Business & Tech

Can a Bike-Friendly Downtown Provide a Low-Cost Boost of Vitality?

A sustainability professional shared her Long Beach experience with bike advocates in a presentation at 359 State Street.

Can a "bike-friendly bike district" be good for business? Can "bike haters" become bike supporters?

April Economides, a consultant who helped set up four in the city of Long Beach, told a small group gathered at 359 State Street that she'd seen just that in her year-long experience said Gary Hedden, a member of Greentown Los Altos, which sponsored the talk.

The Nov. 21 presentation took place at the new community meeting space in the back of the store, which caters to bike commuters and everyday cyclists. Hedden filed this report:

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With a $72,000 grant, April Economides worked with merchants to set up four Bike-Friendly Business Districts, using their feedback on what they thought might work.

A lot of them started by saying they "hate bikes" because they clutter the sidewalks, run into people and just get in the way.  

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She pointed out some benefits: biking is popular so there is a large and largely untapped source of customers, bikers will shop locally, it can be fun for families to get out on a bike shopping excursion, and it frees up parking for people who still really need their cars. 

So the merchants agreed to give it a try and now use a bike-sharing program, bike valets, support regular bike-repair days, and have bike discount Saturdays that bring in customers.

Long Beach has collected $18,000,000 in grants to build up the bike infrastructure, and that certainly helps the bike community, but the BFBD was created by the merchants for very little money and is not a "top down" program directed by the city.

Some of the bike haters are now big bike supporters. 

Economides' website has more information: http://greenoctopus.net

The BFBD is a part of a larger initiative, Project RENEW (Renew Environments for Nutrition, Exercise, and Wellness), "which seeks to implement policy, systems and environmental changes to improve nutrition, increase physical activity and reduce obesity, especially in disadvantaged communities." RENEW L.A. County is made possible by funding from the Department of Health and Human Services through the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.


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