Los Angeles may have an ambitious bike plan in the works but if you want to see a truly bike-centric Southern California community today, you'll have to head south to Long Beach. The city recently declared itself one of the most bicycle friendly cities in the country and they've got the infrastructure to prove it: separated bike lanes, miles of bike paths, the area's first bike boulevard, even official bicycle-friendly districts. So on Sunday, December 4, we're heading to Long Beach for a ride around this bike-friendly town to check out all its two-wheeled glory with Charlie Gandy, former mobility director for the city, and president of Livable Communities.
Highlights in the approximately eight-mile loop include: Bikestation, a landmark for biking in Long Beach; the Broadway cycle-track, the bike boulevards of Belmont Shore, roundabouts and traffic circles, the East Village bike-friendly arts district, and downtown Long Beach's new protected bike lanes.
Highlights in the approximately eight-mile loop include: Bikestation, a landmark for biking in Long Beach; the Broadway cycle-track, the bike boulevards of Belmont Shore, roundabouts and traffic circles, the East Village bike-friendly arts district, and downtown Long Beach's new protected bike lanes.
Sunday, December 4
11:30 am: Meet at Long Beach City Hall
333 West Ocean Boulevard
Long Beach, CA 90802
City Hall is the massive Brutalist building that's hard to miss. There's a large plaza on the east side of the building with this bike sculpture on the wall. We'll meet there.
12:00 pm: Ride begins! Follow us at @de_LaB for updates.
12:00 pm: Ride begins! Follow us at @de_LaB for updates.
3:30 pm: Ride ends with drinks and snacks at Beachwood Brewing
210 E. 3rd Street
Long Beach, CA 90802
210 E. 3rd Street
Long Beach, CA 90802
For those of you in the Los Angeles area, we recommend taking your bikes on the Metro Blue Line to Long Beach. If you get off at the Long Beach Transit Mall stop, it's just a few blocks to City Hall. The ride from downtown takes 55 minutes on a Sunday, so please plan your trip accordingly at Metro.net. You'll want to be at the 7th and Metro station by 10:15 am.
If you want to make a day of it in Long Beach, Sunday is the Pacific Standard Time focus day for Long Beach's museums. Many institutions will be offering special events and free admission. Check out Alissa Walker's guide at ForYourArt.
If you want to make a day of it in Long Beach, Sunday is the Pacific Standard Time focus day for Long Beach's museums. Many institutions will be offering special events and free admission. Check out Alissa Walker's guide at ForYourArt.
We have 10 bikes that can be rented for free, thanks to the City of Long Beach. If you want to reserve one, please be sure to RSVP with the "I need to rent a bike" ticket. We'll contact you to find out your height.
Please bring water, sunblock and a helmet if you choose to wear one. Helmets will not be available to rent.
Space is very limited so if you RSVP but cannot make it after all, please let us know so we can release your space.
About how many miles will this be?
ReplyDeleteHey Jeremiah, it's an 8 mile loop!
ReplyDelete