By The three-mile stretch of separated bike lanes in downtown Long Beach officially opened on April 23 after an inaugural ceremony and ride.
Cyclists of all ages and skill levels mingled with public officials during the event.
Among them was 103-year-old Octavio Orduño, who rides his tricycle on the streets around his condo in Long Beach every day. Orduño is said to be the oldest cyclist in Long Beach, but that didn’t stop him from leading the pack in the bike ride along the new lanes.
The separated bike lanes offer increased protection for cyclists in Long Beach and encourage motorists to share the road with cyclists. A painted median island and asphalt curb separates cyclists from vehicular traffic, and bike signals regulate cyclists in the bike lane.
The lanes are on Broadway and Third Street, between Alamitos Avenue and Golden Avenue.
“Long Beach is setting the pace for other urban built-out cities with its willingness to prioritize cyclists and pedestrians,” Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal said.
These are the first separated bike lanes in Southern California.
“We’re really on the cutting edge when it comes to bike infrastructure and mobility,” Councilmember Robert Garcia said.
Other festivities included a scavenger hunt, bike rodeo for kids and a screening of “Riding Bikes with the Dutch” by Michael Bauch.
Participants in the scavenger hunt visited 13 businesses along the route to find bicycle trivia questions. After answering a set of questions, the sheet was returned and entered in a raffle to win a gift card to a local bike shop.
Bauch’s film began by documenting his experience bicycling in The Netherlands using a more bicycle-centered infrastructure and ends with the bike-friendly changes being made to Long Beach’s infrastructure.
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