The city of Long Beach was awarded a $275,000 state grant to expand its bicycle and pedestrian education activities, it was announced today.
The one-year grant from California Office of Traffic Safety will be used for the Health Department’s “Walk and Roll Long Beach Program,” and will help educate the public on the importance of using safety equipment such as reflective arm bands, bicycle lights, reflectors, and helmets, city officials said.
Specifically, the funds will be used to:
— host bicycle and pedestrian safety pop-ups, where staff will distribute safety information, and reflective gear at street intersections frequently traveled by pedestrians and bicyclists;
— facilitate in-person and/or virtual walking workshops for older adults to provide strategies to walk safely in their neighborhood and to safely interact with new pedestrian street infrastructure;
— conduct interactive in-person and/or virtual community workshops on how to use bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure properly and safely;
— continue to coordinate and promote Long Beach Walk and Bike to School awareness weeks; and
— expand activities on Safe Streets Awareness Week to educate drivers on how to safely share the streets with pedestrians and bicyclists.
This is the fifth year the Health Department has received an OTS grant to promote bike and pedestrian safety. More information is available at www.longbeach.gov/health.