The City of Long Beach has invited the public to attend The ABC’s of Bicycling, an open house at MacArthur Park for the Long Beach Bicycle Master Plan (BMP) on Thursday, April 14 from 5:00PM to 8:00PM. First approved by city council in 2001, the master plan more than doubled the miles of bikeways in Long Beach, and according to bike count data, increased ridership, as well.
Active Transportation Coordinator for the City of Long Beach, Nathan Baird, had announced in March, along with the introduction of Long Beach Bike Share, that a Bicycle Master Plan outreach meeting would be held on Thursday, April 14, with details to be announced. Baird said the plan needs to be updated and improved, but not without the community’s input.
While Baird told the Long Beach Post that some progress had been made three to five years ago on getting the BMP updated, the plan was never finalized or presented to city council. This April 14 meeting will mark the second try at updating the plan in an effort to ensure the next pro-bicycling project can get underway. Approval by the council would allow the city to pursue specific grant funds with this endeavor in mind.
“We know that we need better access to West Long Beach, we know that there are a few gaps in our network,” said Baird previously. “It’s difficult to get to Cal State Long Beach from downtown. We need further discussion on how to bridge those gaps.”
Attendees are encouraged to ride their bikes to the meeting, where free refreshments, prize giveaways, a bike valet and checkups, as well as children’s activities will be provided. In-person interpretation in Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog will be available, as well.
The ABC’s of Bicycling will be held at the Manazar Gamboa Community Theater at MacArthur Park located at 1323 Gundry Avenue.
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