Los Angeles Traffic Problems, on the Manhattan Beach Bike Path
This weekend I was shocked to see speed limit signs on the beachfront bike path while riding through Manhattan Beach. 8mph! …on a bike path, and most people could run faster than that!
A quick turn uphill onto the stop-and-go surface streets put me home faster than 8mph would, and once home a quick Google turned up some interesting information about the new limits. This April, 2005, a woman was struck by a cyclist while crossing the bike path in Manhattan Beach and subsequently died in the hospital.
I would like to side with IndependentSources.com that $350 bike speeding tickets are unreasonable. Nonetheless, even as a “sport” cyclist who regularly pushes 20+mph on the path, I’ll pass on the path altogether to avoid that type of misery.
The beach path may be a great great place for beach cruiser bikes, joggers (who are also being ticketed for being on the bike path now), and people-watching, but it requires a lot of attention and quick reactions to avoid children, large groups, and unexpected “lane changes” of others. Four years of cycling in LA and neither myself nor any of the racers I know have hit anyone on the bike path, but we’re still aware that it’s risky and even complain about other cyclists who don’t slow down enough. I don’t agree that 8mph is reasonable, but after a fatality on the path I’ll just pass on the path and watch out for myself on the road.