S IGNA L T RIBUN E Serving Bixby Knolls, California Heights, Los Cerritos, Wrigley and Signal Hill
Your Weekly Community Newspaper
VOL. XXXVIII NO. 8
February 19, 2016
Cycling in the 6th District Street renovations will curate bicycle lanes for residents and refurbish roads. Denny Cristales Editorial Assistant
Residents in Long Beach’s 6th Council District will have another method of mobility after a recent street project in the area introduces new bike lanes. Street and sidewalk improvements began this week along Alamitos Avenue, between 7th Street and Orange Avenue. The road project is in direct response to the needs expressed in the community for calmer traffic speeds and greater pedestrian accessibility to various schools, parks and churches along specific parts of Alamitos, according to the Office of 6th District Councilmember Dee Andrews. “Adding the bike lanes, the first in central Long Beach, will serve residents who use bicycles as a form of transportation,”
said Andrews’s office in a statement to the Signal Tribune, “whether that is accessing the half dozen schools along Alamitos Avenue, accessing the various hospitals and medical clinics in the area or the major job center that downtown is. It means safe, accessible lanes for bicyclists.” The high speed of traffic had cyclists sharing the narrow parts of the sidewalk with pedestrians. The new configuration will provide enough room for buffered bike lanes along the road, freeing up the existing sidewalk for pedestrians. The project also includes some sidewalk bulb-outs, high-visibility crosswalks and advanced vehicle stops lines at signalized intersections. Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia echoed Andrews’s sentiments about safer and accessible roads. “These infrastructure improvements will increase safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists,” Garcia said in a press release. “We are putting a special focus on safety around schools, parks, churches and other community sites.” According to the City of Long Beach, improvements will include the following: resurfacing the pavement; repairing sidewalks; replacing damaged curbs and gutters; reconstructing deteriorated pave-
ment; and installing pavement markers, markings, traffic striping, signing and curb paint. Temporary lane closures and traffic delays will come as a result of the project. The project will remove one traffic lane in each direction of Alamitos Avenue as part of a “road diet,” or a lane reduction. The roads will remain open during those working hours, but people can expect delays, and the City of Long Beach is advising motorists to take alternate routes. “I am a strong supporter of road diets and am glad to see one coming to Alamitos Avenue,” said Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal in the press release. “Road diets contribute to pedestrian, bike and vehicular safety, as well as improve overall well-being.” The City of Long Beach is seeking to minimize the impact of these traffic delays by working closely with bus patrons, such as Long Beach Transit, that operate along the same street, as well as making roads more accessible to motorists. The project nearly totals $2 million in cost. It’s funded by a combined monetary amount from federal, state and local resources, which includes Proposition C funds from sales tax. The project is due for completion by see BIKE page 7
To buy or not to buy in Long Beach Long Beach voters will ultimately decide the fate of a proposed sales-tax measure. CJ Dablo Staff Writer
It was a quiet night for businesses last Tuesday, Feb. 16 along one stretch of Atlantic Avenue in the shopping district of Bixby Knolls in Long Beach. Just after 6pm that night, the lights were out, and the doors were already shuttered at several shops near the corner of Carson Street and Atlantic Avenue. Only one customer stopped by the local Starr Video rental store at the time. A couple of restaurants were still open, but they weren’t packed. A few stores seemed to draw
a decent crowd for a weeknight. A manager at the local GameStop jokingly insisted he was working, not having fun, as he tested, for one family, a video game on the screen near the counter, even though the line of waiting customers was starting to grow. The Signal Tribune talked to a few of the retail owners in that area about the proposal to increase the sales tax to 10 percent. None of them had any inkling that the city council at that time was about to take steps to request a measure on the June 7 ballot. The proposal ultimately means that the sales tax will be temporarily raised to 10 percent for six years, and then after that time, it will be dropped to 9.5 percent for four years. It is a temporary tax, and
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there is a “sunset” clause that will require the additional tax to end after 10 years. Right now, LA County sales tax is at 9 percent. Just over the county line, Westminster’s sales tax rate is at 8 percent. For Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, the new tax is a necessary step to make a dent in the estimated $2.8 billion needed toward the cost of the city’s infrastructure over the next 10 years. In a phone interview last week, Garcia explained that the proposed sales tax will focus on certain priorities, including streets, sidewalks, storm-drain water conservation systems, restoration of a fire engine and protecting 911 emergency-response services. “This measure will not solve our infrastructure challenge,” Garcia
see INCREASE page 11
Partly cloudy
69°
Lo 50°
Saturday
Sunny
72°
Lo 51°
CJ Dablo | Signal Tribune
Jasmine Garrett, a waitress at Baba Ghanouj, takes Avenue an order over the phone at 2520 Cherry the Lebanese-cuisine restaurant on Atlantic Avenue. Purchases may be a little bit SIGNAL HILL more expensive throughout the city, if a ballot measure is fully approved by voters in a June election to effectively increase562-294-4494 the sales tax to 10 percent. 562-294-2294
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