8:45am | Katie Taylor, an engaging young chemical engineer originally from Atlanta Georgia, is so taken with Long Beach’s charming urban appeal and bike friendly stance she agreed to make a short video “Valentine” illustrating why she’s enamored with her new hometown. Since moving to Long Beach eighteen months ago Taylor has become an avid bicyclist and member of the new Women On Bikes SoCal initiative with the goal of doubling the number of women and girls riding bikes in Southern California in the next five years.
The video is by filmmaker and bicycle advocate John Case who founded Bikestation – the first public bike parking facility in the United States – in Long Beach fifteen years ago. The video valentine was shot in the East Village of Long Beach, one of the city’s innovative bike friendly districts and a major hub of the dynamic bike culture blooming in Long Beach. It is home to the separated bike lanes pilot project that has altered bike culture within the city. The video was edited by bike advocate Drew Reed.