The Long Beach Approach

By looking at what other cities have done to enhance cycling safety, it is apparent that Southern California is filled with cycling enthusiasts wanting more bike lanes. This weekend I took a trip to Long Beach, CA to see what their local city cyclists have done in order to add bike lanes. After arriving on Broadway Ave., it was apparent the work that had gone into creating a city that is bike-friendly. These lanes were added in 2001 as a city “Bicycle Master Plan”. Studying the master plan is helpful in understanding how a city can focus on creating a bicycle safe environment and how it can be applied to the city of Orange.

The Master Plan states:

"The master plan seeks to focus on creating east-west and north-south connections, links to the river and beach trails and encourages residents to ride for fun and for work.
The city is also launching a pilot program to install bike lanes in some areas. Part of the plan involves a two-way bike lane on Third Street between Alamitos and Junipero avenues and protected bicycle lanes - landscaped medians that separate bicycle and car lanes - on Third Street and Broadway between Golden and Alamitos avenues. Bicycle lanes would also be placed in neighborhoods, such as on Vista Street between Temple and Nieto avenues.
And sharrows - prominent indicators painted on roads that would provide a larger space for bicyclists sharing the lane with motorists - would be installed on Second Street between Livingston Drive and Bay Shore Avenue."

Here is a short video of some people enjoying an evening ride thorugh downtown Long Beach:


Although the city has succeeded in creating the bike lanes proposed in the master plan, efforts to enhance bicycle safety have not vanished. Resident Josh Joseph talked about establishing a Bicycle Advisory Committee and improvements toward the 2001 Bicycle Master Plan.