One Of A Handful Of Bike-Riding Counter-Protesters At Broadway Road Diet Protest Is COO Of LLC With A $1.4 Mil Contract To Run City's Bike Share Program; Two Days Earlier, Someone Sideswiped His Small Truck Parked Along Narrowed Broadway Corridor, Knocked Off His Driver-Door Mirror And His Reponse Was...(see VIDEO)
LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. Support independent news in LB similar to the way people support NPR and PBS stations. We're not non-profit so it's not tax deductible but $49.95 (less than an annual dollar a week) helps keep us online.
(July 16, 2019, 4:45 a.m.) -- One of a handful of bicycle-riding counter-protesters at a July 15 grassroots/political protest was the Chief Operating Officer of an LLC that a few months earlier received a $1.4 million contract to run the City's "Bike Share" program.
It was John Tully, COO of Pedal Movement, LLC. On Jan. 22, 2019 the City Council voted 8-0 (Mungo absent) to approve the seven figure contract contract (details below) with Pedal Movement to operate LB's "Bike Share" program (cost "offset by Proposition A funds available" [Proposition A is an L.A. County sales tax approved by voters in 1980, a portion of which cities receive for transportation purposes ])
On July 15, while roughly 75-100 demonstrators at Broadway/Cherry chanted "Hey hey, ho ho, the Broadway Diet's got to go" and carried a signs stating stating "Broadway Road Diet Endangers Lives" and "Road Diets = Reduced Parking & Starved Businesses," Mr. Tully rode by them displaying a hand-made sign stating that road diets save lives.
LBREPORT.com met Mr. Tully two days earlier (July 13) shortly after his vehicle was damaged while parked along the Broadway corridor's "road diet" which added curbside bicycle lanes in both directions, pushed parked vehicles into the lane-narrowed roadway. A passing driver sideswiped Mr. Tully's parked vehicle, knocking off his driver door mirror (while leaving the mirror housing intact.)
This happened in the 2700 block of E. Broadway, across the street from Gallagher's Pub where 2nd Council district candidate Robert Fox -- an outspoken critic of the Broadway road diet -- was preparing to begin his first campaign fundraiser. Mr. Tully politely responded to our questions and offered his views on what happened [and sounded remarkably composed under the circumstances.]
[Scroll down for further.]
Mr. Tully: ...These kind of things happen everywhere all the time and unfortunately it's just part of the game. And had I been on my bicycle, I probably wouldn't have had this issue. So moral of the story: ride your bike more. We have these beautiful bike lanes here that were built for this purpose, so I think it's just more reason for me to get out of my car and hop on my bike.
LBREPORT.com: You're not mad at the road diet?
Mr. Tully: Not at all. I think it's an amazing thing for Long Beach, in fact the community being very representative of us as a City trying to be very bike friendly.
On January 22, 2019, the City Council approved a contract for Pedal Movement, LLC for "ongoing operation and maintenance of the Long Beach Bike Share Program; an annual amount of $1,282,402, with a 10 percent contingency in the amount of $128,240, for a total contract amount not to exceed $1,410,642, for a period of two years, with the option to renew for three additional one-year periods.") An agendizing memo requested Council approval of Pedal Movement contract "to operate and maintain the Long Beach Bike Share Program (Program), including operations, maintenance, balancing, and repair of Bike Share bicycles, and ongoing Program marketing."
The agendizing memo indicated the Bike Share program was launched in April 2017, and currently "consists of over 30,000 active members and 400 bicycles, with the potential to expand to 1,000 bicycles in 2019." It indicated that in response to an RFP, a City Hall selection committee found Pedal Movement to be "the most qualified to provide the requested services based on the evaluation criteria specified..."
Sponsor
Pedal Movement's website indicates that in 2013 it provided bicycle valets at LB's Marina Farmer's Markets, Tour of LB and Downtown LB Alliance events; in 2014 it provided event services at LB's World Series of Beach Volleyball, LB Marathon and Bike Fest; in 2016 it became an LLC; in 2017, it received a "Just Transit" grant to build a bicycle infrastructure network and receievd a contract from the Dept. of Health and Human Services for Elementary Bicycle Education; and in January 2019, it received the $1.4 million contract to operate LB's Bike Share program.
Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor
Help keep our independent news going and growing in Long Beach. No one in LBREPORT.com's ownership, reporting or editorial decision-making has ties to development interests or other special interests seeking or receiving benefits of City Council development-related decisions; or holds a City Hall appointive position; or has contributed sums to political campaigns for Long Beach incumbents or challengers. No one in our ownership, reporting or editorial decision-making has been part of the governing board of any City government body or other entity on whose policies we report. LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. You can help keep really independent news in LB similar to the way people support NPR and PBS stations. We're not non-profit so it's not tax deductible but $49.95 (less than an annual dollar a week) helps keep us online.
