The city’s 13th Annual Bike and Pedestrian Count has been postponed for two weeks due to poor air quality, according to a tweet from Long Beach Public Works @GoActiveLB. Those who had signed up to volunteer on Oct. 29 and Nov. 1 can revise or cancel their time slot at longbeach.gov.

PREVIOUSLY: Long Beach is looking for volunteers for annual bike and pedestrian count

10/23/2020 at 10:15 a.m. | By filling out a short form online, volunteers can sign up to assist organizers in making Long Beach a safer place for bicyclists and pedestrians during its 13th Annual Bike and Pedestrian Count, one of the longest-running counts in the country.

On Thursday, Oct 29 and Sunday, Nov. 1, different time slots to choose from will be held to tally how many bicyclists, pedestrians and e-scooter riders travel across more than 10 “key intersections,” as well as observe how people use the roadways—are they wearing a helmet? Are they riding in the wrong direction?

The count takes place annually in October, with this year’s event planned out a bit differently due to the pandemic. Count forms will be sent to volunteers by mail or electronically, depending on their preference, while the completed forms should be scanned and returned by mail or email. While out, volunteers are required to follow all Long Beach Health Department guidelines, including wearing a face covering and maintaining social distance.

Data from the count will help the city assess how safe and effective infrastructure projects are, as well as provide transportation planners and engineers with information for designing future projects. Volunteers can sign up online using this link. The remaining available intersections and time slots are shown.

In this file photo from May 11, 2020, the bike and walking paths start to fill as residents are allowed to use them after closures due to the coronavirus pandemic. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.

After the reopening of the beach path in May, the city saw a 50% increase in biking and walking counts compared to the same time last year, as people have returned to getting out and about during the pandemic, partaking in outdoor activities that still allow them to be socially distanced.

“We’ve seen more bike and pedestrian traffic than ever during the pandemic,” said Mayor Robert Garcia in a statement. “We want more people to feel comfortable using these sustainable modes of transportation and getting an accurate bike and pedestrian count is going to help us plan for what comes next.”

For more information, visit the city’s bike and pedestrian count page here.

Asia Morris is a Long Beach native covering arts and culture for the Long Beach Post. You can reach her @hugelandmass on Twitter and Instagram and at [email protected].