Ryan Liu, Transportation Engineer
Andrew Winje, Public Works Director
Redondo Beach Public Works Department
415 Diamond St
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
[email protected]
Redondo Beach Mayor Light, City Council and Staff
415 Diamond St
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
DATE: 11/19/2024
SUBJECT: Comment Regarding Bicycle Plan Implementation Project on Prospect Ave, Camino Real, and Palos Verdes Blvd
Dear Redondo Beach Mayor Light, City Council Members, Public Works Director Winje, and Staff, South Bay Forward is a volunteer-run advocacy organization that seeks to move the South Bay region forward on housing, transit, and active mobility. We are a local chapter of Abundant Housing LA, a grassroots nonprofit organization working to solve Southern California’s housing crisis. We envision a South Bay with abundant and affordable housing near good jobs with convenient, sustainable transportation.
We advocate for more housing and transportation choices for a more inclusive, equitable, affordable, and sustainable community. We recently hosted the South Bay Transit Summit at the Torrance Transit Center and have supported the rollout of the recent update to the South Bay Bicycle Master Plan in collaboration with South Bay Bicycle Coalition. We have active members and steering committee members based in Redondo Beach. We are writing in to express formal opposition to the imminent plan to paint sharrows (Class III bike routes) on Prospect Ave, Camino Real, and Palos Verdes Blvd and ask the City to implement protected (Class IV) bike lanes instead.
We recognize and support the progress that Redondo Beach has been making to build high-quality bike lanes, which are supported by city council and implemented by staff. We applaud the recent Class I bike path on Flagler Lane, Class II painted lanes on Torrance Blvd, and progress extending the North Redondo Bike Path. We would very much desire to see the city continue to advance high-quality bike lanes including, and especially, Class IV protected bike lanes on streets throughout the city.
Each of these streets have two car lanes in each direction, and speed limits of 30+ mph. Prospect and Camino Real are set at 35 mph, while Palos Verdes Blvd is 30 mph. These wide and fast streets are not suitable for the application of sharrows, which would provide a false sense of security leading newer cyclists into dangerous conditions. Moreover, numerous studies have demonstrated that sharrows have negligible impacts in safety & ridership while protected bike lanes markedly improve both and improve safety for all road users. These factors motivated SB 1216 which was 1 recently signed into law and would prevent sharrows on Prospect and Camino Real from being installed after January 1, 2025 due to speed limits.
In the South Bay we have year-round biking weather, 70% of trips within biking distance (3 miles), and surging e-bike popularity. These are ripe conditions for Redondo Beach to see a significant bicycle mode shift - replace car trips with bike trips and uplift those who don’t have access to a car.
This requires action to provide safe and protected infrastructure to support the large portion of the population that is interested in biking but concerned about safety. Protected, Class IV bike lanes would provide separate facilities between cars and bikes and promote safety and mobility for people of all ages, including the youth and elderly, who have adopted e-bikes as a primary mode of transportation around town. The South Bay Bicycle Master Plan originally called for a Class II bike lane on Prospect and has since been updated to Class IV.
We urge the city council and staff not to rush through a restriping project on Prospect Ave, Camino Real, and Palos Verdes Blvd that would paint unsafe, and soon-to-be-illegal Class III sharrows on these streets. Coupled with the concerns about truck routes and increasing truck traffic on Prospect and Palos Verdes Blvd, together with the increase in e-bike uptake, this is an opportunity to rethink our streets to provide traffic calming and implement Class IV bike lanes. We urge council and staff to consider the safety and mobility of city residents and the opportunity here to provide truly safe and transformative infrastructure of Class IV bike lanes on these streets.
Class IV bike lanes on Camino Real, Palos Verdes Blvd, and Prospect Ave would reduce car traffic speeds and provide safe routes to schools including Parras Middle School, Alta Vista Elementary School, and Tulita Elementary School. Prospect Ave offers a convenient North/South route across South Redondo with access to many schools, businesses, and homes. With the Strand to the West side and a protected bike lane on Prospect on the East side, practically all of South Redondo would be served by high-quality Class I/IV separated bikeways. Consider the recent success of Class IV bike lanes built citywide in Santa Monica. Active transportation grants from Metro and the State of California, as well as lower-cost quick-build options exist to offset costs. This would help reduce congestion and improve safety for all road users. We ask the City to take advantage of this opportunity to deliver protected bike lanes on Prospect, which would be a critical piece of bike infrastructure for the region.
Thanks for your consideration,
South Bay Forward Steering Committee
Brianna Egan, Co-Lead, Redondo Beach
Matthew Lawrence, Co-Lead, Torrance
Adam Schwartz, Torrance, City Lead
Allen Natian, San Pedro, Communications Lead
Alex Fineman, Redondo Beach, City Lead
Ginny Weinert, Redondo Beach, Education & Events Lead
Liam Walsh, Redondo Beach, Bike Mobility Lead
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