Thursday, November 14, 2024

IN PHOTOS: Beach Streets Uptown takes over North Long Beach

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On Saturday, the city of Long Beach hosted the latest iteration of its popular open streets festival: Beach Streets. With two miles of Artesia and Atlantic Boulevards closed to cars, thousands of people enjoyed bicycling, walking, skating, and more.

Long Beach has long been among just a few Southern California cities that strongly support green transportation. The city has facilitated bicycling, walking, and transit, through programs – including Beach Streets – and infrastructure – from protected bike lanes to bike paths to traffic circles and more.

When the city did not receive anticipated Metro funding, Long Beach considered canceling the Beach Streets Uptown event. Ultimately the date was postponed, and the city proceeded with a shortened route.

While it’s promising that the city successfully proceeded with a reduced budget, it showed. Advance publicity appeared insufficient. Attendance was somewhat sparser than past Beach Streets events. Participants were definitely out enjoying themselves, especially at activity hubs. Along the shortened route, though, attendees were more intermittent than continuous. Parts of Artesia Boulevard felt too quiet.

Hopefully the crowds will return for next year’s first ever Beach Streets in West Long Beach, tentatively scheduled for Saturday May 10, 2025. 

Below are photos from Beach Streets Uptown 2024.

Cyclists enjoying Beach Streets Uptown
Beach Streets Uptown on Artesia Boulevard
Cyclists, pedestrians, skaters and strollers on Atlantic Boulevard during Beach Streets
New Uptown signage on Artesia
Skaters and pedestrians on Atlantic. (The city closed the east half of Atlantic, so car traffic remained on the west side of the street – behind temporary barriers and concrete curbed medians.)
Beach Streets Uptown

The event previewed the city of Long Beach’s Artesia Great Boulevard Project. Construction is winding down on the three-mile-long project. Features include protected bike lanes (parts curb-protected, parts parking-protected), landscaped medians, plus additional walk, transit, landscaping, and rainwater features. On Saturday, cyclists and skaters appreciated the project’s now smooth (recently repaved) street surface.

Map of Long Beach’s Artesia Great Boulevard Project
Bus island, curb-protected bike lane, pedestrian lighting, and rain garden – all parts of Long Beach’s Artesia Great Boulevard Project
New landscaped island protects Artesia Boulevard bike lane

Readers – how was your experience at this year’s Beach Streets Uptown?

Joe Linton
Joe Lintonhttps://la.streetsblog.org/author/joe-linton
Joe Linton is a longtime urban environmental activist. His main areas of interest have been restoring the Los Angeles River and fostering bicycling for everyday transportation. He’s worked for many Los Angeles livability non-profits, including Friends of the L.A. River, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, C.I.C.L.E., Livable Places, and CicLAvia. He also served as deputy to Los Angeles City Councilmember Ed Reyes.

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