Long Beach Resident Seeks to Form Bicycle Advisory Group

Bicycle enthusiasts in Long Beach may be able to air their concerns as a unified front if a West End resident succeeds in forming an official city advisory board.

Allison Blanchette, a four-year resident of the city, is investigating the process to have the group, tentatively called Long Beach Streets, officially formed as an unpaid committee that would act as a liaison between cyclists and city officials.

The city in July entered into a contract with DecoBikes, a bike renting/sharing company. In part, the agreement included the installation of bike lanes in Long Beach. Blanchette said, for starters, the committee would seek to advise and oversee that construction.

“We don’t have bike infrastructure here,” Blanchette said. “You can get a ticket for riding on the sidewalk, and cars yell at you for riding in the road.”

Blanchette said the committee would operate free of any individual who has a financial interest in bicycling, and would be comprised of mostly residents, with one or two city officials appointed as members.

The board would also look to launch education and outreach for road-sharing, safety and increased bike racks, and would lobby for “Complete Streets:” a law that requires any road construction projects to account for bicyclists and other users.

“As a group we could also search out for grants from environmental organizations,” Blanchette said. “A grant writer would be key to help pay for projects.”

Blanchette added that she does not have any specific members of the board assembled, but is generating interest through her Facebook page "Long Beach Streets".

She said she plans to meet with City Council members Len Torres and Michael Fagen to discuss the process, which, according to Corporation Counsel Corey Klein, might require a law added to the city’s municipal codes.

Councilman John McLaughlin supports the idea, but he said the committee would be more effective as a private organization similar to other recreation groups.

“I don’t think it needs to be a committee from the city,” McLaughlin said. “It can be more effective as a group. You saw that this year. The volleyball people got involved and got in touch with us about their concerns, and set up a meeting, and it came to a great resolution. I think that’s the way government should work.”

But Torres said an official stamp from the city would allow issues in planning to be addressed beforehand. 

“If the city got involved in this they would have a representative on this committee, and it becomes a very powerful tool for city administration,” he said. “So when you have ideas it makes it more meaningful.”

Blanchette noted that having official legitimacy is imperative because the city would ultimately be responsible for road and bike lane planning.

“It makes more sense to have a connection,” she said. “We’re talking about changing traffic, changing the physical structure of the streets. That’s something that really needs city representation.”