The Strand (bicycle path)

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South Bay Bike Trail source

The South Bay bicycle path is a mixed-type bicycle route in Los Angeles County. The trail starts as a separate, paved Class 1 bicycle path going Southbound at Will Rogers State Beach (about Temescal Canyon and the Pacific Coast Highway) and ends in Torrance County Beach. The path is 22 miles long, and the midpoint between the two ends of the path is near the southern end of the Playa del Rey residential area.

Some safety tips: Only a few stretches have a designated "Pedestrian Only" lane running parallel to a designated "Bicycles Only" lane. (Bike lanes are usually divided into northbound and southbound lanes by a painted broken line.) Where pedestrians and bikers must share a plain two-lane path, alertness, courtesy, and common sense help avoid accidents and bad feelings. When traffic is heavy, walkers and joggers should keep to the right, and run in single file. The path is increasing popular with competitive cyclists who often pedal at high speeds.

Southbound from Will Rogers State Beach, the path passes through Santa Monica, either under or around the Santa Monica Pier depending on detours, then continues along Santa Monica State Beach to Venice, where it veers off from and parallels Ocean Front Walk until Washington Boulevard / Venice Pier, where the separate Class 1 path ends temporarily.

The trail continues by turning left into a bike lane, which goes for about 1/4 to 1/2 mile just past Palawan Way, at which point the Class 1 path resumes.

The paved path passes the wildlife refuge, then parallels Admiralty Way until it crosses it at a traffic signal, then passes the Marina Library, which is open six days a week and has public restrooms.

Past the library, the path continues to parallel Admiralty Way, then turns slightly Westward and ends at Fiji Way, where it once again becomes a bike lane.

This is the bike path looking west at Admiralty Way and Fiji Way, where it once again becomes an unmarked bike lane. There is a narrow sidewalk and also free parking available at this juncture.

Along Fiji Way near the faux lighthouse on the north side of the street there is a bike rental shop that leaves an air hose with electric compressor outside the shop for all to use. Take your Presta adaptor along. Also near the lighthouse are the best public restrooms along the path.

Following the lane on Fiji Way around the end, just after the Coast Guard station and condominiums, the Class 1 bike path resumes with a choice of two directions: Going east is the Ballona Creek extension; going west resumes travel on the main Strand path.

The Ballona Creek Path goes east for six miles into Culver City ending near Syd Kronenthal Park, which has shaded picnic tables and bathrooms. CAUTION: There have been reports of Culver City street gang members attacking bicyclists on the Ballona Creek path.

The Strand continues west from the junction past the UCLA boathouse and traverses the top of a levee that separates the main Marina Channel from the Ballona Creek. The strongest headwind (southbound) or tailwind (northbound) of the path will be experienced on the levee during normal weather conditions.

The levee portion of the path ends at the Pacific Avenue bridge over Ballona creek after which the path turns onto another paved (concrete) path and continues past Dockweller Beach State Park, where the view includes airplanes and hang gliders.

The South continuation passes two power stations on the left (with characteristic smoke stacks), and continues through Manhattan Beach State Park to Manhattan Beach Pier, which has public restrooms. Turning inland at this point leads to a handful of restaurants.

Continuing South from here another 1/2 mile or so, the path will split, but both directions lead to the Hermosa Beach path:

The straight branch is a bike lane that runs parallel to Hermosa Avenue, followed by a stop sign and a walkway with speed bumps, and ends at the Hermosa Beach path at 24th Street.
Turning right leads to a short stairway, at the bottom of which is the start of the Hermosa Beach path.

Another mile or so South is the Hermosa Beach Pier. There are plenty of restaurants on the pier to the left, and bathrooms to the right. There is a small bike shop just North of the pier 1 block East of the path on 13th Street. They keep a charged air hose outside their shop with Presta adapors in the small wooden box.

Note, the flashing lights on the path indicate bikers are expected to dismount and walk their bikes; cyclists who don't heed the signals could be ticketed.

After continuing South for about another mile, the path turns left at a concrete wall (where there is often pedestrian traffic, so caution is warranted), and leads to the intersection of 19th and Harbor/Hermosa Avenue.

Turning right, Southbound, there are wide bike lanes on either side of Harbor Avenue that go about a mile, to Beryl Street. To the left there is a power plant (a very large building with sea life paintings on the wall facing the path). Further down are the King Harbor restaurants and the Sports center on the right.

About 1/2 mile past Beryl Street the path veers to the right off Harbor Avenue and resumes being a two-way Class 1 path, which leads South toward the parking structure for the Redondo King Harbor Pier. Following the path that curves to the right and thenh left will bring riders South through the parking garage, and eventually to the Southern part of the pier, where there are tourist shops, places to eat, and a police station. There is a Bank of America ATM outside the parking structure on the southern wall, next to the bike path entrance. Cyclists are advised to heed the flashing lights indicating they should dismount and walk for half a block.

On the other side of the pier the path continues South for another 2 or 3 miles along the pacific ocean. It dead-ends into a parking lot at the base of the Palos Verdes hills. Adventurous off-road cyclists can climb a medium-steep grade ramp from the parking lot into the Palos Verdes hills, where cycling is substantially more difficult. Note, however that posted signs prohibit cycling on the ramp.

[edit] Entry points / parking

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Many of the state beaches along the bike route have parking meters. The prices are normally around 25 cents every 20 minutes and 10 cents for ten minutes of parking. Parking enforcement officials are usually in the area giving fines to people with expired meters.

There is unrestricted parking except for street sweeping days in the residential areas along Torrance Beach.

Next to the Pacific Street Bridge in Playa del Rey there is a small "pay & display" parking lot bordering the bike path.

There is free parking at the Syd Kronenthal Park at the east end of the Ballona Creek extension of the bike path. However, it is a 6-mile ride westward to the main path from here.

In the northern section of Hermosa Beach there are meters along the street parallel to the Strand that do not start operating until 10am.

California Street in Santa Monica has a bicycle lane that extends from Seventeenth Street to Ocean Avenue. To access the path from this lane, continue west from the intersection of Ocean Avenue down the California Incline. Halfway down the Incline take the entrance to the pedestrian bridge that crosses Pacific Coast Highway. The western access the bridge is a spiral ramp, which is situated in the parking lot of a beachside café and bicycle rental. A concrete path goes from here to the Strand. Taking this route, one can descend the bluffs, cross PCH and get to the bicycle path without dismounting.

At the northern end of the path there is a bicycle lane along Temescal Canyon Road that goes 1.1 miles to Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades.

[edit] Bicycling hazards particular to the Strand

In numerous places the path tends to acquire a layer of beach sand, which makes the smooth cement surface very slippery to bicycle tires. Sand is a particular problem where the path meanders through the beach, which creates a dangerous situation with sand on the curves. To add to the hazard, this tends to happen at Dockweiler Beach and near Venice Beach, areas that have high pedestrian traffic crossing the path. When in the meandering sections of the path, keep an eye on the path ahead for sand, so that you can react before it’s too late.

For fast or aggressive cyclists, be aware that this is an urban path, and is used by many cyclists on a leisurely cruise. They tend to weave and cross lanes without awareness of other cyclists approaching them from in back. Also, parents bring young children, who tend to weave across lanes unexpectedly or ride on the wrong side of the path around blind curves.

For leisurely cyclists, be aware that there are competitive cyclists on the path who are accustomed to bicycle paths being their domain. Always be aware of cyclists approaching from behind you before changing lanes or turning across lanes to exit the path.

Beware of sunbathers and other pedestrians crossing the path without looking. This is a common occurrence on the path, especially in the Venice Beach area.

Also be aware of roller bladers on the strand. They tend to weave throughout the lanes with their ipods on full blast, without notice or regard for approaching bicyclist. Should you nearly hit one due to their recklessness, they will often swear loudly and become aggressive.

With cyclists cruising at up to 20 mph, the Strand is not a safe place for young children on bicycles or scooters. The hazards for children can mediated by parents stressing upon the children that they must stay to the right side of the right lane and not weave across the path. The parent can also ride immediately in back of the child to enforce safe behavior continually, and to serve as a shield to oncoming traffic from in back.