New signs near Huntington Beach Pier remind cyclists to slow down, share trail

A pair of radar-activated traffic signs went up recently along the Huntington Beach Bike Trail near the pier in an effort to reduce the number of accidents involving cyclists or pedestrians in one of the busiest parts of the city.

Officers have observed more and more accidents happening on the path that runs alongside Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach Police Lt. Thoby Archer said. They’ve also seen a trend of people generally zooming faster and faster on that route.

“We’ve seen that the overall speed is increasing just because it’s so much more attainable on an electric bike,” Archer said.

Police and city officials have focused their efforts on educating and encouraging people to cycle more safely, rather than punishing them for breaking the rules, Archer said. But citations are still being issued in those cases where speeders don’t seem to get the message.

“We’re trying to engage everybody whether it’s parents on one end or schools on the other end,” Archer said. “We want to make sure that we have all the relevant stake holders doing what they can do to address and solve the problem.”

Thoby added that riders pedaling traditional bicycles coming down from PCH can easily exceed the 10 mph speed limit along the path without realizing it. The recently installed signs are intended to remind cyclists that they are entering an area they must share with joggers, parents with strollers, tourists and many other people. They display speeds up to 15 mph.

“After you get to a certain point, it’ll just say ‘slow down,’” Archer said. “We don’t want people to race and try to set a high-speed record.”

The signs were up and running as of Tuesday, Huntington Beach officials announced on social media. One is located about five blocks northwest of the pier near 9th Street, and the other is roughly an equal distance southeast of the pier, Archer said.

They are part of a broader push by the city to improve bicycle and e-bike safety. Police and Marina High School have also developed an arrangement that requires students to get certified as safe riders before they can park their e-bikes on campus, Archer said. The department is currently working on videos and other material that may allow them to expand that program to the rest of the Huntington Beach Union High School District.

“We wanted to make sure the district itself could run the program, and it wasn’t the police department running the program for them, and so we’re working on getting it done so they can be off to the races,” Archer said.

Police and city officials have focused their efforts on educating and encouraging people to cycle safer, rather than punishing them for breaking the rules, Archer said. But citations are still being issued in those cases where speeders don’t seem to get the message.

“We’re not writing a ton of tickets ... I don’t know if writing a ticket to the 13-year-old, necessarily, is the best method,” Archer said. “But I think if we’ve made a positive contact and we’re going to see compliance, then obviously we’ll use some discretion. But if we think issuing a ticket is the way to go then that’s what we do.”