PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA – The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) has been awarded a $308,094 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The one-year grant will continue and expand the Health Department’s Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention Division’s Walk and Roll Long Beach Program. The program focuses on improving and promoting safety for all pedestrians and bicyclists with the goal of reducing preventable injuries and deaths from crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists.

“It is critical that we continue our efforts to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “This funding will expand our City’s efforts to prevent injuries and create safe streets for all.”

Grant funding will be used to support a variety of comprehensive strategies and activities that promote bicycle and pedestrian safety between Oct. 1, 2022, and Sept. 30, 2023, including: 

• Hosting bicycle and pedestrian safety pop-up events, where staff will distribute safety information and reflective gear at intersections frequently traveled by pedestrians and bicyclists.
• Facilitating workshops for older adults to provide strategies to walk safely in their neighborhoods and safely interact with pedestrian street infrastructure. 
• Conducting interactive community skill-building activities on how to use bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure properly and safely. 
• Hosting a Youth Ambassador Program to encourage and promote safe cycling and pedestrian behavior.
• Providing training and safety kits to school crossing guards to promote safe routes to school at sites throughout Long Beach.

The funded activities above also align with the City’s Safe Streets Action Plan, an initiative that aims to eliminate traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries by 2026. 

“Walking and biking are great ways to be physically active and we want you to be safe while you are out there.” said Health Department Director Kelly Colopy. “This program will provide community members the educational resources and tools they need to be safe while being active.”

In partnership with other City departments and community-based organizations, funding will also be used to support the Health Department’s participation in national, state and local bike and pedestrian safety awareness campaigns including Long Beach Walk to School Week, which takes place in March, and National Bike Safety Month in May. 

“Every bicyclist and pedestrian should feel safe on the road,” said OTS Director Barbara Rooney. “Education is one of many important tools that collectively work to make sure everyone, regardless of how they travel, reaches their destination safely.”

This is the seventh year the Health Department has received an OTS grant to promote bike and pedestrian safety. Last year, the Walk and Roll Long Beach Program provided bicycle and pedestrian safety materials at community presentations and events such as Safe Streets Awareness Week and Beach Streets, reaching more than 7,000 residents. The program also distributed and fitted 265 bicycle helmets to community members and trained 32 youth to be bike and pedestrian safety leaders in the inaugural Safe Streets Champion program.