A group of Oceanside residents, spurred by the death of a boy killed while riding his bike, is urging the city council to make North County roads safer for cyclists and pedestrians.
Advocates are backing a proposal to reduce South Coast Highway to two lanes between Oceanside Boulevard and Morse Street to make room for a bike lane.
The area is where 12-year-old Logan Lipton was killed during his bike ride to school on Oct. 22.
"Our main priority with the bike path initiative is to honor Logan, to remember this incredible amazing kid,” said Regis Rae, family friend of the Liptons. “Our second thing is that we want to create something for the future for all of the kids - for families for Oceanside."
A driver in a pickup truck accidentally ran into Logan as he pulled onto South Coast Highway. The boy became lodged under the truck, and he was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
"I mean, in the midst of this tragedy, we wanted to see something come out of it that would honor Logan. Honor his life,” said Rae.
Together, the Lipton family and friends have created the “Logan Lipton Bicycle Initiative.”
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In addition to the bike lane, the group is calling for a crosswalk in the middle of South Coast Highway near Kristy Lane, in an area locals call “The Dip.”
Proponents will discuss their plan at a community meeting Tuesday at St. Mary Star of the Sea School, and the Oceanside City Council is expected to take up the issue as part of a larger traffic plan on Wednesday, possibly to vote on it.
The location of the crosswalk concerns Cole Sampson, whose family has owned Paradise RV Resort for nearly four decades. The business sits at the proposed crosswalk.
He hopes the city will move the crosswalk a few feet north of his entrance, directly in front of the beach access trail, so his guests can safely pull in and out of the driveway in their RVs and motorhomes.
“As a parent and a family business owner, our hearts are broken too, but we want to come up with a good solution and a solution that's best studied and that makes sense for everyone,” Sampson said.
Gary Rosenberg, an Oceanside resident, rides his bike through the city for about eight miles a day, five days a week.
He said sadly, he’s surprised fatal accidents with cyclists don’t happen more often.
"The cars are so close to you and often times exceed the speed limit, very little regard for the bicyclists,” Rosenberg said.
