Bicycles-to-Go

Next year, Long Beach will accelerate opportunities for alternative transportation with a grant-funded bike sharing program that will start in the spring. Fold-and-go bikes will be available to rent at various kiosks around the city, so people don't need to make round trips to return the bikes. Software in the frames of the bikes will keep track of their locations. There will be several kiosks in downtown as well as the CSULB campus and the Veterans Hospital.

Return of the Aqualink

My favorite multicolored catamaran is back for another summer of cruising the Long Beach shoreline. The Aqualink will ply the waters of Alamitos Bay Landing all the way to the Queen Mary from May 23 to September 12. For $5 (each way), the hour-long cruise offers a cool breeze on a hot day, a sweeping view of the Long Beach skyline, and an up-close look at the oil islands, plus you don't have to hassle parking downtown. There'll be cruises on Friday and Saturday evenings(docking as late as 10 pm) from June 25 to August 28 and Long Beach Transit promises a new stop at Belmont Pier before the summer's over.

A Bus Ride to Beauty

Long Beach Transit has announced another summer of bus expeditions to many of the cultural landmarks of Southern California. The Museum Express program will run from June 24 to August 15. Round trip service on air conditioned buses costs $8. Registration forms on available on the Long Beach Transit website. Some of the beautiful destinations include:
Mission San Juan Capistrano
Getty Center
Norton Simon Museum
Griffith Park Observatory
Museum of American West
Huntington Museum, Library & Gardens
Hollywood Museum
Exposition Park Experience
Skirball Cultural Center
Descanso Gardens
Festival of Arts/Laguna Art Museum
Richard Nixon Library
Wilshire’s Museum Row
Bowers Museum
Yanks Museum/Planes of Fame
Nethercutt Museum
Ronald Reagan Library

WooHoo! Long Beach Transit Makes it to Google

Now you can get directions on Google Maps for taking the bus in Long Beach. It gives the bus number and a few arrival times. I can't figure out how to prompt it to give information about alternate routes, but this is a great start.

Riders in the Storm

I got handed an interesting flyer the last time I went downtown on the bus from a member of the Bus Riders Union. They meet every month at the Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles and seem to have a very progressive agenda. Not only do they advocate more buses as a method of reducing air pollution and reducing traffic, they see riding the bus as an act of social equalization, economic reform and crime reduction. Knowing there's a group out there with such high ideals makes it much easier to trot off to the bus stop instead of mindlessly hopping in the car.

Take a peek at the future

From August 10 to August 13, Plug-In 2009, a conference focusing on plug-in hybrid and electric technology, wil take place at Long Beach Convention Center. The public can attend from 5:30 pm to 9 pm on Tuesday, August 11. Vehicles scheduled for display include the Chevy Volt, the Ford Escape Plug-In, and the Plug-In Toyota Prius. There will also be a panel discussion of how people can get the word out about the advantages of plug-ins. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $10.

Bike Commute Week Starts Tomorrow

This is the week to grease those axles and tighten the brake cables. Plan a route without too many hills or too much traffic and give yourself ample time to get there as well as locating a convenient, safe place to keep your bike during work hours. Then, do yourself and the planet a favor and ride your bike to work at least one day if not all week. You'll be surprised at the things you've driven by week after week and never noticed, not to mention the calmer attitude you'll bring with you to your desk after a session of moderate exercise. It's like being a kid again, letting your mind drift from daydreams to fantasies to breakthrough, all to the rhythm of your beating heart.

If you can plot your route to pass one of the "energizing stations" set up around the city to encourage bicyclist with free coffee and snacks. The pit stops will be located at Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier, City Hall, and Maxson Plaza on the CSULB campus. I plan to check out the Belmont Pier station even though it's not on my regular route. I want to let those valiant volunteers their work is appreciated.

Miracle on Seventh Street

I just heard that the northbound I-405 and Highway 22 connector, also known as the 7th Street bridge will be closed for construction for about a year beginning in 2010. It’s part of a major freeway improvement project headed by the Orange County Transit Authority called the West Count Connectors project. The 7th Street westbound entrance will also be closed, and detour routes have been planned but not given final approval.

As an Alamitos Heights resident, I say, “Hip, hip, hooray! No noise and air pollution from 7th Street for a whole year!” I know I’m trying to make lemonade out of lemons here, but wouldn’t it be great if they turned the westbound lanes of 7th Street into a greenway for that year. Think of it—an inner city bike/hiking trail, volleyball courts, slides and swings, sand and potted plants, a labyrinth—the possibilities are endless.

Which leads to my real ulterior motive: make 7th Street an underground roadway through residential areas and Recreation Park. A bold and mind-bogglingly expensive proposition, but not impossible. I’ve read where other cities have plans to cover parts of freeways and put in playing fields. Hey, let’s get Sean Hitchcock on the job. He could construct his ever-loving soccer fields in a logical location.

By the way, there will be an Open House hosted by Councilmember Gary DeLong and OCTA on April 23 from 6 to 8 pm at Wilson High School Auditorium to discuss the closures and how traffic will be impacted. These are mature, level-headed adult, so crackpots with loony ideas about parks and bikes and green things best stay away.

GM, Where Have You Been All My Life?

Yes, I’ve got a crush—a crazy, spring is here and I’m in a madcap mood kind of crush. When I saw the first picture of the GM PUMA on Edmunds.com. I had to get more. I’ve been surfing around picking up all kinds of comments about the little chariot (or is it a rickshaw?), pro and con. It’s not safe, it can’t go far enough, fast enough, what will I do with the kids? The dog? My great Aunt Tillie? Blah, blah, blah

Can’t all these naysayers see that this thing is new and bold and innovative and it’s from an American company? I’ve ridden a Segway. They’re got a rental place right here in Long Beach. They’re sturdy and easy to handle and lots of fun. This is the kind of new-fangled jalopy that could get our exhausted country back on the road again.

No Muss, No Fuss, Just Hop on The Bus

Speaking of gardens ( as I was in my previous post), Long Beach Transit is offering the Museum Express again this year, which offers express transportation to some of the premiere gardens in Southern California as well as most of the major museums. The special program runs from June 2 through August 30 and offers a round trip ride to venues as diverse and widespread as the Descanso Gardens in La Canada and Planes of Fame in Chino for $7.00 a ticket.

You can buy tickets at the Transit Center downtown or at L.B. Transit Headquarters at 1963 E. Anaheim St. or mail in the form available at the website and the tickets will be mailed back to you. The buses leave from 1st Street downtown and there’s parking nearby, or consider taking a bus to the bus (or bike and park at the BikeStation) for a low-carbon footprint.

Tops on my list are Descanso, Mission San Juan Capistrano, Huntington Gardens, and the Arboretum, but there are lots of other fun new choices like the Hollywood Museum and Wilshire’s Museum Row (LACMA, LaBrea Tarpits and Peterson Automotive Museum). Check out the schedule and reserve soon because some of these trips fill up fast.

Bikes A Go Go

What a weekend! It started with a spirited conversation at the Covenant Presbyterian Church book discussion group. This month we discussed Blood Brothers, Elias Chacour’s autobiographical account of growing up as a Melkite Christian in Palestine during the early years of Israel becoming a Jewish nation. The book is both a moving journey of a young boy as he develops a deep Christian faith and ultimately becomes an activist priest and a revealing look at injustices upheld by the Jewish military against Palestinian citizens and landholders. I came away with a new understanding of the complicated and longstanding disagreements that have erupted again in Israel.

After that, I headed over to Pine and Broadway, the epicenter of the first annual Long Beach Bike Festival. I had ridden my bike 5 miles and parked it for free at the BikeStation—how cool is that? Like many inaugural events, organization was a little rough around the edges. The venders were still setting up when I arrived at 12:45, and the announcers seemed a little unsure about what to say at times.

I stopped by the Bike Long Beach booth and studied the maps of the proposed bikeways on Broadway and Vista, part of the Long Beach Bicycle Master Plan which is explained in detail on its website. A representative said if the plans don’t hit any snags these bike friendly east-west corridors across the city should be operational within a year. I love the idea of cruising downtown without the constant worry that I’m going to be broadsided by a car door or mowed down by someone turning right without noticing a bike approaching.

Most people were there to see the bicycle races billed as the Bicycle Grand Prix, of which I know nothing. There were lots of guys and gals whizzing around in bright-colored spandex suits, and an interesting assortment of folks on old clunkers. The announcers pointed out that the course had been designed with lots of turns to add interest for the spectators and it was fun to watch the race fans sprinting down the Promenade to catch another glimpse of the leaders coming around the bend again and again and again. I stayed for the first race, and then decided to head down to the Long Beach Convention Center to get out of the sun.

Take steps: Yes, you can just walk to work

My second part-time job is close enough to walk to, and I’ve come to consider my regular strolls one of the perks of the job. I blogged about it last year, but since then I’ve come across some interesting statistics. The cumulative effects of a regular walking routine are better than an apple a day. According to the AARP Bulletin, you could lose 1.3 pounds each month, save up to $3,300 in medical bills, reduce your risk of cancer, stroke, and Alzheimer’s. Recovery from depression and skin wounds are speeded up. Wow! Don’t you wonder sometimes how the results of these studies are derived?

Anyway, I’m here to tell you that I feel great sitting down at my desk at work after getting my thoughts together with some fresh air and some light aerobic exercise. The 30 minutes it takes me to walk back home is the perfect cool down time to relieve me from any pains in the head, back or other bodily part I may be experiencing after a hard day's work.

Some people like walking with partners. I recommend a sturdy pair of shoes with thick soles and a pedometer to give you instant reinforcement about the good job you’re doing. About.com has a great page of tips for starting a walk to work routine. In addition to all that good advice, I’d suggest scoping out a a few good walking routes from the comfort of your car before you hit those mean streets. Variety will add interest. You’ll be surprised by the beauty that’s been there all along but concealed from the view from your car window.

Still worth it

I just read in LB Post that bus fares are going up from $.90 to $1.10 starting February 15. That’s an awkward amount to pay. I can just see people now turning to their fellow bus riders and saying, “I’ve got the buck, but, buddy, can you spare a dime?” It’s still worth the price as far as I’m concerned. Consider a LBT monthly pass (currently $50), which will give you incentive to hop aboard more often

Bus to work: It's more than just the price of gas

One morning I woke up and said to myself, "The bus stops here." Well, actually it stops across the street, but I get a free pass through my job, so I have no excuse not to bus to work. If I drive, it takes about 35 minutes from door to desk. By bus, I need 45 minutes. Since I can read for at least half of the trip, I consider it time well spent.

One paper I read recently on my commute said there are over 500 bus and transit projects ready to go as such as money from the economic recovery package is voted in. Groups like Reconnecting America advocate expanding and improving alternatives to driving not just to save gas but to promote renewal in cities and neighborhood. Walkable, transit-oriented, mixed use neighborhoods are the wave of the future.

One handy gadget to get you started is Long Beach Transit's new live bus tracking system. Through the website you can track any of Long Beach Transit's regular buses with a few clicks of your mouse. There’s a live map, but if you can’t be bothered downloading the SVG Adobe software, you can opt for live arrival times page. Choose the bus line and the direction and the stop and within seconds the next three arrival times will be listed. The prediction times are updated several times each hour, so they’re reliable. It’s up to you to predict how fast you can sprint down to the bus stop.

Allow plenty of time for your first trek because some time periods are more hectic than others. Many students take the bus, so if your bus goes by a school, keep that in mind. Boarding and disembarking for disabled people can take extra time too. But hey, the seats are comfortable and the views are great, so sit back and enjoy the ride.