Bikeways

The Planning Commission, after listening to disgruntled homeowners along Tanager Drive, has voted to scrap plans for a bike path that was to be built behind houses on the north side of the city golf course. About a dozen homeowners turned out at the meeting last week to tell commissioners that the bike path, which would include a 2,400-foot tunnel at $336,000, would ruin their view, drive property values down and clutter up their back yards.

It takes a little imagination to look at the oversized map of Orange County and see what Jeff Dickman sees. Dickman, chief of trail planning for the county, can trace out the five trails and off-road bikeways that are supposed to run from hills to sea. He can point out the spots where developers have been reluctant to do their share. He runs his finger over the stretches of trail he himself has worked, giving up weekends to clear the brush. And in his mind, he connects all the dots.

Tanager Drive residents persuaded the City Council last week to scrap a proposal to build a bike trail between their back yards and the Costa Mesa Golf Course. Showing pictures of an existing bike trail on the south side of the golf course that they contend has spawned an increase in graffiti and trash, residents said they feared the bike path would invade their privacy and possibly lead to more burglaries.

Finding a place to ride, or planning a commuting route, is one of the first challenges for owners of a new bicycle. Several available publications can help: * The Orange County Transportation Planning department has released a new edition of the Existing Bikeways map, which shows all Class I bicycle trails (paved, off-road paths) as well as streets with marked bicycle lanes.

Developers of the Ocean Trails project--a long-planned 18-hole championship golf course and luxury home development in Rancho Palos Verdes--will break ground on the project Jan. 5. Located on the south side of the Palos Verdes Peninsula between Palos Verdes Drive South and Palos Verdes Drive East, the 260-acre development will include 75 homes, three public parks and a network of trails and bikeways. The developers, Ken and Bob Zuckerman, also will restore 80 acres of habitat for native bird and plant life.

Urban biking is healthful exercise for some and enjoyable transportationfor others. But as most experienced cyclists know, bikeways aren't immune to crime. A double homicide occurred on the L.A. River Bikeway near Glendale Boulevard on Sept. 14. Two men on foot, ages 18 and 33, were found shot to death, prompting questions about whether the trail is a safe place for bicyclists, children and families. Los Angeles Police Det.

You would think that a city clogged with cars would coddle bicycle commuters. If lots of people bicycled to work, pollution levels would go down, freeway congestion would be relieved and Lycra outfits would make power breakfasts more colorful. Alas, biking to work in Los Angeles, as well as most other major cities, is not easy. For the commuting cyclist, drivers in cars at rush hour can be divided into two groups: those who don't see you and those who pretend not to see you.

The City Council agreed this week to allow parking on the south side of Baker Street, while the city considers other ways to build the bicycle path they had planned to put in alongside the road. After hearing dozens of residents complain that the council's decision to eliminate street parking there would flood the neighborhood with parked cars, the council rescinded its vote and asked city staff to come up with other ways to build the bike path.

Widen the roads to accommodate more cars? No thanks, say members of the bicycle users subcommittee. Committee chairwoman Karen Anderson said more people could pedal to work and on errands if more bike lanes were created instead. The year-old committee makes recommendations to the city, and is now trying to have an extensive network of bike routes included in the city's Master Plan for future development.

It's economical. It's good for the environment. And it's pretty rare. A scant 1% of Los Angeles-area residents have given up their cars for commuting by Bicycle, Transportation officials say. But some local governments are hoping to improve that figure. Several bike trails are proposed and some already approved for construction.