Long Beach Cyclists is about advocacy, education and community. Each monthly general meeting is an opportunity to keep ourselves abreast of what is taking place in our city and to participate in making things better. It’s an opportunity to talk and learn, and to enjoy the company of fellow cyclists. This month, join Long Beach Cyclists, City of Long Beach, LACBC and Alta Planning for the last of several meetings regarding the final Metro Blue Line Bike & Pedestrian Access Plan Concept (plan maps and drawings)

Note that many of us who live near the shore cycle together to and from the meeting; you are welcome to accompany us. We depart Orange and Second Street at 6:30 pm.

Long Beach Cyclists meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:17 pm. Hope to see you at our next meeting… and at any or all other events. Click EVENTS at the top of the page to view our calendar and a map of how to get to Jax (corner of Bellflower and Spring).

Note that many of us cycle together to the meeting from near the shore. We depart Orange and Second Street at 6:30 pm.

On April 20th, during its regular meeting, City Council approved construction of two street improvement projects that are part of larger efforts underway to make Long Beach a great city for travel by bicycle. City Council approved construction of separated bike lanes downtown along 3rd Street and along Broadway. And it approved the ’bike boulevard’ project along Vista Street, which will improve neighborhood calm and provide a new, quiet, safe, east-west cycling route. The Vista project will serve as a model; other neighborhoods can view it and may wish to then convert one of their own streets into a ‘bike boulevard.’

Long Beach Cyclists was present at the meeting. More than a dozen LBC members sat in the City Hall chamber, and prior to the council vote, member Chris Quint spoke at the podium on our behalf. Quint thanked the many individuals who are helping to improve the livability of our city, including Sumire Gant of Public Works. Quint pledged our support to help City planners and engineers address minor concerns so that these projects be as well designed as possible.

Having learned how to travel all roads in our city safely and legally, experienced vehicular cyclists are generally not intimidated by motorized traffic. On the other hand, cyclists who are less comfortable driving near motorized traffic will especially love the approved projects. New lanes in the downtown area will be built that are physically separated from motorized vehicles, and traffic calming features will be created along a street in Belmont Heights.

A great BIG ‘thank you’ goes out to the following Long Beach Cyclists who were present at the April 20, 2010 Long Beach City Council meeting: Bernadette McKeever (president of the LBC board), also Travis, Chris, Donald, Tom, Lee, Amanda, Allan, Scott, Jessica, Josh, Cal and Michael.

Click above right to read the two City Council motions as recorded in the draft of the meeting minutes. To watch a video of the entire board meeting, click on the link below. Look for April 20, 2010 City Council meeting. Chris Quint started speaking 3 hours, 5 minutes and 35 seconds into the meeting… so you may wish to fast forward:

http://longbeach.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=12

This past year, Long Beach Cyclists became a nonprofit California Public Benefit Corporation. This evening (March 9, 2010) we held our first board meeting and election. All paid members were invited to participate. We thank those who were present at tonight’s meeting, and also thank those who were not present yet who voted via e-mail. And we thank all of you who have supported Long Beach Cyclists through donations and membership forms, or as volunteers, or as participants in our many rides, events and activities.

Our other elected board officers include Travis Bos, who will serve as vice president, and Donald E. Moore, who will serve as secretary. Michael Bos was elected our board treasurer. The new board passed numerous motions that will help shape our future work. Back in the mid 1990s, Long Beach Cyclists functioned as an informal group. Recently we were incorporated with the State of California, and now we will submit proper paperwork to the federal government as we seek tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status.

Thanks are in order for the small group of friends who started Long Beach Cyclists about fifteen years ago, and thanks are also in order for the many, many individuals who have helped Long Beach Cyclists grow since then. Congratulations to all of us—you, too!

Many things related to cycling are happening these days. Click EVENTS at the top of the longbeachcyclists.com page to help plan your week. Rides. Meetings. Places to go for fun. Areas where you can pitch in.

The first official Long Beach Cyclists board meeting and election will be held March 9th. We are taking steps to complete our transition to tax-exempt, nonprofit corporate status.

Ladies Night at Jax Bicycles (March 10th) includes free workshops, and perhaps some wine and cheese. Life is good!

The folks who organized the recent Metro Station Bicycle and Pedestrian Access Audit invite you to look at the audit summary, provide feedback and give additional input. Meet them at Sipology on March 17th.

Participants in the ‘Bike-Camp-Train’ ride around San Luis Obispo are making preparations this week. And Long Beach Cyclists will do a ‘Fools Ride’ under the full moon at the end of the month.

CSULB Cyclists and Pedal Movement organize rides weekly. Meeting dates are also posted on the calendar. Allan leads a monthly Port Tour ride, and Cyclone Coaster does a monthly vintage ride. Local restaurants offer monthly discounts for cyclists on first fridays. The H.U.B. (the bike-repair cooperative and community space run by Pedal Movement) is getting ready for its grand opening on April 3rd; now is a great time to help. Race practices for beginners and advanced cyclists take place weekly at Douglas Park and at El Dorado Park. The Los Angeles Street Summit 2010 is scheduled for March 20th. Preparations are underway for the Long Beach Bike Fest and for Bike-to-Work Day, both scheduled for May.

And more!  Bike polo, sprints, fixies. Lightning Velo and Velo Allegro rides. What else?  Pitch in. Join us. Get YOUR event listed on the calendar. Happy cycling!

The first Pedal Movement meeting at the H.U.B. will be Monday, February 8 at 7:00 pm. Click EVENTS at the top of the longbeachcyclists.com page for details, for a map, and for contact information.

The H.U.B. bicycle cooperative is being created from scratch with volunteer labor—you are invited to pitch in!—in a lot and building across the street from the Pacific Coast Highway station of the Metro Blue Line.

At the February 8th meeting, Graham invites all to participate in the planning and roll-up-your-sleeves work of making it happen. The agenda includes volunteer hours, clean-up procedures, leadership, project direction, and 2010 planning.

Long Beach Cyclists meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:17 pm. Hope to see you at our next meeting… and at any or all other events. Click EVENTS at the top of the page to view our calendar and a map of how to get to Jax (corner of Bellflower and Spring).

Note that many of us cycle together to the meeting from near the shore. We depart Orange and Second Street at 6:30 pm.

Much that is of interest to the cycling community will take place before then, of course. There is the Compton Creek Ride, Metro Audits, the Cyclone Coaster vintage bike ride, bike polo, various holiday events, a Bike-In Movie, and more. Check out the calendar by clicking EVENTS at the top of this page.

A highlight of the December 2nd meeting was talking with Russ and Laura—friends who have been living on their bicycles since August. They call their adventure “path less pedaled”  www.pathlesspedaled.com and so far have cycled as far north as the Seattle area of Washington State. Imagine all the amazing countryside and the many interesting people they have met so far. They meet many, many people who love and live cycling. What is it like to live on your bicycle rather than in a house or in an apartment?  Where will Russ and Laura go after visiting us here in Long Beach?  Because Russ is an excellent photographer, we were treated to an exciting presentation. Russ and Laura also shared observations about cyclists and the cycling climate observed in other cities.

During the December 2nd meeting, we participated in a brief advocacy activity aimed at helping Long Beach become more bike friendly. Also, we talked about options for the shirts we will soon have for Long Beach Cyclists members. Now that Long Beach Cyclists has a tax ID number and is this close to 501(c)3 non profit legal status, we are staged to do great things in the year 2010. If you aren’t a member yet, consider joining us. There’s still time to qualify as a Founding Member.

After the meeting, a large number of us cycled home—for many of us a cross-town  trip—at an hour when city streets were calming, the air was brisk because it is early December, and the night was well lit because of an almost full moon. We created a long, mostly single-file parade of twinkling bike lights, laughter and conversation among friends. It doesn’t get much better than this!