cop does not know the law since I do have the right to use the road the only violation here is the fact that Newport Beach is not in compliance wtih state laws.
The brochure is so bad that it shows a guy wearing toe clips with a rear tire on the front of his bike. It also tells you to report stolen bikes, which is a waste since they do not investigate even when you have a pro bike stolen which is grand theft.
Did he write up the BMW that took a right turn over the thick white line from the center lane no.
This is nothing more than Bike harassment and failure by Newport to provide a proper bike lane and markings on PCH.
Just because I am on a beach cruiser wearing a backpack does not mean that I am some punk. The reality is that I am a local business owner and a cat 1 cyclist.
So instead of trying to work with cyclists it appears that they will only be ticketed. I offered to look at the situation with him and he refused.
This is not cool.