When all that separates a bicyclist from tractor-trailers is a white stripe, it might not make much difference whether that stripe is four inches or six inches wide.
Cyclists spoke up in 2011 in defense of a bike lane on well-traveled Davis Road on the outskirts of Salinas, and the County Board of Supervisors approved the project over the objections of the adjacent property owners and growers. Now, there’s a wider stripe and signage.
But in the years since, bikers have snapped dozens of photos of mud and debris from the surrounding farmland.
“Cyclists are in the perilous situation of dodging large chunks of mud, irrigation sprinklers or having to ride in the vehicle travel lane because of the thick windrows of soil,” Velo Club Monterey President Matthew Sundt wrote in a letter late last year to neighboring property owners and the Monterey County Farm Bureau.
Nothing appears to have changed in the six months since, and Sundt, along with fellow cyclists, are now shopping for an attorney. They’re considering a possible class-action suit, based on the premise Monterey County Public Works shouldn’t have to pay to clean up private landowners’ mess, and that the road is habitually unsafe.
“It’s fundamentally a matter that the mud denies us safe passage,” Sundt says. “We’re really representing anybody who rides a bicycle, or drives a truck, or rides a bus or car on this highway.”
“IT’S FUNDAMENTALLY A MATTER THAT THE MUD DENIES US SAFE PASSAGE.”
Norm Groot, executive director of the Monterey County Farm Bureau, says during the bike lane deliberations in 2011, he tried to clarify that the county would be on the hook for keeping the area passable.
“The mud can’t always be avoided,” he says. “It is an agricultural zone; [growers] have been pretty good about taking care of the issue. That said, the county has the responsibility for sweeping the roadway.”
Grower Ken Higashi of Higashi Farms responded to Sundt’s letter. “I understand your issues. We have taken measures to try to keep dirt and water off Blanco Road,” he wrote.
Higashi laid gravel between the farm roads and the paved road, drawing off clods of mud from ag vehicle tires. Sundt sees that as a possible solution that could be applied more widely.
And any solutions likely will need to be applied more widely as bike lanes become more popular.
On June 17, the Board of Supervisors approved a $714,000 contract to create a new bike lane on Davis Road, stretching from Blanco Road to Rossi Street.
(4) comments
My understanding is that 1003.1 (5) Paving at Crossings from the CalTrans Highway Design Manual only applies to Class I Bicycle Paths. http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/oppd/hdm/pdf/english/chp1000.pdf
What is instead applicable in this situation is California V C Section 23112 Throwing Depositing or Dumping Matter on Highway. https://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc23112.htm
23112. (b) No person shall place, deposit or dump, or cause to be placed, deposited or dumped, any rocks, refuse, garbage, or dirt in or upon any highway, including any portion of the right-of-way thereof, without the consent of the state or local agency having jurisdiction over the highway.
Thanks to Higashi Farms for taking a positive step toward meeting this challenge. Blanco Road is important to farm operations, and it is important to bike commuters, touring cyclists, and others too.
I am a farmer's daughter (and granddaughter), and I am also a person who bikes. Likewise, I am aware that Shari Higashi is both part of a farm family and is a person who bikes as well. Our county's ag community and bike community are united through many such relationships.
I encourage all parties to make every effort to communicate with and respectfully consider the needs of other users of Blanco Road. For some background, see http://marilynch.com/blog/commute-to-salinas-cyclists-want-you-and-are-ready-to-help.html
Ken Higashi has a cheap way to continue violating California law. According to the CalTrans Highway Design Manual (essentially California law):
1003.1 (5) Paving at Crossings. At unpaved roadway or driveway crossings, including bike paths or pedestrian walkways, the crossing roadway or driveway shall be paved a minimum of 15 feet to minimize or eliminate gravel intrusion on the path. The pavement structure at the crossing should be adequate to sustain the expected loading at that location
The ag people really need to start obeying California law and quit being outlaws.
What if cyclists and other road users broke laws against the ag people? The howling would be incredible!
It sounds like grower Ken Higashi has the right idea: Sacrifice a small amount of profit to make roads safer. And he gave up a small amount of profit to save the taxpayers a large amount of money.
What the article fails to mention is that farmers are violating the law by dumping dirt onto the roadway as CVC 23112(b) clearly states. Poor farmers would like everyone to think that cyclists are requiring something that wasn't already required when in fact they just want to keep Blanco their own private farm road, paid for by everyone else. In fact, Blanco is a major corridor between the Peninsula and Salinas, the most heavily populated areas of the County, and it is used by lots of people who detest what farmers are doing out there. So yeh, in addition to making a mess, farmers want you to believe it is their road.
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