Traffic Jam on the Strand : Cyclists and Skaters Prompt Complaints, but Officials Balk at Outright Ban

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, according to an ancient proverb.

But some Hermosa Beach residents seeking to banish bicyclists, skateboarders and in-line skaters from the Strand complain that their first steps on the crowded path are all too often a lateral dodge.

“I saw a little kid almost get creamed (by a cyclist) down there,” said resident B. J. Mitchell, who is leading a fight to outlaw wheeled traffic on the Strand. “Speeding bicycles, speeding skaters, joggers, walkers, small children and dogs--all trying to enjoy the same small area--is simply not workable.”

Even Mayor Albert Wiemans acknowledges the Strand’s potential for accidents.

“Unless you are quick on your feet, you can be run over,” he said.

The clash between pedestrians and wheeled traffic on the Strand is not new, nor is the controversy surrounding it. A number of city ordinances dating as far back as 1901 have grappled with the best policy for the Strand.

And, in spite of agreement on all sides that the pathway’s mixed uses present problems, the City Council has made it clear that it won’t support a moratorium or other restrictions on the path’s wheeled travelers any time soon. Tuesday night, the five-member body rejected a flurry of motions proposed to enhance the path’s safety--including one measure to cut the speed limit on heavily used portions of the Strand from 10 m.p.h. to 5.

Part of the council’s hesitation to create a ban stems from the possibility that to do so would jeopardize $1.3 million in county transportation funds to rebuild crumbling portions of the Strand. Efforts to get the money began more than two years ago and were based on an understanding that bicycles would continue to use the pathway. City officials fear that if they prohibit bikes now, they could lose any chance of getting the county money.

“Naturally, I’m concerned about safety on the Strand,” said Councilwoman Kathleen Midstokke. “But I’m not willing to jeopardize the grant funds.”

When the improvement project is completed next year, the pedestrians-bikers debate can be reopened, said Midstokke. Because path-related policy has been so controversial, however, its fate should be decided by a city ballot, not by a City Council vote, Midstokke added.

For now, the Strand’s crumbling walls and cracking surface pose their own safety troubles for the city and are desperately in need of repair, City Manager Frederick R. Ferrin said. Besides, he said, a ban on bicycles, in-line skates and skateboards would be unsporting. Even though ban advocates say wheeled travelers could use an alternate route along Hermosa Avenue and Beach Drive, such a detour would not offer a continuous path.

“It wouldn’t be fair to single out one group to preclude them from using the Strand,” Ferrin said.

But ban advocates argue there is enough evidence now to make a judgment against the Strand’s wheeled traffic. There were 60 accidents reported on the Strand last year, and 22 of the injuries resulted from collisions involving combinations of bikers, skateboarders, in-line skaters and pedestrians, according to the Hermosa Beach Fire Department. The Strand’s only accidental fatality occurred in 1982, when a cyclist struck a skater, authorities say.

“The pedestrians that seem to get hit most are usually tourists,” said Dr. William Kim, an emergency room doctor at South Bay Hospital in Redondo Beach, who often treats victims of Strand smashups. “It’s a freeway down there. I wouldn’t let my kids down there.”

Its hazardous reputation is keeping more than children away from the Strand, say ban advocates.

“There’s a silent majority who don’t want the bikes on the path, who have headed for the hills,” said resident Patty Egerer. Egerer said it took a recent near-miss between her elderly aunt and a speeding bicyclist to get her involved in the debate.

Council members say they believe safety problems on the Strand would be negligible if current laws are enforced.

“I’m adamantly opposed to restricting cyclists, skateboarders and Rollerbladers just because a few people speed on the Strand,” said Councilman Robert Benz.

Hermosa Beach police issue between five and a dozen citations each month to speeders and other unsafe Strand users. Given staffing and budgetary constraints, enforcement measures have been adequate, said Hermosa Beach Police Chief Steve Wisniewski.

Despite their recent cool reception at City Hall, ban advocates are investigating other ways to make their case and vow they will keep the pressure on the City Council.

“We are absolutely not going away,” Egerer said. “They are silly if they think that we are.”