Support: Need for signage of shared routes

Amendment: Specifically requesting an amendment for multi use signage to include equestrian trails & safety yield signage and lights where needed in the project areas.

Signage: Safety yield signage and education about right away protocol for the multi use paths shared with the equestrian/horseback riding community. The federally recognized signs need to be included at every point bikers cross the horse trail, every merging of horse trail & bike path, at every entry, gateway & destination to access the LA River bike path & vicinity.

Regional signage needed: “Improvements of the Bicycle System Gap Closure and Improved Los Angeles River Bike Path Access project” like several others (Deforest Wetlands, Dominquez Gap Wetlands, Wrigley Greenbelt) along the LA River have not included  the necessary safety signs to alert the public they are nearing a horse trail, crossing a horse trail, merging with a horse trail or entering an equestrian zone.

Education/yield: The public is not educated about yield protocol (bikers, walkers, vehicles) and none are yielding for the horse and rider because there are not signs in the bulk of the places (crossing, mergings, gateways, destinations) where needed & unsafe conditions continue to persist for all the user groups directed to the River recreation areas.

Volume/changed use: The increased volume of users in the area crossing the historic horse trails and the impacts on that user group have not been reviewed. This project has received an exemption from CEQA but has not evaluated the impact increased volumes of users and inadequate signage has and will continue to have on the equestrian trail and associated community. The LA River Master plan, Riverlinks and all subsequent plans had not yet evaluated the impacts on the equestrian trails and communities on a regional basis in the Long Beach area and vicinity

New Legislation: State Law AB530 was passed unanimously by the State Legislature and signed into law in October 2015 by Governor Brown to re-evaluate the LA River Master plan.

There is opportunity to work with the equestrian community, to work in concert with Congressman Rendon task force in implementation of AB530 and also to gain federal protection for the LA River trails as per the Federal Trail Act of 1966 as wwell as assistance from the NPS, Rivers & Trails, to evaluate in detail what is needed for this most fragile community in order protect it and enhance projects to be a success for all groups.

Multitudes of added users have been channeled toward the LA River areas in recent decades, such as bikers, hikers, & dogs and yet no EIR has been adequately conducted with respect to the cumulative negative impacts those added users have had on the equestrians trails and equestrian communities. Larger groups and coalitions are continually the focus of attention for these projects such as the DeForest Wetlands furthering the progressive injustice to this minority group.