Bicyclists can now safely cruise 22 miles along PCH between Will Rogers and Torrance County beaches
With the Marvin Braude Trail improvements, bicyclists now have 22 miles to ride along Pacific Coast Highway.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath, County Public Works, and Beaches and Harbors held a ceremony on Wednesday, May 24, to celebrate the bike trail improvements at Marvin Braude Trail at Will Rogers Beach.
“This is a project years in the making and so many community members have let us know that, and that’s why we’ve been hard at work make this possible,” Horvath said. “Investing in infrastructure is what helps keep people safe, but also to make sure that people can enjoy the beach.”
The Marvin Braude Bike Trail is a 22-mile path that stretches along the Los Angeles County coastline, from Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades to Torrance County Beach in Torrance. The $6.5 million project connects the City of Santa Monica’s dedicated bikeway and pedestrian path through the City of Los Angeles to Will Rogers State Beach.
“The opening of this updated portion is just in time for a busy summer season,” Beaches and Harbor Director Gary Jones said. “The new pedestrian walkway will allow more people to safety travel from Will Rogers to many of our beaches.”
The Marvin Braude Bike Trail, partly known as The Strand, is a paved bikeway that winds along the oceanfront in Southern California. Open year-round, the bike path is popular for cycling, jogging, rollerblading, or simply enjoying a stroll.
“These visitors surf, swim, play beach volleyball and, of course, ride bicycles, it’s no secret that Marvin Braude bike path is the most popular beach along our beautiful coast,” Jones said. “The opening of this updated portion is just in time for a busy summer season.”
Jones also acknowledged the recent award given to Westward Beach in Malibu. Westward Beach received the first Blue Flags, in the continental United States.
The Blue Flag Program is an international awards program that promotes environmental education and information, environmental management, safety and services, social responsibility, and responsible tourism.
“We’re extremely pleased to say Westward Beach is the very first beach on the United States West Coast to ever receive this distinguished award,” Jones said. “With the Blue Flag award and the Marvin Braude Bike Trail upgrades, it’s going to undoubtedly going to be a great summer for our LA beaches.”
In Malibu, cycling up and down PCH is known to be dangerous and hazardous. There are a few dedicated bike paths such as the one near Zuma Beach, but with minimal space between vehicles parked along PCH and vehicles traveling on the highway, cycling on PCH continues to be challenging.
“We see every day that bike paths are loved, we have heard and known for many, many years, the desire to extend it, but it’s a collaboration with a number of different entities,” Jones said. “Developing anything along the coastline is complicated, especially with the environment and climate, but if there’s a will, there’s a way, and that’s coming together and focusing on infrastructure, not just for the benefit of providing transportation but also the health benefits, the recreation benefits, the social benefits, so we recognize that.”
Those in attendance were individuals from Los Angeles County Public Works, Los Angeles County Beaches and Harbor, and recreational enthusiasts.
Public Works Director Mark Pestrella provided a brief background on the bike path and its destination.
“We’ve definitely got to get out of our cars in Los Angeles for a lot of different reasons and one of them is to save the environment,” Pestrella said. “Right now you can ride here to all the way to Torrance, that’s a heck of a ride, a lot of neat destinations on the way, a lot of communities on the way, and a lot of cultures that were inner connecting to make this bike plan.”
The event also took place during National Public Works Weeks and Horvath and Pestrella acknowledged all the Public Works, construction and planning team who help maintain the cities infrastructure.
“Thank you, espcially to our Public Works team, for your work on this project, and for all the work that you do to keep our community running,” Horvath said. “All of our LA County staff are so incredibly vital to the success of any program and any work we do in the county.”
To view upcoming projects, visit pw.lacounty.gov.
