Long Beach is moving ahead with an ambitious plan to transform one of its most car-dominated corridors into a safer, greener route for cyclists, bus riders, and pedestrians.
But the city's $65 million overhaul of Studebaker Road is also drawing sharp criticism from some drivers who argue the redesign goes too far.
Here's what to know
The Studebaker Road Transformation Project now ranks among Long Beach's most significant transportation redesigns.
The work on Studebaker is part of the city's larger plan to link 300 miles of bikeways by 2040. On this stretch, though, the plan calls for wider protected bike lanes, greenways, raised bus stops, and fiber-optic infrastructure, LAist reported.
All of these elements could make Long Beach a much friendlier city for cyclists while reducing traffic deaths. Still, support for the project is far from universal.
In comments to LAist, one resident, Joey Schilling, who uses the road six days a week and bikes to work in Seal Beach, said the redesign's tradeoffs are badly out of balance.
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After criticizing the project in a social media post, he told LAist, "The intent of the design is malicious — it's immoral." He also argued, "The cost and the benefit do not match up. The cost is too high, the benefit too low."
City officials, however, say the redesign is intended as a response to worsening road safety.
More background
Long Beach recorded 53 traffic deaths in 2025, the highest total in a decade, including 32 deaths involving cyclists, pedestrians, and e-scooter riders. Through mid-September of 2026, the city had already seen 36 traffic deaths, as reported by LAist.
Clearly, action is needed to protect residents from unsafe roadway conditions. But adding protections for cyclists has come with significant resistance from residents like Schilling.
These protections include new transit stops, sidewalks, and curb ramps, along with more travel options for people who do not want to rely entirely on cars.
As cyclist and Car Lite Long Beach organizer Kurt Canfield put it in an interview with LAist, "We're in conflict for the same space. But this infrastructure gives us the ability to be safer."
Where can I learn more?
These articles look at dangerous bike lane design, road-building fights, and highway expansions.
• In Charlotte, cyclists warned that the worst bike lane they had seen felt dangerously designed.
• In Wales, officials advanced a ban on new roads to curb driving and carbon pollution.
• In Colorado, residents blasted a massive highway expansion while arguing basic road repairs should come first.
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