Safe & Healthy Streets

Shine, Gandy, Friedman, Bogart, and Weisman in front of Long Beach City Hall. Photo: M. Stirdivant

As an opportunity to see and learn first-hand about bicycle and pedestrian facilities implemented or planned by other municipalities, the PLACE Grant: Safe & Healthy Streets Team coordinated a site visit to the City of Long Beach on January 28, 2010. Long Beach is another PLACE Grant recipient and has announced its intention to become the most bike friendly city in America. The Glendale group that visited Long Beach included Council Member Laura Friedman, TPC Commissioner Bill Weisman, Glendale Police Officer Sue Shine, Marc Stirdivant from the Community Services and Parks Department, and PLACE Grant Coordinator Colin Bogart. The tour of completed and planned projects was led by Charles Gandy, the City of Long Beach’s Mobility Coordinator.

Riding the green stripe sharrow lane on 2nd street, Belmont Shore. Photo: B. Weisman

Long Beach is in the process of implementing a range of bicycle and pedestrian amenities that have garnered national and local press coverage, including an LA Times article published two days before the Glendale group’s visit. The tour, conducted by bicycle, visited the Long Beach Bike Station, proposed locations for protected bike lanes in downtown on Broadway and Third Street, the East Village pedestrian and bike zone at First Street and Linden Ave., the new bike lanes on First Street, the green-stripe sharrows on Second Street in Belmont Shore, a proposed bicycle boulevard on Vista Street, and a section of East Third Street that will be reduced from three lanes to two lanes so that bike lanes can be striped. Mr. Gandy explained the community process of planning and implementing these projects as well as providing the background for funding and city approval. It was an educational and inspiring visit and the PLACE Grant: Safe & Healthy Streets Team thanks Council Member Friedman, Commissioner Weisman, and Officer Shine for their time and participation. You can watch video from the February 2, 2010 City Council Meeting in which Council Member Friedman comments about the tour and suggests that the City of Glendale consider a bike sharing program for City employees by clicking here (fast forward the video to 9 minutes for Friedman’s comments).

Community Outreach Meeting on the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk Project

LA River looking east towards Glendale

This meeting is designed to seek community input on all three phases of the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk project including Phase I, which will include a small entry park, a multi-user trail for pedestrians and cyclists, a separate staging area for equestrians using local trails, another small park for walking and picnicking, and educational and interpretive exhibits; Phase II, which is currently being built as part of the Fairmont Avenue Flyover project; and Phase III, which plans to one day include a multi-user bridge across the Verdugo Wash from the Riverwalk to North Atwater, and multi-user bridge across the Los Angeles River from the Riverwalk to the Los Angeles Bike Path with connections to Griffith Park.

Residents of Glendale, North Atwater, and surrounding communities are invited to attend.

Thursday, February 18, 2010
7:00 p.m.
Pacific Community Center
501 S. Pacific Ave.
Glendale, CA 91204
Phone: (818) 548-4098

Glendale Parks Department Newest Sponsor of the Los Angeles River Ride

The Glendale Community Services and Parks Department has become the newest sponsor of the L.A. River Ride. As part of this sponsorship, the Department will distribute twenty free bikes to local youth, field a team of five riders in the event, and have the Department’s logo prominently displayed on all River Ride promotional materials and the 10th Anniversary jersey. The Ride is being promoted through the Department’s Leisure Guide and website to maximize the number of Glendale youth who will participate in the event.

The River Ride will be on Sunday, June 6, 2010 and will start at the Autry Center in Griffith Park. This year’s event will be the 10^th Annual River Ride and thanks to Glendale’s Parks Department, children 12 and under will be able to do the ride for free! Since the first River Ride, the LACBC has celebrated the completion of the Alex Baum Bridge over Los Feliz Blvd., improvements on the path between Vernon and Long Beach, and this year will celebrate the long-awaited completion of the River Path section in Elysian Valley and underpass at Fletcher Drive. For more information about the River Ride and to register, go to www.la-bike.org  The LACBC thanks the Community Services and Parks Department of Glendale for its support!

Don’t forget!

Glendale Downtown Dash Family Fun Bike Ride – March 14, 2010

LA Street Summit – March 20, 2010