Yuba County supervisors adopt new bike plan

Yuba County supervisors have adopted a new plan for biking in the county, but views of the Yuba River won't be part of it.

Acknowledging several concerns by residents along the river in the Hallwood area, county officials said the final version of the plan excludes a path along the river to the county foothills.

Supervisor Hal Stocker, who represents the Hallwood area, said that was a wise move.

"We're talking about private property in Hallwood and working orchards," he said, pointing out when the growers are spraying for pests, someone using the path nearby could be affected by a breeze. "If you visited there, you'd see it was impossible to do it."

The plan the board adopted still calls for expanding bike access in other parts of the county, in most cases establishing bike lanes along existing roads, or adding signs along routes noting them as also being used by cyclists.

If the county still wanted to establish a bike route from the valley to the foothills, Stocker said, one possibility might be using existing easements along Highway 20.

Though Supervisor Roger Abe asked whether paths in other parts of the county might not also rile nearby property owners, county public works director Mike Lee said no other proposed paths had quite the same level of impact as the dropped one in Hallwood. There would also be more opportunities for the public to weigh in before the county proceeded on aspects of the plan, Lee said.

Another supervisor, Mary Jane Griego, said she expects dedicated bike trails to be part of recreational development along the Feather River levees on the county's western edge.

Loma Rica resident William Appleby, a cycling enthusiast, said the adopted plan would benefit more than just the recreational biking crowd.

"The bulk of the plan would help improve right of ways, accommodating bikes and even pedestrians and make traveling safer," he told the board.

CONTACT Ben van der Meer at bvandermeer@appeal democrat.com or 749-4786. Find him on Facebook at /ADbvandermeer or on Twitter at @ADbvandermeer.