Council rolls out measures to enhance bikeways,…
Council rolls out measures to enhance bikeways, walkability
Costa Mesa council members want to appoint nine members to a new Bikeway and Walkability Committee to update the city's Master Plan of Bikeways and evaluate the city's pedestrian access.
By Jordan Graham | jgraham@scng.com | Orange County Register
February 4, 2015 at 3:17 p.m.
With enough Costa Mesa bikeways and enough connections between them, a cyclist could safely ride from the heart of town to South Coast Plaza, down to the beach or all the way to UC Irvine.
That's the vision some Costa Mesa officials have for the city's future, and on Feb. 3, the City Council voted to create a group to plan it.
The council unanimously supported Councilwoman Katrina Foley's call to create a 15-member Bikeway and Walkability Committee to update the Costa Mesa's master plan on bikeways and evaluate the city's pedestrian access.
Costa Mesa is in the process of drafting a new general plan, as required once a decade. As a part of that process, it will need to determine goals for the city's transportation system – including bike lanes, paths and sidewalks.
"I think that quality communities have good bike trail systems," said Foley, citing Irvine, Newport Beach and Santa Monica as examples.
"It's not just about how many miles of bike trails," Foley said. "It's about how accessible they are, where they are, whether they are safe and the linkages between them."
Public Services Director Ernesto Muñoz said Costa Mesa is working to establish those links between existing bikeways.
With the 19th Street Bikeway Extension project, Costa Mesa will spend $1.7 million (including at least $1 million in Measure M grant funding) to connect 19th Street bike lanes with the Santa Ana River Trail, allowing cyclists on the west side a direct route to the beach, South Coast Plaza and beyond.
The $420,000 Fairview Channel Bike Trail similarly will link the Placentia Avenue trail with the Santa Ana River Trail on the northern border of Fairview Park.
Muñoz said Costa Mesa is working with the Southern California Association of Governments to review whether a multipurpose trail could be built along the Paularino flood control channel, which he said would connect Bear Street to Red Hill Avenue.
Muñoz could not immediately provide information about how many miles of bikeways were within Costa Mesa or how many miles would need to be built to create the desired interconnectivity.
The committee also will study the "walkability" of Costa Mesa, including whether routes are lit well at night, clean of debris and free from overgrown vegetation.
Members for the Bikeway and Walkability Committee have yet to be chosen.
The city council likely will begin to consider some elements of the new general plan in May or June, Muñoz said.
Contact the writer: 714-796-7960 or jgraham@ocregister.com
Jordan Graham | Reporter
Jordan Graham covers congressional politics and county government for the Orange County Register. He began his career reporting freelance civic and watchdog journalism in his hometown of Chicago before moving westward in 2013. He has previously covered Irvine, the San Fernando Valley and Costa Mesa for the Register. He is a graduate of University of Illinois and Northwestern University. Please email or call him with news tips.
jgraham@scng.com
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