Category Archives: infrastructure

Weigh in on LADOT Westside Mobility Projects!

Join us providing input for better bikeways in WLA!

Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) is in the process of planning a network of four bikeways connecting Westside neighborhoods and adjacent cities. The proposed bike routes will feature traffic calming measures to make them comfortable for riders of all ages and abilities. These routes will mostly follow neighborhood streets.

There are multiple ways you can weigh in on these projects – and maybe win a bike too!
We will share more events as they are scheduled.

THE FOLLOWING SESSIONS WILL SEEK INPUT ABOUT SAFETY CONCERNS AND POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENT MEASURES.  

Open House Workshop –
Focus on Santa Monica to Westwood Corridor 
Tuesday, September 12, 2023 | 5-7 PM 
Collins & Katz Family YMCA, 1466 S Westgate Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90025 

Pop-Up –
Focus on Santa Monica to Ballona Creek & West LA to Del Rey
Sunday, September 17, 2023 | 9 AM-2 PM 
Mar Vista Farmer’s Market, 3826 Grand View Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90066 

Pop-Up –
Focus on Santa Monica to Ballona Creek & West LA to Del Rey
Friday, September 22, 2023 | 6-9 PM 
Penmar Summer Concert Series, 1233 Rose Ave Venice, CA 90291  

Virtual Workshop –
Focus on Santa Monica to Ballona Creek & West LA to Del Rey 
Wednesday, September 27, 2023 | 5:30 – 7:30 PM 
Click HERE to register: Zoom Meeting ID: 826 6749 4445 

Open House Workshop –
Focus on Santa Monica to Ballona Creek & West LA to Del Rey
Friday, September 29, 2023 | 5:30-7:30 PM 
Bikerowave, 12255 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066 

Pop-Up –
Focus on Santa Monica to Westwood Corridor
Thursday, October 5, 2023 | 10 AM-2 PM 
UCLA Sustainable Transportation Fair 

THE FOLLOWING SESSIONS WILL SHARE FINDINGS FROM THE FEEDBACK RECEIVED IN THE EVENTS LISTED ABOVE AND RELATED TECHNICAL RECOMMENDATIONS. 

Virtual Workshop – Focus on Santa Monica to Westwood Corridor 
Thursday, October 12, 2023| 5:30 – 7:30 PM 
Click HERE to register: bit.ly/WestsideOct12 Zoom Meeting ID: 865 3463 9625

Virtual Workshop – Focus on Santa Monica to Ballona Creek & West LA to Del Rey 
Thursday, November 9, 2023 | 5:30 – 7:30 PM 
Click HERE to register: bit.ly/WestsideNove9 Zoom Meeting ID: 871 8483 8306

Check out the English/Spanish Flyers HERE:

A Call to Roll Back Street Safety Improvements on 17th Street?

A request by council members Brock and de la Torre to “enhance vehicular movements while not compromising bicycle and pedestrian safety” on the new – not yet completed – 17th Street Protected Bikeway. ie. let cars go faster at intersections where the data shows conflicts leading to crashes and injuries happen. If that sounds strange to you we’d have to agree.

There is no need to “study” this, the documentation on how protected bike lanes and intersections improve safety is widely disseminated and accepted worldwide – this YouTube video on the topic was posted over 12 years ago. The “gold” standard implementations on 17th were years in the planning and follow national and international design standards for safety and were designed by experts in the field. Repeated studies consistently show that adding protected bike lanes increases the safety of all road users – people driving cars, walking, and biking. Research shows that adding protected bike lanes reduces all collisions and injuries by 30-50%. The simple fact is research and experience shows again and again and again the same thing: protected bike lanes are good for everyone. The 2018 CalBike report notes that – among other benefits – protected bike lanes “improve safety for bicyclists, car drivers, and pedestrians” and “Get more people to ride bikes by providing the safety, comfort, and separation most people want and need to consider bicycling.” The 17th Street Protected Bikeway configuration fulfills an international “gold” standard for safety referred to as a “Dutch crossing.” 

There is no argument that useful information is a good thing. However it is important to note – this important safety project – after years of planning and outreach – is not yet even complete having suffered many unavoidable delays during construction due to an exceptional rainy season that no doubt led to confusion. Until recently when the work was nearing completion there was legitimate confusion and concerns that arose in the community from both motorists and cyclists. We all know change is hard. It is a given that – although the changes are an improvement – there will be a certain amount of discomfort and confusion when implementing new and unfamiliar road design standards. It is also understandable that concerns are often generated during construction when new street safety projects are partially implemented. However, now that the project is near-finished it has clearly become evident – supported by the overwhelming feedback received – that the configuration fulfills the world class safety standards that were envisioned by the community. So, do we now switch back to choosing speed over safety to “enhance vehicular movements” at intersections? Is this just the beginning? Where will the vehicle prioritizing corrosive changes end?

These sorts of Council member requests are almost routinely passed. We have no doubt an Information Item on the 17th Street protected bikeway improvements will detail the project’s resounding successes and include Staff’s attentiveness throughout the project and into the final stages of completion. Just recently, as the project nears the finish line, City Mobility staff have made adjustments in response to community feedback and regular onsite inspections to accommodate disability parking, signage and potential conflicts with concrete lips. We ask the Council to remove the counterproductive second half of the 16-D request from any motion being considered. Council needs to choose to prioritize safety over speed modifications that “enhance vehicular movements.” Choosing safety and equity for all road users over “enhanc[ing] vehicular movements.”  We know vehicle speed is a key factor in traffic violence that results in serious injuries and traffic fatalities.  We urge Council to stop prioritizing vehicles over people and to affirm prior commitments to protect our most vulnerable road users, people walking and biking.  Prioritize people, kids to seniors, and our collective future for a livable climate.

One click to Email Council
– Please personalize and don’t forget to sign your name and add your zip code

More Press on Santa Monica Next and StreetsBlogLA

Why 17th Street?

17th Street connects local neighborhoods to transit facilities, bikeways, schools, employment opportunities, and entertainment. 17th Street was identified in the Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE), Bicycle Action Plan (BAP), and Pedestrian Action Plan to include safety improvements for pedestrians and bicyclists. With the opening of the Metro Expo light rail station — by 2018 there had already been an 1160% increase in pedestrian traffic and an 82% increase in bicycle traffic.

Kidical Mass: Rainbow Ride for Pride is SATURDAY June 10th!

Rainbow Ride for PRIDE: Dress up in your best Rainbow gear!

Kidical Mass is a Community Bike Ride for Kids to Seniors!
Free: June 10th
RSVP HERE
Active Seniors Pilot RSVP HERE

Join Santa Monica Spoke and City of Santa Monica for the Kidical Mass Rainbow Ride.

Celebrating an inclusive and diverse community during #SaMoPride Month and our new green lanes on 17th Street on a special rainbow themed ride for all ages — kids to seniors! We will take a short family friendly ride on some old and brand new protected green lanes and on MANGo (Michigan Avenue Neighborhood Greenway). We start and end from Memorial Park.

Schedule: Saturday, June 10th
9::00am – 12:00pm
Don’t miss the fun pre-ride activities! And a Surprise Guest!
– Check-in, Hot coffee, juice, bagels and morning munchies, helmet decorating!
– Rainbow Ride for Pride
– Post ride activities – Rainbow Pizza!!

* Children must be accompanied and are the responsibility of their parents. Bikes should be in good working condition. Please use good judgement – ride is on city streets – smaller children should be in a child seat, in a trailer or Tag-a-long……

Santa Monica Blvd Bike Lane Project: Your input is requested!

Caltrans is seeking community input for a proposed bike lane project on Santa Monica Blvd (SR-2) – in the West LA neighborhood of Los Angeles – between Ohio Ave and Westgate Ave. Various alternatives are currently being studied to determine the best multimodal improvement for communities along this corridor. Colloquially known as the ‘Ohio to Ohio’ project, the objective of this project is to close an existing bicycle route gap that is bisected by SR-2. The intended purpose is to create a continuous path for active commuters who utilize the existing facilities for work, school, or for recreational purposes. By connecting a bike route, users will have fewer conflict points with vehicles and will be able to travel in a safer and more accessible manner.

Caltrans has reached out to collect as much feedback as possible for the local community. See the fact sheet with project information. Included in the informational document are links to an online survey and a virtual meeting that will be held Wednesday, May 24th, from 7:00 – 8:30PM.

The online public survey will be available to the public until Wednesday, June 7th
La encuesta pública en línea estará disponible para el público hasta el miércoles 7 de Junio

Engaging with the community is an important part of the Caltrans planning process. With your help, we will can increase the outreach efforts and help support Caltrans efforts to better connect with the public.

If you would like more detailed information about this project, please visit the Caltrans website.

Project Fact Sheet | Hoja de datos del proyecto:
English: bit.ly/sm-bikelane-factsheet
Español: bit.ly/sm-bikelane-factsheet-spanish

Virtual Public Meeting | Reunión pública virtual:
Date: Wednesday, May 24th | Fecha: Miércoles 24 de Mayo
Time | Hora: 7:00pm-8:30pm
Link: bit.ly/SR2bikes

Action Alert: Support Pedestrian Pilot on Main Street

June 8th Council Meeting 

This Tuesday, Santa Monica City Council is expected to vote on final approval of the pilot program for temporary weekend street closures for vehicular traffic for a few weekends this summer on Main Street. In other cities programs like this have proven to reduce car use, support local businesses, and increase walking and biking. Santa Monica City Council needs to hear from you – share your support for a more sustainable, walkable, and vibrant Santa Monica! We want Santa Monica to be a great place for residents, workers, students and visitors of all ages to safely walk, bike, and scoot. As we emerge out of the pandemic, finding creative ways like this to support healthy active mobility and our local businesses by providing more outdoor experiences is critical for our community wellbeing and our economic recovery. 

We know you may have previously sent an email or submitted a survey but we need you to help demonstrate support to Council this evening with a short note to ensure that Item 7-A is approved. Click and customize the template below.

Santa Monica Spoke enthusiastically supports the Main Street Buisness Improvement District and the Ocean Park Neighborhood Association pilot. Other cities in the US and around the world have long been discovering the economic and safety benefits of slow and shared streets for safer, more equitable and sustainable mobility, for people walking, biking, scooting and driving. We have the data, we know that prioritizing people over cars makes streets safer for everyone, improves gridlock, is better for the environment, and indeed improves the experience of mobility regardless of mode. By providing safer and healthier options that encourage more people to leave their cars behind and explore the city, we improve safety, climate impacts, economic and environmental resilience, and vitality for our future. 

This item will be heard tomorrow at the Tuesday, June 8th council meeting.
Please send a quick note of support on Item 7-A, pilot program for weekend closures on Main Street, to the members of City Council* — template and email addresses listed below.
*preferably by noon on Tuesday June 8th

Example from Santa Barbara 

Template: Please personalize as you like

To: councilmtgitems@smgov.net, sue.himmelrich@smgov.net, kristin.mccowan@smgov.net, phil.brock@smgov.net, gleam.davis@smgov.net, oscar.delatorre@smgov.net, Kevin.McKeown@smgov.net, christine.parra@smgov.net

Dear Mayor and Santa Monica City Council,

As a Santa Monica resident, I support the pilot to pedestrianize Main Street for a few weekends this summer and hope you will consider making it permanent. Pedestrianized streets are more vibrant and encourage people to visit by foot, bicycle or scooter and leave their car at home. Pedestrian streets improve the visitor experience, encourage people to stay and bring in more customers to shops and restaurants. Streets that are pedestrianized are much more relaxing and enjoyable to visit and eat outdoors than a street with the noise and pollution of car traffic.

I very much support this program and ask that you vote to approve of the pilot on Main Street!