Long Beach, Calif. debuts transit, visitor center

[IMAGE]LBT-transit-center-full.jpg[/IMAGE]Long Beach (Calif.) Transit (LBT) marked the grand opening of a new 1,900-square-foot Transit and Visitor Information Center located on the Long Beach Transit Mall at the southeast corner of First Street and Pine Avenue — one of the busiest corners in downtown Long Beach, adjacent to the Los Angeles-Long Beach Blue Line Light Rail.

“This center provides our customers with a beautiful artistic building and more services that meet their travel needs,” said Renee Simon, chair, LBT Board of Directors.

The Long Beach Transit Mall hosts the majority of LBT's routes and is also served by L.A. Metro, Torrance Transit and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, making it a major transit hub in the southeastern region of Los Angeles County. The new center provides the following transit and visitor amenities:

» Expanded window service hours: open Monday through Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Friday through Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
» Route information given by Transit Representatives at three ADA-accessible windows.
» An ADA-accessible visitor window dedicated to Long Beach attractions and visitor information, staffed in partnership with the Long Beach Convention and Visitors’ Bureau and Downtown Long Beach Associates.
» LBT bus pass sales.
» ID card processing for senior and legally blind customers and students.
» Real-time transit schedule display, along with a touch-screen kiosk that provides 24 hour transit information.
» Transit customer lost and found services.
» Downtown Long Beach’s first public restrooms with a dedicated attendant for custodial and surveillance services. The restrooms are free to the public and are open daily from 5:00 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.

The center adds visual interest to downtown Long Beach’s landscape with its undulating steel walls, dramatic exterior security lighting, energy saving oval-shaped skylights and two floating fabric canopies that all reinforce the city’s nautical themes.

LBT is also utilizing the center, which is on track for LEED-EB certification, as an opportunity to pilot and create sustainable policies for the agency’s overall management and operations.