It's roughly 25 miles from downtown Los Angeles to downtown Long Beach, but the thinking when it comes to urban planning is light years apart. First came Long Beach's bike share program. Then came a city bike plan. Now comes Bike Boulevards.
The Long Beach Press-Telegram reports that Long Beach officials are planning two new bike boulevards for the city. While the routes aren't set yet, we do know that there will be one north-south route and one east-west route. Elected leaders are already calling for even more progressive planning and fighting to get the boulevards in their district.
Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal said city officials should investigate what creative methods other cities are using to create bike paths "beyond painted lines on the road and an occasional sign on a street light."
Councilman Dee Andrews advocated for his central Long Beach 6th District having a role in the bicycle plan. "I really don't want you guys to forget our inner cities with these projects that you're putting together," Andrews said.
If there's any officials from the City of Los Angeles that don't want to get left in the dust, activists have already found the perfect place for one.
L.A. County needs to embrace physically-protected bikeways, robust traffic calming around schools, and similarly transformative, safety-focused projects