Orange County talk: Drivers vs cyclists?

Posted on September 7, 2010 by .
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An average of one cyclist is killed every month in Orange County, California. David Whiting, editor-at-large and columnist for the Orange County Register, will talk and lead a discussion on the issue of cyclist fatalities in Orange County, California. Whiting has been a cyclist on Orange County roads for 13 years.

You can attend this talk Wedesday evening, September 8 2010, beginning at 7 PM at the Irvine Ranch Water District board meeting room during the Orange County Wheelman monthly meeting. The Water District is located at 15600 Sand Canyon Avenue Irvine, CA.

Bike club meeting directions fail to accommodate cyclists!

I had to hunt for that address: it’s unfortunate and perhaps telling that the directions I received for the meeting give only driving and parking directions via I-405 and I-5, to wit:

“Take the 405 Fwy to Sand Canyon, North, or take the 5 Fwy to Sand Canyon, South. Turn East on Waterworks Way, turn left behind the building and park.”

Driving & parking directions to Orange County Wheelmen meeting location

The Irvine Transportation Center — a major Orange County transit hub serving Amtrak, several Orange County Metrolink lines, and multiple OCTA bus lines — is just 2.5 bike laned miles away from the meeting location. The trains stop running after the commute hours, but OCTA bus #90 runs until midnight, and, hopefully, bike club members will have a bicycle to ride, no?

We gripe about the lack of bike accommodation from businesses and large events, but a bike club failing to provide bike directions or mention what bike parking facilities are available? I realize OCW is a recreational riding club, but even recreational riders can get around by bike. It’s easy to include bicycling directions, and I urge you, OCW, to do better than this.



See also:

  1. Orange County cyclist deaths
  2. Bus drivers bike to work
  3. DKNY orange bicycles in London
  4. Larkspur Ferry free rides for cyclists


  • Guest

    Hi there. You might be interested to join us on Sept. 18, Clark’s Corner is going to have a bike ride. You can even meet Chris Horner there… but you might need to register first. See the information here http://clarkscornerione.com/pages/cycling_challenge.cgi

  • orovillain

    Seems to me that Google maps provides a relatively good overview of where things are, even if I don’t particularly care for their bicycling directions.
    Besides that, many bikes spend most of their time sitting in racks on the roof rather than being used as transportation in the OC.

  • http://www.cyclelicio.us/ Richard Masoner

    Right, but the thing is, I had to look up the address in the first place. If you go to OCW’s website, it just says “Take the 405 Fwy to Sand Canyon, North, or take the 5 Fwy to Sand Canyon, South. Turn East on Waterworks Way, turn left behind the building and park.” The initial meeting announcement was even worse — didn’t even mention the city. The Mapquest screenshot — which was also missing in the original announcement — is marginally helpful.

    They make it easy for highway users, so why not make it easy for bicyclists as well?

    And now I’m trying to figure out why I can’t see your comment on my blog….

  • Eric

    Any meeting I’m involved in get bike directions. And maybe a comment to the venue to increase/make some bike parking.

    Come on OC Wheelmen – it’s for your own good if all the members added bike direction to their meetings.

    Eric W
    Santa Monica

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