Category Archives: Meeting

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!

Open House: Stewart / Pennsylvania Bike & Pedestrian Project

Please join us at an Open House hosted by City of Santa Monica for the Stewart and Pennsylvania Avenue Bike and Pedestrian Improvement project. There are two dates you can attend, December 14th or December 18th. There is also an interactive map to review and provide comments online. We were excited to give input to help shape the project to date and look forward to community input to help further build a project that will best serve equitable mobility in a safer, healthy and active Santa Monica. Together we can create a safe and friendly community for everyone.

Project Goal:
Walk & Bike Pedestrian improvements for Stewart and Pennsylvania Avenues

This project aims to make improvements that will connect local neighborhoods to transit facilities, bikeways, schools, parks, and employment opportunities. The Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE), Bicycle Action Plan (BAP), Bergamot Area Plan, and Pedestrian Action Plan all identify Stewart Street and Pennsylvania Avenue to include safety enhancements for pedestrians and bicyclists of all ages and abilities. This project plans to implement those improvements.

Project Elements:
•  Add new sidewalks, and pedestrian scale lighting on Pennsylvania Avenue between 26th Street and Stewart Street.
•  Enhance bike facility to a protected bikeway on Stewart Street between Colorado Avenue and Kansas Avenue to accommodate riders of all ages and abilities.
•  Enhance intersections at Stewart/Nebraska and Colorado/Yale.

We encourage you to check out the interactive map to review the project and provide comment.
Upcoming open house information session flyers:
•  Virginia Avenue Park Library Annex Saturday, December 14, 2019 from 2:30 PM – 5:00 PM
•  Edison Language Academy Wednesday, December 18, 2019 from 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM

Wilshire Safety Study Community Meeting: June 8th

Community Engagement Public Meeting 1

The City of Santa Monica is conducting a roadway safety analysis for Wilshire Boulevard between Ocean Ave. and Centinela Ave. We want your help to identify safety issues and concerns!

Please join us and attend this first community workshop on June 8th at Reed Park Auditorium (1133 7th Street, Santa Monica). The meeting is open house format, so drop-in anytime.

In 2019 there will be a series of community engagement opportunities and outreach to help inform this project. Want to get involved? Please sign-up for project information at the weblink (below). Stay tuned for the second of these two larger community meetings this fall – 2019.

For those who can’t make it, there will be opportunities to provide comments online, or you can e-mail directly at safe.wilshire@smgov.net.

This effort is part of the citywide safety initiative called Take the Friendly Road.

See our event page HERE

Provide transportation safety input via the Take the Friendly Road interactive map.
Live or work in the neighborhood and want to participate in the community listening workshops?
– Click here to sign up for City updates
– Contact the project team at Safe.Wilshire@smgov.net

Count down to Bike Week: Bike to Work Day and Bike From Work HandleBar Happy Hour – May 16th!!

Next Tuesday May 14th for the fourth year running, Santa Monica Mayor and City Council Officially Proclaim May as Bike Month in Santa Monica! We hope you will join us! Info is HERE

See our Local Bike Month Map for all the morning Bike to Work Day Pitstops in Santa Monica and the Metro LA Map for Pitstops all over LA County!

So happy to have BikeMS join us and sponsor appetizers at our Annual Bike From Work #HBHH – this year at Tiato. See the event info HERE

Meeting Saturday April 27th – Please join us!

Click image for location info and any last minute updates.

Please join us for a gathering to get updates and receive your input.
Find out more about Santa Monica Spoke and Santa Monica Safe Street Alliance: community engagement, education, outreach, volunteer opportunities, Bike Month.

We will be joined by Santa Monica City Mobility staff to receive exciting updates on the launch of the “Take the Friendly Road” Campaign – with the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities by 2026, updates on bike, pedestrian and safety projects and specifically the Safe Streets for 17th Street and Michigan Ave Project as well as the Bike Action Plan and more.

Doors open with coffee, juice and bagels, door prizes, Bike month info.
Meeting concludes with 30 minutes for unstructured socializing and Q&A from 11:30-noon

Children are welcome. We will have kid friendly art activities for the little ones

  • Help us be sustainable. Please consider bringing your own cup and plate. As always we will provide plates and cups as well.