Manhattan Beach will host “Moving Planet South Bay: Bikeable, Walkable, Livable!” a festival for the beach cities that’s part of a global initiative to abandon fossil fuels by walking, biking or skating.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24, 13th Street between Valley Drive and Morningside Drive will be closed to cars in an effort to encourage residents to walk, bike, skateboard, rollerblade and run. Free workshops, including yoga, bike safety, tai chi, gardening aerobics, zumba and beekeeping, will be offered at Metlox Plaza.
Nearly 170 countries are participating in Moving Planet by hosting local community bike rides, walk-to-work days or marches circling government buildings to demand policy changes.
Through the festival, Manhattan Beach hopes to raise awareness and gain support for the South Bay Bicycle Master Plan, which would bring a 214-mile network of bike paths to seven South Bay cities, and the Vitality City Livability Plan. The proposals will cut air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and fight obesity levels by reducing car trips and increasing biking and walking in the community, said Joe Galliani, member of the South Bay Bicycle Coalition.
“We have an unprecedented chance to improve our environment and our quality of life by passing these two plans,” said Sona Kalapura, the city’s environmental programs manager, according to a press release.
Galliani hopes the event and the bike and livability proposals will bring equality back to the streets and reduce traffic congestion. “Right now the pendulum is swung too far – our public streets are made mostly for the use of automobiles and ignore the usage of bicyclists and pedestrians,” he said.
