Bicyclists want path back
 Deb Hubsmith, advocacy director of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition, stands in front of a fence closing off the bike and pedestrian path from Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in Larkspur to Corte Madera. Riders are concerned that the key path will be shut until the end of the year while a safety barrier is erected. (IJ photo/Alan Dep) |
Marin IJ, October 7, 2006
The California Department of Transportation's decision to close a walkway in Larkspur along Highway 101 has angered bicyclists and pedestrians.
The walkway, about one-eighth of a mile long, runs along the east side of Highway 101 and crosses Corte Madera Creek, connecting to East Sir Francis Drake Boulevard near the Larkspur Ferry Terminal. People use the pathway to get to the ferries and other destinations.
On Sept. 8, a taxi cab crashed through a wooden railing along the path, injuring two pedestrians. As a result, Caltrans closed the pathway, deeming it unsafe.
Caltrans officials say work on a permanent steel barrier could start as soon as next week, but that the path won't be re-opened until Dec. 31 when the work is done.
"We should be ready to start soon, and in the meantime there is a detour in place," said Bob Haus, Caltrans spokesman.
But bicyclists are bemoaning what they say is a circuitous detour that takes them to the pedestrian overpass near Lucky Drive and onto a similar path on the west side of the freeway, which then can be used to get to the ferry terminal.
"It's another five minutes for bicyclists and 15 minutes for pedestrians," said Deb Hubsmith, advocacy director for the Marin County Bicycle Coalition, who added the detour is not clearly marked. "And the detour forces people to cross on-ramps and off-ramps. It is not safe, either."
Hubsmith said people are continuing to use the closed pathway by hopping fences. On Friday, Hubsmith said someone cut open the gate intended to keep people off the pathway and turned "closed" signs around.
"People are using it anyway," she said. "The path had been open for 40 years without a railing. Does Caltrans close the highway when there is an accident?"
Calling it a "critical link" for bicyclists and pedestrians to ferries, the Golden Gate Bridge District has chimed in, asking that the path be reopened as soon as possible.
"The sidewalk closure has forced transit users to make a confusing, long detour to cross the creek on the west side of the highway and without benefit of direction signage," wrote bridge district General Manager Celia Kupersmith in a letter to Caltrans.
Larkspur City Councilwoman Joan Lundstrom said the path needs to be closed - and she backs Caltrans.
"We are concerned about the health and safety of the public," she said. "This is a temporary inconvenience that is worth it for public safety. The permanent barrier should have been built many years ago and it will finally happen now.
"Everyone needs patience."
