Photo by Asia Morris.

Volunteers for the City of Long Beach’s 10th Annual Bike Count are needed to help collect data on Thursday, October 19 from 7:00AM to 9:00AM and 4:00PM to 6:00PM and on Sunday, October 22 from noon to 2:00PM. Those interested can choose from among 25 locations throughout Long Beach to volunteer their time.

“The City continues to improve our livability initiatives, like those focused on bicycling, because it’s vital that we create more opportunities for residents to safely explore our City,” Mayor Robert Garcia said in a statement. “Our aim is to maintain our status as one of the best cities for bicycling in the nation.”

The bike count provides key metrics to the city regarding safety, capacity, ridership trends, and the value of the city’s investments, according to the release. Being able to garner consistent data from year to year ultimately helps to improve the safety and livability of the city, by enabling the evaluation of the effectiveness of projects.

“Having measurable data for people who bicycle and walk allows us to find opportunities to improve safety for motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians throughout the City,” City Traffic Engineer Eric Widstrand said in a statement. “This data informs our work and allows us to build more innovative projects.”

Alongside the city’s investment in expanding its network of bikeways, Long Beach has experienced dramatic increases in ridership, according to the release. The 25 sites for the 2017 count are along upcoming project routes such as: Bellflower Boulevard, 15th Street, Daisy Avenue, areas identified for safety improvement as well as sites that the city has consistently counted in the past.

Volunteers can register by visiting the website here or by calling the Public Works Traffic Engineering Division at (562) 570-6331.