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May Cycling Fun in Long Beach, California

On the first Sunday of each month, the free, Cyclone Coaster ride (slow pace—a celebration of old and unusual bicycles) departs from Portfolio Coffeehouse (Fourth at Junipero) at 10:00 am.

Also, on the last Saturday of each month, the free Velo Caravan ride (slightly faster pace, calling together ‘classic’ bikes and others) departs from the Bicycle Stand bike shop (1824 E. Broadway, one block west of Bixby Park), at 10:00 am.

In addition, the month of May is packed with special events. Click to the right to see events scheduled by Bike Long Beach.

Long Beach is a wonderful city. The bicycle is a fantastic way to get around!

And keep in mind that many cafés and restaurants now offer ‘Bike Saturday’ discounts to customers who show up on bike.

There will be $5,000 in prizes given away during May. Go to BikeLongBeach dot org to register and for more information.

Ciclavia in Los Angeles—Sunday April 15

Join the FOURTH CicLAvia on Sunday, April 15th. It’s free. Police close many miles of L.A. streets to motor vehicle traffic along the CicLAvia route from 10:00 am till 3:00 pm. Tens of thousands of cyclists and walkers and joggers participate. There’s no start or finish… go anywhere and any direction along the route (click on the map)… and be sure to stop at any of the hundreds of outdoor cafés along the route to sit and chat with friends and enjoy the delicious quiet of a non-motorized streetscape. This is Los Angeles in our favorite dreams!

Inspired by Bogotá, Colombia’s Ciclovía—the original, weekly street closure event—CicLAvia opens Los Angeles streets to pedestrians and bicyclists, creating a temporary web of public space on which all of us can walk, bike, socialize and celebrate. On the 15th of April 2012, ten miles of L.A. roadways will temporarily close to car traffic and open for recreational purposes. From Boyle Heights to Downtown, and past MacArthur Park to East Hollywood, also north to El Pueblo/Olvera Street, and south as well, CicLAvia encourages us to make active use of our streets… and rediscover roadways and neighborhoods that, in a car, too often go unnoticed.

From Long Beach on bicycle, an easy way to get there is to board any northbound Blue Line Metro train, deboarding at the Washington Station or at any station beyond that. For more details, check out www.ciclavia.org.

Snaps of Cyclavia Nine-Ten-Eleven

Cyclists Donald and Sarah Moore share snapshots of fellow cyclists taken during the recent CycLAvia. L.A.’s third CycLAvia took place on 9/10/11 (the 9th of October of 2011).

CycLAvia is about celebrating Los Angeles in a non-motorized way. A route of city streets that runs past Los Angeles City Hall is closed to motorized traffic for five hours. Many tens of thousands of cyclists and joggers and walkers enjoy the pleasant quiet of city streets that every other day are noisy and dusty from all the cars, trucks and buses. Don’t miss the next CycLAvia… scheduled for April 12th, 2012.

Thank you Donald and Sarah for sharing the following photos.

Ciclavia in L.A.—Sunday Oct 9

Free open streets for walking and bicycling!

¡Calles abiertas a los peatones y ciclistas! ¡Gratis!

An expanded route of Los Angeles streets will be closed to motorized traffic Sunday, October 9th, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

The Los Angeles CicLAvia means free, family-friendly cycling, jogging, and strolling through downtown L.A.  (This will be L.A.’s third one!) People from far and wide will be there, including many friends from Long Beach.

CicLAvia is not a race. It’s a fun opportunity to enjoy L.A. on your bicycle or on foot… without the noise and fumes of nearby vehicle traffic!

Click on the map to enlarge it on your screen.

The route T’s at L.A. City Hall. From there you can head west to the Bicycle Kitchen (northwest of MacArthur Park)… and/or east to Hollenbeck Park in Boyle Heights… and/or north to Chinatown… and/or south to the African American Firefighter Museum near the 10 freeway. You can start anywhere along the route. You can head in any direction.

You can stop anywhere you like. There are rest hubs at the four end points and also at MacArthur Park and close to City Hall. You’re sure to come across friends or discover a new, favorite café.

To get to L.A. from Long Beach, it’s easy and inexpensive to board any northbound Blue Line train. The one-way fare (including bicycle) is just $1.50.

For more information, go to www.cicLAvia.org, or contact info@cicLAvia.org.

Bikestation Long Beach — new location

The Bikestation of Long Beach moved to its new, permanent facility downtown on July 27th, 2011. Be sure to stop in to check out the new structure.

The Bikestation’s new home is located along First Street between Long Beach Blvd. and Pine Avenue. It is an integral part of the downtown transit hub.

Bikestation is about day-use and long-term safe bike parking for commuters, and it is about rental bikes. Also, staff mechanics can fix your flat tire or do a bike tune up. Bikestation is run by Mobis Transportation Alternatives, Inc., a firm specialized in multimodal transportation systems. Mobis runs Bikestations in a growing number of cities, including Washington, D.C.  The very first Bikestation was here in Long Beach, California.

The following images trace Bikestation as it has moved four times over the past fifteen-some years.

Back in the mid 1990s, Bikestation Long Beach was a brand new idea. The first temporary Bikestation structure was placed on what had been an empty plot of land along First Street immediately west of the Promenade. (Since then, a multi-level condominium with first-floor commercial spaces was built on that parcel.)

East Village artist Anna Wooten created the following drawing, celebrating the Bikestation in its first Long Beach home.

In 2000′s, the Bikestation moved several hundred feet east into a second temporary structure.

In 2009, that second structure was demolished.

Between 2009 and July, 2011, Bikestation was housed on Broadway, one block to the north.

On July 27, 2011, Bikestation moves into its new, permanent, two-story facility on First Street east of the Promenade.

Go to www.mobisinc.com for more information about multimodal transportation system projects in planning and underway in many cities. Also, check out www.bikestation.com.

To learn about projects coordinated by the City of Long Beach to help make our city a great place for cycling safely on city streets, check out bikelongbeach.org.

Also, you are encouraged to participate and support the activities of the various cycling groups in the region… most of us operating on little more than shoestrings and enthusiasm.

May… a great month for cycling in Long Beach

May 11th — If you wish to volunteer as a Course Marshal during the Tour of Long Beach (Saturday morning, May 14th), contact Stacey.Toda@longbeach.gov (or phone 562 570-5027). Orientation for Course Marshals will take place Wednesday, May 11th, at 7:00 pm at CSULB. Proceeds from the Tour of Long Beach benefit Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach.

May 11th — Free, second Wednesdays, 11:00 am-1:00 pm, you are encouraged to take advantage of free Bike Safety Checks at CSULB, courtesy of Jax Bicycles.

May 13th — Free, the Family Fun Fest will take place Friday, 5:00-9:00 pm in the lawn area of the Pike at Rainbow Harbor. This includes live music, cycling stunts, a fixed gear competition, and vendors.

May 14th — Preregistration is required for the Tour of Long Beach (that benefits Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach). Three rides: A 9:00 am, 4-mile family fun ride at Marina Green Park (540 E. Shoreline Drive)… also a 31-mile leisurely circuit around the entire city… also a 61-mile Metric Century.

May 14th — Free, the Finish Line Festival, 9:00 am-4:00 pm. in the Rainbow Harbor area. Children’s activity area, bike safety and education booths, live music, food, and vendors.

May 18th — Free, Traffic Skills 101 at CSULB, Wednesday evening class session, 6:00-8:00 pm. Followed by the free 3-hour Saturday morning on-road training session. Preregistration required. Click EDUCATION at the top of the longbeachcyclists.com page for more information, or click here.

May 19th — Free, Thursday morning Bike-to-Work-Day Pit Stops, one at CSULB, the other at Long Beach City Hall Civic Center Plaza. Refreshments, freebies and bike safety checks.

Long Beach Bikeways Opening Celebration — April 23

Come downtown for the grand opening celebration and a family bike ride on Saturday, April 23rd. The fun starts at 11:00 am. Meet at the downtown Promenade.

Long Beach will inaugurate two separated bikeways—one along Broadway, the other along 3rd Street—designed to provide a pleasant, new way for the entire family to cycle when in downtown Long Beach.

The official ceremony will be held at noon.

Click to enlarge the map. Click to enlarge the Grand Opening poster for more details.

CicLAvía—City streets closed to motorized traffic

The second Los Angeles CicLAvía took place on April 10th. Click on photos to enlarge them.

During five hours, a 7-mile route running through downtown Los Angeles was closed off to motorized traffic. As reported in the Los Angeles Times, more than 100-thousand cyclists, skaters and joggers enjoyed the free event. Don’t miss the next CicLAvía!

The route ran east or west through downtown L.A.  Cyclists could go either direction and back and forth. The route led through Little Tokyo… across the 4th Street Bridge… as far east as Hollenbeck Park in Boyle Heights. The route also led through an amazing stretch of downtown skyscrapers and intensity… past MacArthur Park… as far west as the Bicycle Kitchen close to Melrose and the 101.

The absence of motorized traffic makes for a delightful city experience; happy chatting and laughter rather than roaring engines and fumes. We saw cyclists of all ages and skill levels. There were numerous cafés along the route, so it was easy to find a perfect place to sit outside for lunch and to soak in the delightful spectacle. Wow!

Along the route, we saw numerous friends from Long Beach, and no doubt missed many more of you who were there as well.

In photos to the right, Bernard of Cyclone Coasters in Long Beach says hello to L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

To the left, hello Scott and Jessica. Hello Stacie. Many friends and new friends.

CicLAvia — Sunday, April 10th

A route of Los Angeles streets will be closed to motorized traffic Sunday, April 10th, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. The Los Angeles CicLAvia means free, family-friendly cycling, jogging, and strolling through downtown L.A.  (This will be L.A.’s second one!) CicLAvia is not a race. It’s a fun opportunity to enjoy L.A. on your bicycle! The route takes you past L.A. City Hall, heading west to the Bicycle Kitchen (northwest of MacArthur Park)… or east to Hollenbeck Park in Boyle Heights. You can start anywhere along the route. You can head in either direction. You can stop anywhere you like. You’re sure to come across friends or discover a new, favorite café.

Many folks from the Long Beach area will head up to L.A. on the Metro Blue Line, timing themselves to arrive in L.A. by about 10:00 am. Click on the map to see route specifics.

For more information, go to www.cicLAvia.org, or contact info@cicLAvia.org.

Moving Long Beach, join the conversation — April 7

Participate in an important interactive group dialogue about bicycle-friendly “Living Streets” in Long Beach.

The event is free, but you’ll need to RSVP by Wednesday evening, April 6th.

For details, click on the postage stamp to the right. To RSVP, contact Allan Crawford at allancrawford@bikeablecommunities.org.