Bikers,walkers, car drivers must observe rules of road

SHARING THE ROAD

Pedestrians, cyclists and vehicle drivers must coexist on Leisure World’s streets and byways. It can be a challenge—the LW Weekly news office gets the calls to prove it.

Drivers call to report residents “who walk around at night in all black with their heads down or on their phones.” And there are the people who just barrel into the roadway without looking to see if a car is coming as well as those who walk in the road near the flood control channel.

Cyclists complain about pedestrians who weave down sidewalks, ignoring signals that bikers are approaching, or those who challenge a biker’s right to be on the sidewalk at all.

And pedestrians have their issues too. They call to recount how speed-demon drivers run stop signs and bikers, trikers and cart drivers blow around corners, nearly knocking them flat.

It’s a conundrum but one that the GRF Board has addressed in policy and practice with “safety first” as its primary objective.

The roadways and sidewalks must be shared by cars, trikes, bikes, golf carts, low-speed vehicles (also known as street legal electric carts) and maintenance carts. They can all be be legally operated on all trust roadways in LW. But pedestrians are king—cyclists and vehicle drivers must yield to them. On the sidewalks, mobility scooters and bikes must also yield to pedestrians.

To help drivers spot pedestrians, the GRF has placed buckets of neon flags at major intersections. Walkers are encouraged to grab a flag and hold it aloft as they cross to make them more visible to drivers.

Pedestrians must share sidewalks with bikes and mobility scooters and possibly with carts depending on their size and location, according to GRF traffic rules.

As for drivers, all are cautioned to slow down and drive the 25 mph speed limit, come to full stops at lights and signs, and stay alert.

Residents complain of speeding cars, distracted drivers and rolling through stop signs. Although the Seal Beach Police Department cannot isolate LW infractions from those issued citywide, anecdotal evidence shows that officers are handing out as many as 50 citations in a given month, despite steep fines and penalties that include skyrocketing insurance rates for older drivers convicted of moving violations.

According to the SBPD, the top four