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News Release |
City of Long Beach Public Information Office
333 W. Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802 |
7/3/2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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NEWS RELEASE #CM070308 |
Subject :
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$330,000 Grant Will Help City of Long Beach
Promote Bicycle Use |
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Contact : |
Sumire Gant, Transportation Planning &
Programs 562.570.6618
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The
City of Long Beach will receive a $330,000,
three-year grant from the Los Angeles County
Department of Public Health to hire a Mobility
Coordinator and help plan and develop two "Bicycle
Boulevards."
"This grant will help us become the most
bicycle-friendly city in the Untied States, while
promoting a more healthy and active lifestyle
throughout Long Beach," City Manager Pat West said.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
RFI PLACE grant will help the City of Long Beach
create at least one North-South and one East-West
"Bicycle Boulevard," which would develop streets
that give preference to bicycles through the use of
traffic circles, medians, bulb-outs and other
elements to create a green street. The locations of
these two facilities will be determined in
consultation with residents and bicyclists in Long
Beach.
The Mobility Coordinator will promote and encourage
physical activity through walking and bicycling,
which will be a tremendous benefit to the health of
Long Beach residents. The Mobility Coordinator, in
concert with the Long Beach BikeStation, will
provide both the technical assistance and internal
advocacy to achieve desired policy, programs and
physical improvements to promote more healthy modes
of transportation. The City of Long Beach is home
to more than 30 miles of dedicated shoreline and
river bicycle paths that connect Long Beach
neighborhoods with other parts of the county. The
Mobility Coordinator will capitalize on these
existing resources to encourage less reliance on
cars to reduce carbon emissions and make
neighborhoods throughout Long Beach more
bike-friendly by promoting ridership and developing
more on-street bike connections.
Long Beach is a bustling 21st Century city, and in
preparation for an update to the City’s General Plan
(referred to as Long Beach 2030), the Long Beach
community has called for the city to become a leader
in providing innovative ways to move around,
including safe and secure bicycle paths, more
opportunities to walk, and safe and convenient
public transit. These concepts will be included in
the Mobility Element in Long Beach 2030, and will
guide the development of policies and physical
improvements to encourage biking, walking and
transit.
In the past year, the City Council has endorsed
progressive goals and policies in regards to
creating vibrant activated communities, a vision
that includes creating downtown pedestrian and
bicycle connections between open space, cultural
amenities, and bike paths, and exploring car-sharing
policies that would reduce the need for automobile
ownership, thereby increasing walking and biking.
The timing of this grant is perfect for making this
vision come to life. The City of Long Beach has
partnered with the BikeStation because of a common
desire to develop and implement innovative policies
to promote active living within a city with a large
diverse population.
BikeStation is the first facility of its kind in the
United States. The public bike center, located in
downtown Long Beach, near the Los Angeles
Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Blue Line,
provides valet bicycle parking, bicycle rental and
other amenities. The BikeStation has been
chosen as a partner because of its demonstrated
ability to work with a number of agencies and
organizations in the planning, development and
implementation of Bike-transit related projects.
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