rather than this i would have liked this money to have gone to acorn to promote more voter registration in long beach. that or more sensitivity training for lbpd.
lbresident
· 7 months ago
you are too much.
howardx
· 6 months ago
that one was for you buddy!;)
lbresident
· 6 months ago
I figured. Nice one!
Bill Thompson
· 7 months ago
Thanks for the great piece on Charlie. Having only spoken to him once briefly, I got an instant impression of his dedication to achieving a "real" bike friendly city. The official designation is great to have, but the proof is in the safety of all of us cyclists here in Long Beach.
As for the emphasis on the southern section of the city for these upgrades to infrastructure, this is no different than the treatment those of us north of the 405 get on most issues when it comes to the city. Hey, there's a lot of us folks up here and we like to ride bikes as well.
Dave in Alamitos Beach
· 6 months ago
Well, you've got to start someplace, right? Plus I'd venture that the South has a greater population, and perhaps most importantly, a higher population density. Not to mention traffic and no parking. Those factors alone will give bike riding a greater shot at succeeding in the South I think.
LBResident1
· 7 months ago
I want that gig. $100,000 a year to ride my bike around the city. Yes, I know its grant money, but its still tax dollars.
RussRoca
· 7 months ago
I shot Gandy's portrait and have talked to him about cycling - and I think he's the real deal. Long Beach is very lucky to have him. That said, he's got an uphill battle and it involves a lot more than just riding a bike around the city. He has to juggle several interests, he has to mediate between groups that don't always get along, he has to deal with traffic engineers that have no clue how to design a livable city, he has to show the leadership that there is an alternative to just pushing people through the city in cars at 50mph.
A city that is bike friendly is pedestrian friendly as well and is more livable than one where we feel like we're living in between freeways.
suburban robot
· 6 months ago
pedestrian friendly? dude, it's long beach where half the drivers are uninsured, unlicensed and barely speak a lick of english.
i'm fine with lb becoming bike friendly but at the same time i want people to register their bikes and follow the rules of the road, like get out of the way if you can't keep the speed limit.
Russ Roca
· 6 months ago
1. LA County is dropping bike registration because it is ineffective and is used more for profiling than it is to recover bikes. Long Beach should follow suit and strike this useless municipal code.
2. I don't know what rules of the road you refer to, but they are certainly not the ones in the California Vehicle Code. As such, I'm not aware of any "get of my way if you can't keep the speed limit" rule. I do know that bikes have the right to ride in traffic lanes and use the full lane if needed for their safety. If they're slow, treat them as you would any other slow vehicle and wait to safely pass.
Jenny Stockdale
· 7 months ago
I"m collecting feedback on biking in Long Beach from cyclists and non-cyclists alike to post on the website.
Great article highlighting many important issues to help create LB bicycle infrastructure - and to help begin a wider education effort. Charlie is the right guy to help us leverage the funds that Sumire Gant has so capably made available through her grant writing on behalf of Long Beach. There will be people saying funding should go to other priorities - but the funding she put in place is all specified for bicycle infrastructure and education - and we sure do need it.
Charlie is positive, enthusiastic and dedicated to the best interests of bicyclists. in one short month in Long Beach, he and Tony Cruz have already reached out to every Council District to gather information about needs and wants; and those outreach efforts will continue.
I have been fortunate to get to know Tony Cruz over the past year while working on bicycling projects with the City. Tony is every bit as passionate about making LB a rideable city. He is a great ambassador of the sport and serves as a role model to kids and amateur racers like me. I look forward to his efforts on education with LBUSD to create "Safe Routes to School" - so every child can ride a bike to school and every parent can feel that there is a safe way for him/her to get to school from most every neighborhood.
Pulling together, Tony and Charlie and Sumi and the City Public Works Department and Parks and Rec and Long Beach Cyclists and LBUSD and the Clubs like Velo Allegro, Velocity and La Habra will change the face of Long Beach and change the bicycling and driving culture for the better. Let's continue the open dialogue.
dailycommuter
· 6 months ago
Sslluuuuuuuuuuuurrrrp
markbixby
· 6 months ago
Did I drink the Kool-Aid? Yes
curious george
· 6 months ago
Question: why is this photo laid out to make Charlie look like a predatory lesbian hanging out in front of Portfolio's?
Downtown Resident
· 6 months ago
I'm very glad my property tax dollars are going to creating a more bicycle friendly green city. I've seen bike lanes installed on 1st and 2nd street which are definite improvements to that area. Kudos to Long Beach for creating a greener city. Now we need more street cars to connect Downtown to Belmont Shore through Broadway to economically stimulate Broadway and provide festive transportation. 4th Street Retro Row also deserves more transportion to it. Transportation that upper class people will use.
A Texan
· 6 months ago
Sorry, this is a total joke. Mr. Gandy is not qualified to promote safe bicycling and is pedaling snake oil. . .He remains a politician and not a good one at that. He will leave Long Beach the second it does not satisfy his pocketbook. . .Sad, such an incomplete look at this person. If you actually review the "projects" and his background. . . you would come to the same conclusion. . . the 'aw, shucks-smile' only goes so far.
-A Texan that is glad he left so we can actually make this place bike-friendly.
Dwight K Snider
· 6 months ago
Howdy Tex. Very interesting! Can you give us, the people of Long Beach, some more information regarding Mr. Gandy.
A Texan
· 6 months ago
Google Austin Chronicle and Charles Gandy. Or just Charles Gandy and Austin, Texas.
I think many of the biking community used to love him.. . until they realized that this was just a paycheck.
All Comments
As for the emphasis on the southern section of the city for these upgrades to infrastructure, this is no different than the treatment those of us north of the 405 get on most issues when it comes to the city. Hey, there's a lot of us folks up here and we like to ride bikes as well.
A city that is bike friendly is pedestrian friendly as well and is more livable than one where we feel like we're living in between freeways.
i'm fine with lb becoming bike friendly but at the same time i want people to register their bikes and follow the rules of the road, like get out of the way if you can't keep the speed limit.
2. I don't know what rules of the road you refer to, but they are certainly not the ones in the California Vehicle Code. As such, I'm not aware of any "get of my way if you can't keep the speed limit" rule. I do know that bikes have the right to ride in traffic lanes and use the full lane if needed for their safety. If they're slow, treat them as you would any other slow vehicle and wait to safely pass.
Tell us your stories! Good, bad, ugly, whatever!
Send to: Jenny@thedistrictweekly.com
Great article highlighting many important issues to help create LB bicycle infrastructure - and to help begin a wider education effort. Charlie is the right guy to help us leverage the funds that Sumire Gant has so capably made available through her grant writing on behalf of Long Beach. There will be people saying funding should go to other priorities - but the funding she put in place is all specified for bicycle infrastructure and education - and we sure do need it.
Charlie is positive, enthusiastic and dedicated to the best interests of bicyclists. in one short month in Long Beach, he and Tony Cruz have already reached out to every Council District to gather information about needs and wants; and those outreach efforts will continue.
I have been fortunate to get to know Tony Cruz over the past year while working on bicycling projects with the City. Tony is every bit as passionate about making LB a rideable city. He is a great ambassador of the sport and serves as a role model to kids and amateur racers like me. I look forward to his efforts on education with LBUSD to create "Safe Routes to School" - so every child can ride a bike to school and every parent can feel that there is a safe way for him/her to get to school from most every neighborhood.
Pulling together, Tony and Charlie and Sumi and the City Public Works Department and Parks and Rec and Long Beach Cyclists and LBUSD and the Clubs like Velo Allegro, Velocity and La Habra will change the face of Long Beach and change the bicycling and driving culture for the better. Let's continue the open dialogue.
-A Texan that is glad he left so we can actually make this place bike-friendly.
I think many of the biking community used to love him.. . until they realized that this was just a paycheck.