LB Needs Counters
Thread started by
User1 at 10.8.09 - 3:46 pm
Volunteers Needed For City’s Annual Bicycle Count
From
Local GAZETTE
Bicycle enthusiasts or community service-oriented residents can help make Long Beach a more bike-friendly city by volunteering for the Second Annual Bicycle Count on Thursday, Oct. 15, or Sunday, Oct. 18, at 35 locations throughout Long Beach.
Coordinated by the city of Long Beach, Bikestation and California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), the event will build upon last year’s data. The goal of the count is to help the city acquire a better understanding of bike and pedestrian activity and where infrastructure improvements need to be made.
Time slots for the count are from 7 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15, and from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18.
Andrew Shipman, Bikestation volunteer coordinator, said 300 count shifts are planned, and volunteers can sign up for more than one shift. Volunteer activities would include counting bikes and pedestrians, tallying how many bicyclists are riding on the streets versus the sidewalks and noting how many riders are going against the flow of traffic.
Intercept surveys also will be part of the count. Volunteers will ask random bicyclists questions about the frequency of their bike use, what bicycle infrastructure improvements they like and what they would like to see added.
Sumi Gant, transportation programs officer for the city, said last year’s count data will serve as a baseline to compare how recent improvements have affected bike riders.
According to the last year’s survey results, the count was conducted in 23 locations, and the locations with the highest volumes of bicycle activity on a weekday were the Belmont Pier Bike Path, Atherton and Bellflower streets, and Wardlow Road/El Dorado Park North. Weekend locations with high volumes were the Belmont Pier Beach Bike Path, the San Gabriel River Bike Path, and the Second Street and Bayshore Bike Path.
The count survey and methodology was based on the National Bicycle & Pedestrian Documentation Project (NBPD) standards. Other findings from last year’s data included that males comprise 71.6% of bicyclists, which is consistent with other surveys conducted around the country. A significant number of bicyclists, nearly 70%, were not wearing helmets.
Gant said since the 2008 count, sharrows have been painted on Second Street in Belmont Shore, bike lanes have been painted on First and Second streets in Alamitos Beach, and more bike lane signs have been installed.
“Our intention is to make Long Beach as bike-friendly as possible for residents, especially families with children,” Gant said. “The money for bicycle and pedestrian improvements is not (city) general fund money. We have accumulated $15 million in grants for these projects.”
Goals for more bicycle infrastructure improvements in 2010 include a bike boulevard on Vista Street between Temple and Nieto, which Gant said is a popular concept in Northern California. The concept is to have a residential street that runs parallel to a more heavily trafficked street give preference to cyclists by adding traffic-control measures for cars such as traffic circles.
Gant added the city has plans to add bike lanes on the west side of Long Beach and there will be separate lanes painted for bicycles on Third Street and Broadway.
To register as a volunteer for the count, visit www.csulb.edu/rideshare.
For more information, call Andrew Shipman at 733-0106 ext. 102.
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Dear alternative transportation enthusiast,
Great news—cause of the rain last week, the counts have been rescheduled for the 22nd and the 25th. Training sessions will be taking place October 21st.
If you’re still interested in assisting us in this important endeavor (and assuming you’re available), please reregister at http://www.csulb.edu/rideshare
Additional training sessions in the Pyramid Annex at CSULB are scheduled for:
Wednesday, October 21st at 2pm, 4pm and 6pm
Rescheduled bike counts will take place:
Thursday, October 22nd from 7am-9am and 4pm-6pm
Sunday, October 25th from 12pm-2pm
Tell your friends!
Thanks,
Andrew Shipman
Operations Assistant
Bikestation/Mobis Transportation Alternatives
110 W Ocean Blvd., Suite 19
Long Beach, CA 90802
T 562 733 0106 F 562 733 0107
E dashipman@bikestation.com
www.bikestation.com
User110.20.09 - 1:31 pm
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Ridazz Roulette!