“By making it easier and safer for our residents and visitors to walk to their destinations, we are reducing the number of vehicle trips, calming traffic through our many neighborhoods, and improving the overall quality of life in Long Beach,” Mayor Bob Foster said.
Long Beach was recognized for its variety of programs that promote walking and enable pedestrians and transit riders to easily and safely move around the city. Among the initiatives and campaigns the City and local advocacy organizations have undertaken in recent years are:
• Safe Routes to School educational programs promoting the rules of the road
• Traffic-calming strategies that include traffic circles, diverters, reconfigured lanes and curb extensions
• A Child Passenger, Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety program through the City’s Neighborhood Services Bureau
• Neighborhood street fairs and events in business districts that encourage pedestrian traffic and local shopping
• The forthcoming three-mile-long walking path, next to the beach bike path, which will increase coastal access to pedestrians
• The Port of Long Beach’s forthcoming one-mile pedestrian bay front park that will include pedestrian access to the shoreline
• The newly remodeled downtown Transit Gallery that was improved for walkability, including the use of extensive public art, new shelters, lights and landscaping
• Long Beach Transit’s TranSmart communications system, which alerts riders to real-time bus arrival information
• The new walking path at Rosie the Riveter Park and Interpretive Center that features a historical timeline of World War II and the contributions of the Long Beach community
• Work by walk advocacy group City Fabric to hold walking events, conduct walk tours and involve Long Beach citizens in active living
• Walking tours by Long Beach Heritage to help foster preservation advocacy and education
Also, according to the Walk Friendly Communities website, the City of Long Beach has good sidewalk design standards and 100-percent sidewalk coverage on arterial and non-arterial streets. Sidewalks are repaired on a regular maintenance schedule, and the City has almost complete curb ramp access in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Long Beach is among four communities recognized in the latest round of Walk Friendly Communities announced. The Walk Friendly Community designation, awarded from bronze to platinum, is given to applicant communities that have demonstrated a commitment to improving and sustaining walkability and pedestrian safety through comprehensive programs, plans and policies. To date, 33 communities in the United States have been designated as Walk Friendly Communities.
For more information on Walk Friendly Communities, visit walkfriendly.org .
