Bike Plan Heads to City Panel

A plan for sharing San Clemente streets with bikes and pedestrians will be on the table Wednesday at the city's Planning Commission meeting.

The Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan is under consideration in tandem with San Clemente's massive General Plan, the package of zoning laws and policies that will govern development in San Clemente for at least a decade to come.

The current draft of the plan directs city leaders to view all streets and intersections as if they'll be used by pedestrians and bicycles, emphasizing safety and efficiency of travel.

It says the city should work to link bike and pedestrian trails with mass transit stops, schools, retail outlets and other city centers.

Some of the bike amenities planned include a 1-mile path along Camino Real from Avenida Estacion to Camino Capistrano, linking San Clemente's path with Dana Point's.

Also under consideration is a 2.1-mile path along Avenida Pico, connecting Camino Vera Cruz with the North Beach Metrolink station.

Two half-mile projects on Avenida Vista Hermosa include a path from Camino Faro to Via Turqueza, which would link neighborhoods with Marblehead Elementary and the park there.

Another proposed project calls for the city to coordinate with the homeowners association that maintains the right-of-way along Camino De Los Mares from Calle Nuevo to Calle Portico. There's an 8-foot-wide meandering sidewalk that runs through the property and could be converted into a multi-use path.

The draft master plan also includes a couple dozen proposals for bike lanes and other routes that fall short of dedicated bike paths.

Local bike and pedestrian advocate group PEDal had heavy involvement in drafting the plan. Brenda Miller, who leads the group, writes a bicycle-centered blog on Patch called "Speaking of Spokes."

The plan must ultimately be adopted by the San Clemente City Council.

The Planning Commission meets at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the San Clemente Civic Center, 100 Avenida Presidio.

Because of a reporting error, an earlier version of this article misstated the time of the meeting. Patch regrets the mistake.