Long Beach Leadership – painted bike access on roads without dedicated bike lanes shows the Way cheaply and easily
I was struck to hear about this amazingly creative bike access too developed by the City of Long Beach. When I think of Long Beach, I generally think of cargo ships. Sorry, NorCal bias. But I should know better! Long Beach has an amazing BikeStation, parking thousands of bikes each month and a growing bicycle advocacy community and bike route system. A perfect example of a City taking real leadership on cycling, I know Oakland will get there soon with our help. This would be a great treatment to use througout much of Oakland more urban streets, where bikes, cars, and buses will all have to share space.
From the good people at BikeLongBeach.org
Pilot Project: Painted Bike Lane with Sharrows on 2nd Street
In an effort to coax cyclists off the sidewalks and into the streets where they belong, green painted bike lanes with sharrows will be installed on 2nd Street in Belmont Shore along with modified “Share the Road” signs.
This treatment will be installed between Livingston and Bayshore Avenue to raise motorists’ and cyclists’ awareness that the right hand lane should be shared by both cars and bicycles. Riding a bicycle on the sidewalk is unlawful in Belmont Shore and any Long Beach business district, but cyclists often do so because they don’t feel safe riding their bicycles in the street. There is not room to install a painted bike lane on 2nd Street, and motorists as well as cyclists are often not aware that the right traffic lane should be shared. This treatment is designed to raise and reinforce that awareness.