SideWALK Specifics

Long Beach doesn’t allow sidewalk riding in a business district (expansively defined by CVC 240). Long Beach also has some thorough, quite sensible, directives for those riding on the sidewalk. Sec. 10.48.070:

A. No person shall ride a bicycle upon a sidewalk within any business district; upon the sidewalks of bridges; in pedestrian underpasses; on pedestrian overpasses; upon sidewalks adjacent to any school building, church, recreation center, playground, or senior citizens’ residential development; within the area south of Ocean Boulevard between the Long Beach Museum of Art on the west and Bluff Park on the east; on the northerly side of the Downtown Marina mole which directly abuts said marina, between Gangway A and Gangway P.

B. Any person riding a bicycle upon a sidewalk shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian, and when overtaking and passing a pedestrian, shall give an audible signal and shall pass to the left of the pedestrian only under conditions permitting such movement in safety.

C. The speed limit for bicycles on a sidewalk is fifteen miles per hour unless otherwise posted. The speed limit where pedestrians are present is five miles per hour. Signs specifying the speed limit shall be placed by the Traffic Engineer in locations which will provide notice to significant concentrations of sidewalk bicycle riders or where bicycle speed problems are found to exist on sidewalks.

D. For purposes of this Section, the following public ways shall be considered sidewalks:

1. Seaside Walk south of Ocean Boulevard between Fifty-fifth Place and Sixty-ninth Place, known as the Boardwalk;
2. Bay Shore Walk north of Ocean Boulevard between Fifty-fifth Place and Sixty-ninth Place.

So be mindful when you ride on the sidewalk in Long Beach. But with all that awesome bike infrastructure on the street, compared to our surrounding LA and OC county neighbors, who would want to ride on the sidewalk anyways? I guess that’s why they call them sidewalks and road bikes.