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Make it a “bridge to everywhere” for everyone
The League of American Bicyclists has been working with bicycling advocates Mark Bixby and local bike coordinator Charley Gandy to get a separated bicycle facility on the new $1 billion Desmond Gerald Replacement Bridge at the Port of Long Beach. League President Andy Clarke wrote a letter of support last month. I promised Mark that I would write a blog post on the bridge campaign this week. Before I had a chance, the US Secretary of Transportation drew national attention to the bridge. On Monday, Secretary LaHood blogged about the project, calling it a “bridge to everywhere.”
The new bridge promises to be an enormously important infrastructure project. Unfortunately, current plans call only for a 10-ft-wide shoulder that could be designated as a class III bikeway (that is, a bike route) in the future. That would be a major disappointment; this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to enhance bicycle connectivity in Long Beach by providing well thought out and designed accommodations. It is critical to get this right from the beginning.
Bridges are critical links in a transportation network. They represent perfect opportunities for DOTs to show that the Secretary’s policy statement on biking and walking – which calls for bicycling and walking accommodations on new, rehabilitated, and limited-access bridges – is meaningful, and not just wishful thinking. In addition to this being a bridge to everywhere, it needs to also be a bridge for everyone – including bicyclists.
The estimated cost of the bicycle accommodation is less than five percent of the total project cost. The port on the Terminal Island employs approximately 6,000 workers, who currently do not have a safe way to ride to work. Including bike and pedestrian accommodations is consistent with California’s Complete Streets law and federal regulations – it is also consistent with Long Beach’s efforts to be a “Green Port.”
But will it include safe facilities for bicyclists? (Photo: www.polb.com)
It’s worth noting at least one other notable, large, California bridge campaign. Advocates in Oakland and San Francisco succeeded in getting bike accommodations on one span of the Bay Bridge. That campaign was in inspiration to the Long Beach advocates. Now the Bay area organizations are working hard to upgrade the other span to finish the job.
Safe and comfortable accommodations on these major California bridges would go a long way in enhancing California bike touring and to connect communities for daily transportation. Stay tuned for our Advocacy Advance report on bikes on bridges campaigns – coming soon.
Darren Flusche
League Policy Director
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
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November 30th, 2010 at 5:19 pm
I’d like to see Long Beach vbuild a separated bike route on the Desmond Gerald Replacement Bridge. I’d also like for Milwaukee to build a separated bike route on the Daniel Hoan Bridge which sits across the mouth of the Milwaukee River. the latter would directly connect the Oak Leaf Trail from Downtown Milwaukee to the Near South Side neighborhood known as Bay View.
December 1st, 2010 at 1:08 pm
In case anyone has not done the math, five percent of a billion is fifty million dollars. That is not an insubstantial amount of money in today’s economic climate.
Someone needs to explain why a presumably more expensive separated bicycle facility is safer and more cost effective than a non-separated one such as is proposed, if I read Darren’s blog post correctly.
The worry I would have, not having seen the design, is that a ten foot shoulder might be used as a passing lane, much to the consternation of cyclists riding there. Otherwise, in this newfound age of austerity, someone has to better explain why in this case a separated facility is actually safer (rather than “seeming” safer to risk-averse cyclists) than the present plan.
Andy asserts safety. I think he (or Mark Bixby and Charlie Gandy) need to put some actual crash data in a letter to provide a compelling case to cost-cutting bureaucrats and politicians wielding budget axes.
December 2nd, 2010 at 10:01 am
[...] Bike League Advocates for Bike Facilities on Long Beach Bridge [...]
December 7th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
Proper bridge access is very important. In New Jersey, the original proposal for the new bridge to the shore resort of Long Beach Island was woefully inadequate for all but the most daring cyclists and pedestrians. The current bridge as well as the future new bridge are the ONLY means of access to this island.
It was rather sad to see the first major project proposal under New Jersey’s Complete Street Policy to only accommodate bold and fearless cyclists (I’m an LCI with 20 years of daily cycling experience and I found the proposed bicycle access to be so minimal that I would be VERY uncomfortable using it).
You can read my in-depth critique of the project here:
http://walkbikejersey.blogspot.com/2010/06/op-ed-proposed-bikeped-improvements-for.html
It is my understanding that my blog post got the attention of NJDOT management and that the project is under further review.