In an effort to provide sustainable transportation alternatives to the community, as well as a safe route to several neighborhood schools, the City of Long Beach is installing a “bike boulevard” on Vista Street, extending from Temple Avenue to Nieto Avenue. Construction should continue through the summer months.

A bike boulevard is a local road or residential street that has been enhanced with treatments to facilitate safe and convenient bicycle travel for cyclists of all ages and skill levels. Bike boulevards accommodate bicyclists and motorists in the same travel lanes with no impact on parking. The bike boulevard on Vista Street will provide a safe route to school for students at Lowell Elementary and Rogers Middle School on the east, and Horace Mann Elementary on the west end of Vista Street. More broadly, the bike boulevard will provide a convenient, direct cycling option for families with young children, students, commuters, and recreational cyclists.

The proposed improvements on Vista Street will include nine roundabouts as traffic calming measures, bike route identification and directional signage; pavement markings; and one new traffic signal. A combination of these treatments, designed for the local low-traffic street, typically results in low motor vehicle speeds; low motor vehicle volumes; logical, direct, and continuous routes for cyclists that are well marked and signed; access to desired destinations; minimal cyclists delay; and comfortable and safe intersection crossings for bicyclists and pedestrians.

To review a fact sheet on bike boulevards, click here.

On Tuesday, April 20th, the Long Beach City Council approved a contract with MG Construction & Development, Inc. to develop the Vista Street Bike Boulevard. Click here for a copy of the presentation that was shared with City Council. Construction began this summer (2010) and is expected to be completed this fall.

Still got questions?  Contact us at bikelongbeach@longbeach.gov.