Santa Ana River bicycle path
The Santa Ana River Bicycle path (SART) is a bicycle Trail in Southern California, stretching 30 miles from the Pacific Ocean at Huntington Beach along the Santa Ana River to the Orange/Riverside county line.[1][2] Along with the Santa Ana River horse trail, the Santa Ana River bike trail forms the Santa Ana River Crest to Coast Riding and Hiking Trail and Bikeway system, which with an anticipated length on completion of approximately 100 miles (160 km), forms one of the longest trails in the Greater Los Angeles Area.[3] In 1989, the Los Angeles Times described the path as "a veritable freeway for bicycles."[4] According to CVC Section 21207.5, the portion between Gypsum Canyon Rd in Anaheim - Featherly Park - and Green River Rd in Corona is a section of Bikeway which is parallel and adjacent to the Riverside Freeway, a roadway dedicated exclusively to auto, truck and motorcycle use. Therefore this section of the SART is mixed use as a result. Motorized Bicycles (both 406a & 406b) have been permitted to travel on this portion of the SART to commute, if they so wish, since 1980[5]
History
In 1977, the bike path was designated a National Recreation Trail.[3] In 1990, safety on the trail became a concern when it was occupied by homeless populations and street gangs.[6] An increased police presence in 2000 led to a reduction in crime, though pockets of homeless camps have reappeared under some bridges along the trail.[6]
In 2005, heavy rains caused extensive erosion on the path, requiring repairs from the state at about $1 million, part of an approximately $43 million clean-up in Southern California occasioned by the disaster.[7]
Description
The asphalt-paved path is 12-feet wide, divided into two lanes so cyclists may ride abreast.There are a couple of different routes but one of them is waterman avenue est 37 miles from start to the nature preserve past the nature preserve is a dirt path with glass, thorns, etc [8] As of 2006, 70 miles (110 km) of the path were complete; when finished, in conjunction with the equestrian path, the trail is expected to bridge three counties, touching on 17 cities and two national forests.[3]
Events
The trail is the avenue of the annual "Riverside to Surfside" riding event, formerly known as "Smog to Surf", wherein since 1985 cyclists have ridden the trail from Riverside, Corona or Anaheim to Huntington Beach.[9][10]
References
- ^ "O.C. parks: Your guide to taking a hike". OC Register. 2006-08-02. http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/discoveroc/placestogo/article_1196254.php. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
- ^ Stienstra, Tom (2007). Moon California Camping: The Complete Guide to More Than 1,400 Tent and RV Campgrounds (15 ed.). Avalon Travel. p. 785. ISBN 1566918316.
- ^ a b c Mitchell, Patrick (2006). Santa Ana River Guide: From Crest to Coast - 110 Miles Along Southern California's Largest River System. Wilderness Press. p. 7. ISBN 0899974112.
- ^ {{ | accessdate = 2011-04-23 | url = http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc21207_5.htm }}
- ^ Emmons, Steve (1989-07-11). "Stealing Some Signals to Beat Traffic Crush". Los Angeles Times (Orange County Edition): p. 1. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/66495387.html?dids=66495387:66495387&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jul+11%2C+1989&author=STEVE+EMMONS&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=Stealing+Some+Signals+to+Beat+Traffic+Crush&pqatl=google. Retrieved 2009-04-03. "The stadium lies beside a veritable freeway for bicycles: the Santa Ana River Bicycle Trail.
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- ^ a b Moilanen, Renee (2000-10-09). "Bumps Along the Bike Trail; When Crime Trails Off; More Police Patrols of Santa Ana River Bikeway Bring Cyclists, Joggers Back". Los Angeles Times (Orange County Edition): p. 6. http://articles.latimes.com/2000/oct/09/local/me-33899. Retrieved 2009-04-03. "Ten years ago, street gangs and homeless people claimed the Santa Ana River Bikeway as their own.... Police attribute the plunge in crime to more patrols, gang sweeps and the dismantling of homeless camps."
- ^ Saillant, Catherine; Sharon Bernstein (2005-01-25). "Roads' storm repairs costly". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2005/jan/25/local/me-roads25?s=g&n=n&m=Broad&rd=www.google.com&tnid=1&sessid=c0f6f87f167aa83e5df3f42018f1903a293bb5c8&uuid=c0f6f87f167aa83e5df3f42018f1903a293bb5c8&pg=0&pgtp=article&eagi=&cat=local&page_type=article&exci=2005_01_25_local_me-roads25. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
- ^ Mott, Patrick (1987-12-24). "Where a Cyclist can really get on a roll". Los Angeles Times: p. 3. http://articles.latimes.com/1987-12-24/news/li-30957_1. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
- ^ Paul, Jacquie (2005-08-24). "Along for the ride: Smog to Surf promotes bicycling for all". The Press-Enterprise. http://www.pe.com/localnews/riverside/stories/PE_News_Local_D_rbike24.12fa8434.html. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
- ^ Bowles, Jennifer (2006-10-09). "Lack of funding for new reservoirs draws fire". The Press-Enterprise. http://www.pe.com/localnews/corona/stories/PE_News_Local_D_trail09.36d465c.html. Retrieved 2009-04-03. "As it stands, starting lines for the annual "Smog to Surf" ride from Riverside to Huntington Beach, changed this year to the more politically correct "Riverside to Surfside," begin Saturday in Riverside and Corona but riders won't be able to go along the river until they hit Orange County past the Prado Dam."