Last weekend, the city of Long Beach hosted the latest iteration of its recurring open streets event series, called Beach Streets. Beach Streets West removed cars from three miles of Willow Street, Santa Fe Avenue, and Hill Street. Thousands of people - many families and young kids - took to the car-free streets, mostly via bicycle, but also many on foot, skates, scooters, and more.
This is the first time the city hosted the event in West Long Beach. The 710 Freeway and the L.A. River separate the area from the central parts of the city. West Long Beach is predominantly working class with a diverse population, including many Black, Latino, and Asian households. The westside often suffers unhealthy air quality due to its proximity to freeways and ports.
While there were certainly many people enjoying themselves at Beach Streets West, attendance was somewhat sparse. A record-setting Southern California heat wave probably didn't help. Though Long Beach enjoys somewhat cooler temperatures than inland areas, it was still sunny and felt blazing hot.
Below are photos from the event.
Readers - how was your experience at Saturday's Beach Streets?
More open streets events coming soon: this Sunday, May 18, a CicLAvia CicLAmini opens Pico Union, and Saturday, May 31, will be Let's Go Glendale.
