Two weeks ago we lost our great friend Mark Bixby.  Mark tragically lost his life in a plane accident on March 16, 2011.  One of his last acts was to make a presentation to the Port of Long Beach Harbor Commissioners on the bike and pedestrian path for the New Gerald Desmond Bridge.  At that meeting the port staff indicated that they would include the separate bike and pedestrian path as part of the requirements for the bridge in the bid package.  As the press release below states…this is indeed a bittersweet victory.  It is clearly as a result of Mark’s unrelenting efforts that we will have a world-class bike and pedestrian structure on this iconic bridge.  But it is through a window of sadness that we view this victory.  Mark will be missed by his family, his friends and the global community that he impacted.

Mark…thanks for making us all better people and our world a better place to live – and bike…..

Below is the press release from Bikeable communities on the progress on the bridge and Mark’s incredible life.

The Bittersweet Victory of Separated Bicycle and Pedestrian Paths on the Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project Highlights Mark Bixby’s Legacy of Advocacy.

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Long Beach California – Long Beach’s lead bicycle advocate Mark Bixby’s last triumph in supporting Long Beach to become “the most bicycle friendly city in the nation” happened at the Port of Long Beach Harbor Commission meeting on Monday March 14^th 2011 just two days before his untimely death on Wednesday March 16, 2011 in a plane crash. At the meeting the port staff presented a new position – and one that Mark had been advocating passionately for – general contractors bidding for the bridge project will be required to include both separated bicycle and pedestrian paths in their proposals.

According to Dr. Bob Kanter, Environmental Planning director for the Port “the solicitation package to the design-build team bidders will require their bid include a Class One bike and pedestrian path on the Gerald Desmond Bridge.  The bike path is a mandatory requirement. When the bid is received it must include those elements in order to be a responsive bid.” He also noted, “The coastal trail path…is part of the project…it will be built in addition to the class 1 path.” The plan is to serve a larger cycling and pedestrian community and create access all around the Port.

“We’re elated that the Harbor Commissioners, Port staff and Caltrans have come to understand the importance of including bicycle and pedestrian access on the new bridge,” said Martin Howard, a longtime friend of Bixby’s and a fellow board member of Bikeable Communities, a nonprofit advocacy organization. “You only have one opportunity to build a billion-dollar bridge in a century. And Mark felt passionately that the bridge needed to be constructed to benefit everyone and to connect as many places as possible. He called it, ‘the bridge to everywhere.”

As a member of the non-profit bicycle advocacy group Bikeable Communities, Bixby was tireless in his efforts to educate and inspire all parties involved to understand the importance of these facilities both to the Port with its focus on sustainability, and the City as it endeavors to become one of the most bike-friendly cities in the nation. Through Bixby’s efforts, Bikeable Communities leadership and volunteers worked in partnership with nearly 20 organizations, clubs and advocacy groups to raise awareness of the need for bicycle and pedestrian paths to create viable and safe routes to Terminal Island. The support of the California Coastal Commission (Deputy Director John Ainsworth supplied Mark with a specific letter of support for the March 14^th meeting), the Sierra Club, the League of American Cyclists, Long Beach Cyclists, Vice Mayor and 2^nd District Council member Suja Lowenthal and many more were critical to the success of the outreach effort.

In her response to the Harbor Commissioners’ decision, Lowenthal stated: “This bridge will be the envy of cities not only in the state, but around the globe.  I hope the commissioners see this as an opportunity to showcase the many advances that the Port has made in goods movement and green technology, bringing residents and visitors to the best location from which to view a working port. If I can just say how very excited I am at this possibility; it would be an understatement. I think it really is more than iconic it is such a progressive bold step made on behalf of this board.  And that is just in your DNA.  You have continually taken bold progressive steps.  And this is just the next installation.  I thank you for that.”

Commissioner Mario Cordero, the longest sitting Harbor Commissioner, and one of the original Green Port supporters voiced his strong support for the bike and pedestrian path: “The more I have read about what’s involved…and examined statements from other policy makers…like the federal government and like Caltrans, our partner on this project, it seems to me that we must consider a clear policy so there is no misunderstanding of the feasibility of the Class One route on the bridge.  We are only going to build one bridge for the next century here in Long Beach. I now very much see implementation of a Class One pedestrian and bike facility as an integral part of the bridge.”