The City of Long Beach is calling for volunteers to participate in the upcoming 16th Annual Bike and Pedestrian Count in October.
This initiative brings together volunteers and City staff to manually tally the number of bicyclists, pedestrians, and electric scooter riders at various key intersections throughout Long Beach. A greater number of volunteers allows the City to monitor more locations during the count.
“Understanding how our community is using public right-of-way helps guide city transportation and traffic planning,” said Mayor Rex Richardson in a public statement. “It is critical in supporting the safety of all commuters on city streets. I encourage folks to dedicate a few hours of their day to volunteer.”
Interested residents can sign up to volunteer online until Oct. 18, 2023. Volunteers must be available during one or more of the following time slots:
- 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 19
- 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 19
- Noon to 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 21
Volunteers can share their preferred location when signing up for their chosen time slot. The City will send them emails with bike and pedestrian count forms and instructions. Once completed, the count forms can be scanned and returned via email or sent by mail.
In 2022, with the assistance of volunteers, the City collected data at 35 intersections and aims to exceed that number this year. The Long Beach Bike and Pedestrian Count, which began in 2008, is one of the longest-running counts of its kind in the country, and the City attributes its success to volunteers.
Bike counts are conducted before and after a transportation infrastructure project is constructed to assess its effectiveness and popularity.
For more information, visit the Department of Public Works’ Go Active LB webpage.
