Beach Streets Downtown attracts more than 50,000 bicyclists, skaters and pedestrians

For William Saunders, standing on the street tossing a bright orange ball with his daughter and his sister was a special opportunity that took him back to his childhood.

Saunders, a 36-year-old San Beardino resident, was among the more than 50,000 people who attended Beach Streets Downtown, a Long Beach bicycle festival that closed 4 miles of Broadway to all automobile traffic. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Broadway and select side streets were open to bikers, skaters and walkers only.

People rode beach cruisers, racing bikes, and even unicycles and old-fashioned pey-farthings. Live bands played at a number of activity hubs along the route. Some participants brought their children or pets for a day of outdoor exploration.

“It’s cool to just play in the streets,” Saunders said. “I’m here visiting my sister and my daughter [who lives in Long Beach with his ex-wife].”

His sister, Cristina Saunders, 37, lives along the festival route and said Beach Streets was not only the perfect opportunity to let loose, it was also a chance to get to know police officers who were stationed along the route.

“It’s good to put a face to them,” Saunders said.

Craig Wyman, a Bixby Knolls resident who participated in Long Beach’s inaugural bike festival, Beach Streets Uptown, last June, said Saturday’s event seemed to have a broader appeal.

“Broadway is normally not a good street for walking and biking,” Wyman said. “It’s very cool, a very nice way to see what’s going on in Long Beach. There’s a lot of new businesses I didn’t know about.”

Many businesses took advantage of the crowds and told passers-by about promotions or new openings.

Sanaa Caella, a consultant working with a coffee house and bistro that will open the first week of April in the East Village, stood on the coer of Broadway and Linden Avenue handing out flyers.

The new bistro, Linden Public, will take the place of The Green House coffee shop, which closed last year.

“I’m for anything that brings traffic to our area,” she said.

3rd District Councilwoman Suzie Price, who represents the area containing the tail end of the festival route, said she biked with her family and children from her neighborhood Saturday moing and that feedback from people at the festival was overwhelmingly positive.

“Everyone kept saying thank you,” Price said. “It worked out great. It was a perfect day; the diversity was amazing. It was just one of those days that made me so proud to live in Long Beach.”

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Rex Richardson, 9th District councilman, also rode the festival route. He and 8th District Councilman Al Austin hosted Long Beach’s inaugural bicycle festival, Beach Streets Uptown, last June.

“This is another testament to how unique and amazing Long Beach is,” Richardson said. “The community’s embraced it. They know what to expect. Mayor [Robert] Garcia and the local councilmembers have really invested. They’re taking it seriously.”

Although Beach Streets Uptown will not retu until next year, residents looking for a follow up to the popular event can look forward to a unique bicycle festival coming to North Long Beach in October.

Richardson says the exact date and name for the event have not been set, but the plan is to shut down Artesia Boulevard coecting North Long Beach to Compton, Lakewood, Cerritos and other nearby areas.

“Artesia is such a large corridor,” he said. “It’s an alteative to the 91 Freeway so shutting it down will be unprecedented.”