Bike Lanes Ripped Out on Bastanchury
Placentia is sandwiched between Fullerton on the west and Yorba Linda on the east. Incorporated in 1926, it’s one of the older cities in the county.
Bastanchury Road is a traditional east-west link in North OC, included on the county’s Master Plan of Arterial Highways and on the Strategic Bikeways Master Plan. Through Placentia it existed essentially a collector street for traditional cul-de-sac’d residential developments typical of the 50s and 60s. As traffic exploded on Yorba Linda Blvd. to the south and Imperial Hwy to the north, Bastanchury has increasingly been used as an alternative by frustrated motorists, many of who use it and Kramer as an end-run from the 91 fwy to Cal State Fullerton.
Current traffic volume exceeds 22,000 vehicles per day (vpd). In 2009 the city began “improvments” to Bastanchury which will increase its car carrying capacity to over 37,000 vpd. To do this double left turn pockets have been installed at Kramer and Bastanchury, and the stop sign at McCormack was replaced by a traffic signal. Bike lanes were ripped up and through traffic diverted into the right hand lane, in conflict with bicycles.
Bicyclists are at increased risk because of this action.
If you have had an accident or near miss on Bastanchury, please report it here.
OCBC has helped organize local cyclists to press for safer re-accommodation of bicycle traffic on Bastanchury and has made productive comments on the city’s upcoming General Plan revision which must include a Circulation element. We’re encouraging city planners and engineers to adopt Complete Street policies which will include bicycles in the traffic mix.