Coronado Scenic Loop Draws Mixed Reviews from Residents

This story was reported and written by Gloria Tierney.

A bike path to lead bicyclists on a trip around the periphery of Coronado is one city council vote away from becoming a reality.

If approved at an Aug. 20 meeting, the Scenic Loop, that may wind through thoroughfares like like 1st Street, Ocean Boulevard, Glorietta Boulevard and Alameda Boulevard, could be up and running by the end of the year, said Jim Newton. 

Newton is a city engineer, liaison to the Bicycle Advisory Committee and has overseen the Scenic Loop project since its inception more than two years ago.

Coronadans were invited to review the concept and comment on the proposed route at a public workshop held July 31 at the Coronado Community Center.

About 25 people attended, including members of the Bicycle Advisory Committee.

People backing their cars out of their driveways on 1st Street and other parts of the Scenic Loop may pose a risk to travelers on two wheels, said resident John McKechnie.

“There are no alleys on Alameda [Boulevard]. People have to back out and they won’t be looking for bicycles,” he said.

Bicyclists are smart and can adapt, said Dan Orr, chair of the Bicycle Advisory Committee.

“On 1st Street bicyclists know to keep outside the line to avoid doors,” Orr said.

Safety and aesthetics were the main concerns for Glorietta Boulevard residents. Some people were worried errant golf balls may bean bicyclists as they ride past the golf course, Newton said.

Why have a bike lane at all on Glorietta Boulevard, Anne King McCoy wondered.

All it would do is “spoil the beauty of the boulevard by painting lines on it."

“The street is huge,” McCoy said. “There’s plenty of room for everybody.”

Much of the objections from residents at the workshop centered around proposed bike lanes on Glorietta and Alameda boulevards.

On Alameda Boulevard the issue is safety, some residents said. A portion of the bike lane is in an area where car doors could hit bicyclists. A bicyclist who sees a car door open in time could react but could also be propelled into traffic as a result.

In analysis of collision reports within the last five years on 1st Street, there have been no reported incidents of a driver opening their car door and launching a bicyclist into traffic on either 1st Street or Glorietta Boulevard, Newton said.

The loop was approved as part of the Bicycle Master Plan in March 2011. Last year the city received a CalTrans grant to pay for the project. Coronado City Council directed staff to seek requests for proposals from construction companies to build the Scenic Loop on May 7.

Newton said that the city would consider issues raised by residents when crafting its final report for the Aug. 20 City Council meeting, though he cautioned people not to expect a lot of changes.

Too much tinkering and the city could lose a $172,800 Caltrans grant.

“At this point it would be tough to change the route,” Newton said. “Won’t say it’s impossible, but it would be tough.”

Still, he urged everyone who has an opinion for or against the loop to contact the city before the Aug. 20 vote.

“It will be your last chance,” he said.

Offshoots of the Bayshore Bikeway have already started in other parts of South County.

Near the bikeway in Chula Vista, the Otay Ranch Regional Park offers several paths that bikes can traverse.

The Ecoroute in Imperial Beach, completed in July 2012, brings bicyclists on a loop from Palm Avenue to the beach to the Tijuana Estuary before looping back to the Bayshore Bikeway.

Improvements planned for trails in the Tijuana Estuary in the future could bring bicyclists to more than 15 miles of trails within the Tijuana Estuary and Tijuana River Valley near the U.S.-Mexico border.