MANGo will be presented to City Council
Tuesday, February 11th

More info on City Council meeting and how you can help support the project will post soon.

SAVE THE DATE: January 7th 2014, evening
IMPORTANT MANGo Meeting

The City and Consultant Team will host this last Community Meeting to go over the concepts and plans for the Michigan Ave Neighborhood Greenway: MANGo!
Whether you have participated in the past or this is your first view of the project – we urge you join us to provide needed support for the project with your attendance and input.

This is the last public community meeting scheduled on the project before it is presented to Council on February 11. We would like to invite you to join us in support of this major community investment and hear first hand the benefits and concepts it proposes for the Pico Neighborhood, place making for people, connectivity for bikes and a grand benefit our Community at large.

For more information, please visit http://www.smgov.net/michigan or contact Jason Kligier, AICP at 310-458-8341 or jason.kligier@smgov.net

Place: Virginia Avenue Park, 2200 Virginia Avenue
Day: Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Time: 7 pm to 8:30 pm

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Meeting updates: 

Jason from the City of Santa Monica and Amber from the consulting team gave a presentation summarizing the project and the results of the POP-UP MANGo event at each of the last 2 meetings. It was suggested at the December 9th meeting that the city may be considering turn restorations instead of traffic diversion at 11th & Michigan Ave. The small yet vocal contingent in PNA gave a brief talk of on a survey they circulated against any traffic diversion and Barbara Filet (who lives on Michigan Ave) gave a brief talk on her results of the same survey that overwhelming supports traffic diversion. This survey which has no explanation of what traffic diversion is, how it could be accomplished, or its intended results – (how ever well intentioned) we considered flawed and biased and against any traffic diversion even to test – I believe these opposing results support our claim that the survey is biased and we should put more weight on the results collected at MANGo by the professionals tasked to collect informed and balanced community input. A least a couple people at the 12/9 meeting thought the different results of the surveys collected by PNA and BF raised questions about the validity of the survey. There were at least 2 marketing professionals at the meeting that agreed the survey is flawed. 

There was a good attendance by the local bike community.
A number of people did speak eloquently in support of more safety for peds and cyclists — including a student from Samohi
Grace Phillips of Bike it Walk it & SM Walks, made the point that the city and council should prioritize public safety and health above the convenience of drivers. 
Dr Scott Reiter (SMSpoke) spoke out for public health and safety – GO Scotty! 
Barbara Filet gave a great pitch for the necessity of creating a safer Michigan, and the dream she found many share – to see Michigan Ave become a true asset for the community.
Kent Strumpell spoke and praised the set of options the city had identified, including diversion. He voiced his satisfaction of the pop-up MANGo event and how this gave people a chance to actually see the proposed modifications, ask questions and learn about them and how polling at MANGo found 55% support for diversion.
Oscar de la Torre (PNA & School Board) spoke in support of finding solutions and collaboration – possible traffic mitigations could be coordinated with SRTS planning around SAMOHI – like more drop off zones (on Olympic Dr).

Also resurrected conversations about replacing the 7 Street bridge across the 10 FRWY – but at best that is a ways off. 

A few sparks did fly as those in opposition to traffic diversion are taking our challenge to their survey and input to support to al least test traffic diversion as attacks on them personally.
Not intended –

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Presentation and Feedback on MANGo, Meeting Dec 9th, 7pm

Second opportunity on a presentation of the initial results from the MANGo POP-UP Greenway!

Additionally your support and input is needed to balance efforts of a small yet vocal group from within the Pico Neighborhood Assoc. who are attempting to derail efforts to any experiment of traffic diversion. The input collected from mostly residents during MANGo supports traffic diversion by 55%. It would seem inappropriate to not even entertain this option that received so much support. Traffic diversion is widely accepted as a excellent tool to reduce traffic volumes, congestion and pollution on neighborhood streets and can be accomplished with minimal disruption to those that live in the area. If the neighborhood is willing to accept diversion as a tool (as is indicated in the MANGo results) to help eliminate cut through traffic and move toward having safer healthier streets with less traffic it should at minimum be allowed to be implemented as a test.
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Diverters restrict auto access in order to reduce cut-through traffic. They can allow bicyclists full access. Diversion may be necessary if we are to lower traffic counts on Michigan, between 11th and Lincoln, from an outrageous 4200+ cars per day to the more neighborhood scaled 1,000 or less cars per day. With less than 1,000 cars per day, pedestrians, most people on bicycles, including children, can comfortably share the road and result in a quieter, safer and healthier neighborhood.

Santa Monica city staff will present an update on the Michigan Avenue Neighborhood Greenway. The project will enhance Michigan Avenue and nearby streets to become a safe walk/bike route to the beach for this neighborhood and the community.

   

Videos from the Sept. 21 MANGo Pop-Up Street event:

Pop-Up MANGo Tactical Urbanism                  MANGo Greenway

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Local Update Meeting, December 7, 2013: MANGo, BIKE SHARE, BAP & MORE

We invite you to join us, City Staff and our special guest, Santa Monica’s former Mayor, Assemblyman Richard Bloom who will give an update about regional Bike Share, Santa Monica’s leading roll and his commitment and leadership for a successful and truly regional system. Also we will get a peek at initial results from MANGo Pop Up Greenway, first event of its kind in the region (Michigan Avenue Neighborhood Greenway project).

Presentations on projects aimed to create more  livable streets and improve the environment for pedestrians and bikes. Get inofrmed and give your input on prioritizing and projects that are important to you at anytime during the meeting via post it and written ballots.
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11:00 am Presentations will start 

• Bike Share, Assemblyman Richard Bloom
• MANGo results, Jason Kligier
• Samohi Safe Routes to School SRTS, plus integration to MANGo, Francie Stefan
• Bike Action Plan, implementation, prioritization, GREEN LANES, Lucy Dyke
• Esplanade, Cycle tracks, intersection improvements,  Joanna Hankamer
• Pedestrian Action Plan Community outreach survey, Santa Monica Walks, Grace Phillips

We will invite the SMPD bike liaison to attend who can address questions and clarification you may have regarding enforcement and ticketing.

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