Community Corner

Cyclists Put Spin On Speed Limit

Officials propose a limit for cyclists on the Golden Gate Bridge.

Bicyclists, pedestrians and wheelchair users voiced their concerns over a possible speed limit for bikes on the Golden Gate Bridge and sidewalk safety proposals at two public hearings in San Francisco on Thursday.

The proposals — which include a 10 mph speed limit for bicycles on the east and west sides of the bridge — generated opposition from many of the 6,000 bicyclists who use the Golden Gate Bridge everyday.

If adopted, each speed limit violation would incur a $100 fine.

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The hearings were scheduled to incorporate feedback from cyclists, pedestrians and other sidewalk users, said Denis Mulligan, general manager for the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District.

The district has already received almost 300 comments online and heard from 100 people at Thursday's hearings, bridge district spokeswoman Mary Currie said.

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The proposals were adopted after a study showed that out of 165 bike crashes in 2009, speed was a factor in at least 39 percent of the incidents, according to Berkeley-based Alta Planning and Design.

Officer Ross Ingles of the California Highway Patrol in Corte Madera has worked as a bicycle patrol officer on the Golden Gate Bridge since 2001.

Ingles described a crash he saw that involved a cyclist plowing into a tourist who was trying to take a picture of his family.

With detectors, speed is easier to measure than reckless bicycling, Ingles said.

Many cyclists nodded in support of adding a radar detector sign that would gauge how fast bicyclists are traveling to help cyclists without speedometers.

Some cyclists were not in favor of any type of speed regulation.

"I'd like to not turn the bridge into a police state," said Robert Schuchardt, a member of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition.

Schuchardt, 73, has been biking across the Golden Gate Bridge for about 15 years.

The friction between pedestrians and bikers can be fixed through educating sidewalk users, better signage and marking the sidewalks with lines to guide people into certain areas, he said.

Changes need to be made to accommodate everyone, said Richard Skaff, who is the founder and executive director of Designing Accessible Communities. The Mill Valley nonprofit advocates creating universally accessible environments.

Bikers who speed are a concern to the bridge's wheelchair users and sharing the location is important, said Skaff, who is in a wheelchair himself.

"I feel uncomfortable now because I (didn't move) quickly out of their way," Skaff said.

— Bay City News


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