LongBeachReport.com | LBReport.com | Cycling Advocates Tell Coastal Comm'n They Want Bike/Pedestrian Pathway On Desmond Bridge Made Condition of Permit For Rebuild, Draw Supportive Comments From Four Commissioners

(Jan. 14, 2011) -- As previewed a day earlier by LBReport.com, bicycle advocates testified at the Jan. 14 Coastal Commission meeting (held in the LB City Council chambers) to urge inclusion of bicycle/pedestrian access in the Desmond Bridge rebuild...and they received verbal support for the concept (no action taken on the non-agendized item) from four of the Commission's members.

Mindful that the Port will request coastal permit for the project in the coming months, advocates used the period for public comment on non-agendized items to reiterate their stance (which they have previously advocated to the City Council (appealing the bridge EIR) and to the Coastal Commission (public comment period).

At the Jan. 14 meeting, the bicycle/pedestrian access advocates made taxpayer, environmental, business, public policy and legal arguments.

To view video of the item, click here and scroll to 6:20 for start of public comment; Commissioners' response and comments begin at 26:45.

The speakers included Brian Cox, representing Jax Bicycle Center ("Please do not treat us as second class citizens by denying us access to facilities we pay for.")

Doug Houghton of Harley Marine Services ("[W]e're including showers [and] lockers for our employees so they can use alternate means of transportation").

Mark Bixby, a cycling advocate who has launched a robust website advocating bicycle and pedestrian access on the bridge (www.asthewheelturns.wordpress.com), said he and other likeminded residents don't oppose granting a coastal permit to construct the new bridge [that will create a higher bridge enabling larger mega size container ships to enter PoLB's inner harbor] but do want the permit to include a condition requiring a class 1 separated bicycle/pedestrian pathway on the bridge.

Mr. Bixby said the "City Council and city staff are on our side" but "we have yet to get the Harbor Commissioners over the hump..."

Mr. Bixby aid advocates hadn't brought as many supporters as they could because the item wasn't yet formally agendized for action...and he asked for those in the audience supportive of bicycle/pedestrian access to stand.

Allan Crawford cited a document that bicycle advocates say requires bicycle/pedestrian access.

Long time LB Green, Gabrielle Weeks, said she rode her bicycle to the meeting and told the Commission: "Please mandate that our Port do this..."

At the conclusion of the speakers' testimony, four Coastal Commissioners (Mirkarimi, Sanchez, Bloom and Blank) offered comments explicitly supportive of the concept of including bicycle and pedestrian access on the bridge, and a Commission staffer indicated that talks have been taking place with the Port of LB but didn't provide details.

The Commissioners' supportive comments prompted Commission chair Sara Wan to curtail the discussion, noting that the item wasn't agendized and would eventually come to the Commission for action when all sides have a right to be heard.

On September 28, 2010, bicycle advocates urged the LB City Council to support inclusion of a bicycle/pedestrian walkway in an appeal of the Desmond bridge Environmental Impact Report. However a number of business and industry interests urged the Council to approve the Port-backed EIR as is, and some truckers raised security issues in opposing bicycle access.

Port of LB staff told the Council that it was amenable to including a bicycle pathway as part of a request for design proposals, but without a commitment to actually build it...but offered to build a substitute: a ground level bicycle pathway connecting Anaheim Street with downtown Long Beach and its tourist attractions.

Councilman Garcia commended the Port for its substitute; the Council declined to support including bicycle access in its EIR; and the next day Garcia sent a mass emailing supporting the Port's alternative as bicycle friendly (without mentioning that position of bicycle advocates seeking on-bridge access).

In response, bicycle advocates have continued to press their case.

The Asthewheelturns website states in part:

The replacement bridge EIR was approved and certified by the Long Beach City Council on September 28th, 2010. The EIR process did not properly address consideration for Class 1 bicycle and pedestrian facilities. However, the Council strongly suggested that the Port include such facilities providing a connection to Terminal Island, and there is a consensus among City of Long Beach staff, City of Long Beach Council Members and the Harbor Commissioners that adding the separated bicycle and pedestrian facilities is appropriate. Announced the week of November 1, 2010, the final 200 million of funding needed to close the funding gap has been approved.
But there is still no mandate that the Port of Long Beach include separated facilities. The Port is providing approximately $120 million of the funding. But it is you and me, California tax paying citizens, providing nearly $500 million of the funding to build the bridge. Both the Federal Government and the State of California have clear policies stating their responsibility to provide multi-modal transport options on all new public infrastructure projects (meaning bikes/ped/ADA).
The California Coastal Commission is the final approving government body that can mandate the Port include these facilities. This bridge is designed for a 100 year life. It needs a Class 1 separated bicycle and pedestrian facility. Bolting on a bike/ped facility at a later date would be more expensive and less integrated.
The Coastal Commission’s mission and charter call for them to create and preserve coastal access. We hope they provide the Port of Long Beach a clear mandate to do the right thing. The Port can engineer a bike/ped lane into the bridge. They are starting from scratch with a clean slate and more than enough funding to accomodate what should already be mandated. There are many examples of Cities that have successfully installed bikeways on bridges...

Developing.

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