I am not a fan of riding Santa Ana due to horrendous potholes and ruts that it has but I prefer descending it as opposed to the bike path because of walkers, dogs and e-bikes. Recently with the placement of the rumble strips it has become even a more dangerous choice. There are many areas where the shoulder narrows and you must dodge foliage rocks , road kill and gravel. I have 30mm tires and I crossed over once and the rear tire caught the lip of the rumble strip. I have a witness that I did nothing wrong but tried to get out of the way of someone on my left. I/we ride this road 4 days out of 7. This has to be stopped before it’s installed all over the county without any collaboration with cyclists who also pay taxes and use the road. Within the last 2 weeks a cyclist was treated at Ojai hospital after an accident involving these strips. There will be more. There are smooth strips placed every so often that are to allow us to cross but when you are riding they are not always visible depending on light ,speed, etc. and looking for them is like driving a car and texting. The smooth strips don’t coincide with rocks, glass or other debris that we are trying to avoid hitting. I believe it would be appropriate for our club to meet with the county or communicate via letter signed by some important representatives and urge them to stop putting these rumble strips in until there is discussion and collaboration with cyclists who use the roads for the future safety of everyone.
Cecilia
