Just a short bike ride through the heart of downtown is the unique neighborhood of Belltown, and our first stop, the Ace Hotel. The original location of this hip yet inexpensive hotel chain opened in 1999 in what was originally a Salvation Army halfway home. According to Calderwood, one of the owners, the style and furnishing of each ACE property is designed to reflect that location, with an eye towards re-imagining properties that are “challenged” to appeal to the creative class. The Seattle branch was outfitted in what I could only describe as eclectic minimalism, with clear inspiration from its Pacific Northwest surroundings. The Ace hotel was a major component in the revitalization-and as some would call gentrification- of the Belltown neighborhood. Several large, mixed-use high rises have risen from the formally low-rent, semi-industrial neighborhood that was built on artificially flattened land. Trendy restaurants, boutiques, galleries, and nightclubs in the area attract a large following on many nights.

The area is very easy to navigate without a car, and Belltown was even called a “walkable neighborhood with everything you need” and the “best place to retire in the Seattle metro area” by CNN. Our time in Belltown definitely lived up to these claims; we took the less than half mile stroll from our hotel to the Space Needle. Like the shameless tourists we are, we happily went up to the top, where much to our surprise we had a great lunch of goat cheese flatbread pizza (so good we ordered a second round) and fancy cocktails with a perfect view in the spinning SkyCity restaurant. Originally built for the 1962 World’s Fair, the Needle has become one of the most beloved, and definitely most photographed, destination in Seattle.

 
We left the needle in a tourist haze and  decided to walk off our buzz along Lake Union. It took an hour to reach our destination (about 3.2 miles) but the view was enough to keep us energized and engaged. We walked over abandoned railroad tracks that hung over the waters edge. They were converted into a sidewalk for the boat houses along the Westside of the lake. Gas Works park was worth the trek though, with views of the whole city and the needle. The old factory structure was a peek into the past, a more industrial seattle now pushed aside for public space.  The park is now a 19 acre public park on the site of the former Seattle Gas Light Company gasification plant, located on the north shore of Lake Union at the south end of the Wallingford neighborhood. Gas Works park contains remnants of the sole remaining coal gasification plant in the US, which operated from 1906 to 1956 before being purchased by the City of Seattle and opened as a park to the public in 1975.

Located almost directly behind the park was the most interesting restaurant we have ever experienced. END, or Elemental Next Door, is the side project of Elemental. Despite their negligible signage or lack of advertising, we managed to stumble upon this gem on the way to the bus stop. They change their menu every week and try to provide interesting, thoughtful food for people to try without preconceived notions. After a day of walking, seeing, and feasting, we were ready to hop on a bus and get back to the ACE for a solid night’s rest.

The following day we decided to take a day trip to see the rest of the greater Seattle area. The Puget Sound consists of many small islands that are linked up by a very efficient ferry system centered from downtown Seattle. These ferries are geared toward the many commuters who live on the islands, but work in downtown. It is great to note that ample accommodations are made for bicyclists. After checking out our island options, we decided to venture to Bainbridge Island, which is one of the larger and more attractive islands to visit. Before heading out though, we stopped by Salumi, the delicatessen owned by the father of famed chef Mario Batali, for some its infamous hand-crafted cured meats and cheeses. The ferry ride was only a half hour, and it afforded us wonderful views of the Seattle skyline. Once afoot in Bainbridge, we rode our bikes down the idyllic country roads that weaved through lush greenery and peak-a-boo views of the Sound. We found a good stopping place and tasted the selections of meat and cheese we picked up earlier. It was hard leaving the peaceful surroundings to take the ferry back into town.

While Seattle has a lot of great bike infrastructure and a visible bike presence, it was hard to compare to what we had just seen in Portland. The two cities’ neighborly rivalry should hopefully keep each to push the limits of their biking plans. After a handful of days in Seattle, we were ready to continue on our Journey up the Pacific Northwest and see what Vancouver, British Columbia has to offer.

LONGBEACHIZE How did The Bicycle Stand come to be?

EVAN WHITENER It started with Netflix, in our living room, working on one bike at a time. We would both be working on the same bike and suddenly two bikes each, and soon enough four bikes waiting to be worked on each and etc. We knew the next step was to get a space to accommodate our growing business.

NICOLE MATLZ It all stemmed from our love for vintage bikes and classic steel frame road bikes. We wanted to refurbish these bikes and bring them back into a state of glory.

EW There’s nothing more positive and beneficial for your environment than reusing things that are already available. So if you have something that was made well and can be restored, it’s just the right thing to do. Steel lasts forever, it’s not something that loses it’s ‘pop’-so to speak.

The whole shop is a mix of ideas, materials and transportation. The Vancouver trip was really a catalyst for us-

NM -a catalyst for us as a unit and as cycling enthusiasts. It solidified what we want out of our lifestyle, what we want out of our place to live. We saw that Long Beach can ultimately be at that level.

EW Putting in a lot of hours of riding together allows you to learn a lot about a person just by the way they ride. Figuring out that we ride well together on that trip was a huge key into starting this bike shop.

LBIZE What do you offer the cyclist community at large?

NM We’re trying to take it to the next level.

EW Regardless of the number of shops in the area it’s all about how special each place is and how you differentiate yourself. There is no shop like this in the city. If you’re looking for an upright commuter bicycle or parts for your classic French build or your Italian road bike this would be the first place you would come for those kinds of parts and I can’t think of anyone else who has the selection of upright city bikes that we have.

LBIZE Where do you see The Bicycle Stand in the future?

EW I want to see this shop, within a few years, split between the most beautiful vintage bicycles that Long Beach will let us bring in and high quality new bicycles; we want to have a great variety of new and old. We’re not a race shop but we’ll work on race bikes, we’re not necessarily a children’s bike shop but we’ll work kid’s bikes. We’re flexible and knowledgeable about a variety of cyclist platforms. We like to see bikes that work for our community.

NM We want to become a staple in Long Beach. We want to be known for our vintage bike selection and stylish new and used bike parts for both men and for women. We want to maintain an open space where people feel comfortable spending their time.

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The Bicycle Stand will be having their soft opening today along with their neighbor, Forever Ashbury. Together, these amazing shops are activating a beautiful commercial building near Bixby Park  and the emerging Broadway corridor. Come ride by today and support our neighborhood’s latest bike shop!

The Bicycle Stand is a locally owned & operated bike shop stocked with beautiful, refurbished vintage road bikes, new city & commuter bikes & stylish bike accessories. Full repair &  restoration services available.

HOURS 10AM-6PM Tue-Sun

LOCATION 1824 E Broadway Long Beach CA 90802 [MAP]

PHONE 562.279.4936

ADD ON FACEBOOK

Portland’s biking culture flourishes because of it’s equally strong built environment and the city’s focus on creating great public spaces. The traditional urban street grid creates narrow roads that prioritize people over the automobile. Downtown is very efficient to navigate, particularly for those not in a car. Several parks and plazas allow for informal gathering spaces and quick moments to take a break and recreate during the day.

Walking or biking is a pleasure when you have something nice to look at, and the eclectic mix of bold architectural styles keeps the eye visually stimulated while taking a bike ride or walk. This focus on denser neighborhoods is also not limited to downtown. Most of the city is creating wonderful urban developments in even the smallest infill sites, such as this ‘micro home’ community made up of very small apartments with no parking and a focus toward biking and pubic transit to fulfill the residents’ transportation needs.

What I found really amazing was that weather didn’t deter people from taking to the outdoors. It doesn’t matter if it is a sunny Summer afternoon or rainy Fall morning, Portlanders are out and about,  running through plaza fountains to cool off or playing an impromptu game of basketball on a court covered in yellow leaves.

Every time I am in Portland, I am thoroughly impressed and humbled. The city of Roses is a true inspiration and great model for other American cities to emulate, and just a sweet city to ride in. Portland is among a growing list of cities around the world that are beginning to embrace more sustainable and progressive urban policy.  It is one of the more progressive American cities that has not only taken on a  ‘greener’ mantra, but also executes these lofty goals  to a very high-level.

They say imitation is the finest form of flattery, so I’d like to summarize my thoughts on biking in Portland with this hilarious yet telling clip from the IFC show Portlandia.

That being said, it was very humbling to visit the Pacific Northwest region and see how well integrated and extensive biking is in many of these communities. I have had the pleasure of visiting Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, B.C on a couple trips over the last year. Taking bikes, planes, trains, and even a car on the different trips gave me good insight on the experience one gets from visiting these cities with each of these modes of transportation.

Long Beach has already heeded several of these cities’ ideas on biking and urban design, yet we can still learn a lot more. The following posts will look at these cities and showcase how they each have been able to weave an integrated and multi-modal transportation system into their rich urban environments.

CicLavia
After having great success last October, Ciclavia organizers planned for two more of the car-free events to happen in 2011. The first of these was on April 10th, with a reported 200,000 to 500,000 bikers, joggers, and pedestrians who participated in the event that closed off 7 miles of roadway between Boyle Heights and East Hollywood.

I could sense the momentum of this event from the moment I stepped onto the blue line metro in Long Beach; about 10 other people at this one station alone were headed to the event with their bikes proudly next to them. Each station collected more bikers, and by the time we were nearing the downtown LA terminus station (that conveniently was on the Ciclavia route), the entire train was full of excited bikers. There were hoards of people that were biking, walking, unicycle-ing, even frisbee-ing, across the seven mile track that was sprinkled with plenty of gourmet food trucks and interactive stops. [Video from streetfilms]

People for Bikes Taping
Just two days after the highly-successful Ciclavia event, an equally powerful (albeit much smaller) rallying for bikes occurred in downtown Los Angeles. The group behind People for bikes organized a taping for their forthcoming “BIkes make life better” campaign. They created a really cool video animation that was an homage to the bike, complete with a euphoric world made entirely of bicycle parts. This video was projected against a large building while the crowd of bikers and supporters were filmed watching it. They plan on releasing the video in May, to coincide with National Bike Month.

The crowd (including myself) was pleasantly surprised to have the infamous Kogi Korean Tacos on site, and they were dishing out their addictive Korean-meets-Mexican grub for FREE. I guess the ‘hard’ work of supporting bicycles in LA pays off. I am still thinking about that Kimchi Quesadilla….

The second phase for the downtown seperated bikeway project has begun. An innovative bicycle lane that is the first of its kind in Southern California, will run down Broadway and Third St from the 710 Freeway to Alamitos. One lane of travel will be removed, and the left side street parking will be moved over one lane to make way for the separated lanes. The lanes were placed on that side of the street since a traffic study found that more cars (as well as city buses) turn right, and this would make it more efficient for both cyclist and motorists. Signals have been placed at most intersections, and this second phase will bring the lane separation and re-striping.The project is expected to be completed by the end of March.   [ Renderings via Bike Long Beach]

Just a block away from the Broadway separated bikeway (and along the under construction  transit mall project) will be the new, permanent home of Long Beach’s Bikestation. The first station (not only in Long Beach, but the entire country), was located at about the same spot, but was temporarily moved to Broadway while preparations were made for the newly-completed park. The new Bikestation, as we reported earlier, will be  an iconic additon to downtown Long Beach. The 2 story, Orange facility will have free bike parking for users on the first floor during normal business hours, as well as 24 hour storage and shower facilities on the second floor for paying members. The station is scheduled to open this Spring.

These workshops have been organized so that the city can address the completed goals of the original bike plan, as well as gain input from the community on how to shape the plan for the coming years. The original plan, which was created in 2001, has completed all of its original goals.

Some of the major accomplishments they discussed included:

• Applying for and receiving over $21 million in Bicycle Grants

• 2nd Street Bike Sharrow’s gained national attention and recognition

• Number of bike rides in the city has doubled in the past year

• New bike stores opening throughout the city

• Vista Bike Boulevard completed

• Work beginning on the downtown separated bikeways

Some of the coming projects and future goals laid out in the master plan include:

• Adding 62 miles of bike facilities

• Creating more bike boulevards throughout the city:
• Daisy Street Corridor (10 mile bikeway)
• 6th Street (2 mile bikeway)
• 15th Street ( 3 mile bikeway)

• Creating Bike Friendly Districts (B.F.D.’s)
• East Village Arts District
• BIxby Knolls
• 4th Street ‘Retro Row’
• Anaheim Street

• Installing more Bike Sharrows, in neighborhoods like BIxby Knolls

• Continue 2-way bike lane on 3rd st from Alamitos to Junipero

• Increase bikers from 1% to 5%

Many of these projects are very unique to Southern California, and while they haven’t all been flawless executions, they do show how Long Beach really is leading the way amongst its neighbors for creating more livable, complete streets.

For more information about this workshop, as well as information on future meetings, check out BikeLongBeach.

[VIDEO] ABC News discusses Long Beach’s unknown and (arguably) unneeded bike registration law >>>

[VIDEO] Comedian tries-and fails-at mocking cyclists in his stand-up routine >>>

Long Beach Bike Master plan update. Ride with mobility coordinator Charles Gandy >>>

As plans progress for building a new iconic bridge in Long Beach, advocates press for bike & pedestrian access >>>

Highway group blame pedestrian deaths on walkable communities & ‘aggressive pedestrians’>>>

6 reasons free parking is the dumbest thing you didn’t know you were subsidizing >>>

[VIDEO] “Hey Birds, you guys got little bikes?” A clip from the new show, Portlandia >>>

Bicycle Typogram >>>

Tell Congress to support ongoing funding for bikes >>>

A Metro Blue-Line train strikes & kills a bicyclist in Long Beach >>>

SoCal Residents, in 2009 you wasted 63 hours and $1,464 sitting in your car in traffic. Bicycle, anyone? >>>

The Controversy Over Bike Helmets >>>

Are bike helmets really needed? Photo credit

The Sobi bike system (which stands for ‘social bike’) was created back in 2008 as a way to create a more cost-effective, as well as innovative, bike share program. I had the opportunity to speak with the founder of Sobi, Ryan Rzepecki, about his unique concept and how it can effectively aid a city’s public transportation mix.

How did Sobi come together? What inspired you to create the company?

I began working on mobile bike share in October of 2008.  I loved the concept of bike sharing, but thought that the infrastructure and start-up costs of traditional bike share made it impractical and inefficient.  I wanted to create a more flexible and affordable solution that was scalable and financially sustainable. I spent several months refining the concept and filed for my first patent in June of 2009 on the system design. I then worked with my industrial designer, Ted Ullrich, in the fall of 2009 to develop the lock design. In February of 2010 I quit my job at the NYC Department of Transportation so I could focus on the project and put the team in place to prototype the lock and develop the software.

What are the main benefits of this system over some of the more traditional bike share programs?

I guess the most obvious benefit is lower start-up costs.  Bixi and B-Cycle’s start-up cost is approximately $5,000 per bicycle.  We hope to reduce that cost to around $1000 per bicycle.  But we feel our solution is not only cheaper, but more open, flexible, and technologically advanced.

Our lock can attach to almost any bicycle, allowing each city to choose a bike that is right for their budget and local conditions.  It gives us the power to negotiate with bike vendors to ensure that we get the best bike at the best price, and it enables us to work with local bike companies when possible.  We are using Queens-based Worksman Cycles for the prototype units, but could easily use Specialized in California.

The locks work with any regular bike rack, which means that our system does not require dedicated infrastructure.  Instead of taking away parking spaces and sidewalk space for bulky docking stations and kiosks, a city can install thousands of bike racks that will benefit all cyclists. But we don’t plan on unleashing chaos — we will create hub locations which we will use for bike redistribution and where users know a bike will always be available.

We combine the reliability of a station-based model with the flexibility of a personal bike.  A user can return a bike to a designated hub at no additional charge, or bike directly to their final location and lock to a bike rack outside of a hub for a $2 convenience fee.  The $2 charge will get posted to the map and the next user to return that bike to a hub will receive a $2 credit. In this way, the users will help redistribute the bikes and we can lower the costs to operate the system. Traditional systems are constantly shuttling bikes between stations with trucks, which increases congestion and pollution.  We hope to reduce or eliminate truck redistribution by using our incentivized hub system.

Because we have the real-time GPS data for each bike, we’ll be able to collect data to help improve the bike network and eventually add sensors to monitor air-quality and noise levels throughout the city.  The technology opens up many exciting possibilities.

I think the user experience will be better as well.  Bikes can be unlocked through mobile applications or by entering account information into the keypad on the lockbox.  Users can share maps of their trips and publish their location to Facebook Places or foursquare.

Who is installing the Sobi system in their communities?

We have a verbal commitment from 2 universities. I have received inquiries from cities and universities around the world and expect several markets to launch next summer.

How can Sobi benefit a city like Long Beach?

I think bike share would be a tremendous success in Long Beach.  It is a fairly dense, flat, bike friendly city with terrific weather.  I think SoBi could increase your already high cycling rates, and lead more people to bike for transport rather than for recreation or exercise.

Where does bike share fit into the public transportation equation?

Bike sharing is the fastest growing form of public transportation. In 2007, there were 17 bike share systems world-wide and now there are over 200.  Bike share is becoming a new way for cities to increase mobility while at the same time reducing carbon emissions.

What are your future plans for Sobi?

We will be aggressively pursuing the university market next year.  Bixi and B-Cycle are simply too expensive for most college bike share programs.  At the same time we will be bidding for city-wide contracts as they are released.

[For more information about the Sobi Bike share concept, visit their website here]