Bike Committee Decides to Shift Gears

For months the Newport Beach bike safety committee has been attempting to put together a, but this week decided to change its focus.

At a meeting on Monday, the committee reevaluated its idea of putting together a bike event and agreed instead of placing its focus on planning, they should be taking more drastic measures related to biking safety. Some recommendations included addressing dangerous bumps in the road caused by tree roots, monitoring speed limits in pedestrian heavy streets and repainting bike lanes so they are more visible to drivers.

At the meeting, the committee also viewed a video about the Traffic Garden in Utrecht, Netherlands, which was created so children can be educated about pedestrian, bike, and driving safety and said they'd look into doing something similar in Newport Beach.

“The younger we can start educating and training, the greater impact can be made,” said Denis LaBonge, committee member.

Other business

• The committee will be meeting with Huntington Beach officials to get some tips from their award-winning bike plan.
• The committee also discussed changing its title to also encompass pedestrians into its name, thereby making the committee a more welcoming place for a broader spectrum of citizens.
• The committee heard a presentation from Orange County Transportation Authority officials and said they plan on working with the agency to create and perfect a bicycle transportation plan to incorporate safer bicycling routes into the community.