Bike Committee Puts Breaks on Cyclovia Event

The Newport Beach bike safety committee had hoped to host a bike safety event with its neighbor Costa Mesa, but the idea is no longer in the works.

For weeks the committee discussed co-hosting Cyclovia, an event that would have promoted bicycle safety and local business along Westcliff and 17th streets, but at Monday's meeting, Councilwoman Nancy Gardner said Costa Mesa wasn't very interested in it. Gardner instead proposed that the city hold a cycling event to be held in conjunction with next year's Bike Week.

"Instead, it will be like a Newport Beach Bike Week, something we can control ourselves," Gardner said. "Each day of that week would be given a title, such as, "bike to school," "bike to work," "bike to eat," and maybe at the end of the week a grand finale with a huge bike ride and a picnic or barbecue."

Also at the meeting, city engineer Brad Sommers presented a map that showed alternate bicycle routes through Corona del Mar. Similar alternate bike routes have been created elsewhere, such as San Clemente, where riders are directed to a better route using clearly visible signs. Sommers will present more detailed plans at next month's bike committee meeting.

Other business

Committee member Denis LaBonge raised the issue of maintenance trucks used for tree trimming as a safety hazard. LaBonge said that often, the trucks park in bike lanes without the use of cones and suggested better laws for maintenance crews, requiring signs and additional cones as warnings. 

Newport Beach police Traffic Officer Spencer Arnold said there were bicycle-related incidents for June. Six crashes were reported, four of which were the fault of the bicyclist due to speed and riding on the wrong side of the road. One was caused by a vehicle, and one was due to an unknown cause. No serious injuries were reported. 

According to Arnold, nine citations were issued in June for bicycle violations, and 21 warnings were given, most due to failure to stop at stop signs.