Category Archives: bicycles

Help improve safety on Pacific Coast Highway

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The City of Malibu in collaboration with Southern California Association of Governments is preparing a safety study with recommended improvements along PCH. During Phase 2 of this online tool, we are asking that you take a moment to provide input on the corridorwide issues as well as the study area specific recommended solutions identified.
One of the issues is to prioritize and create action items to address Pedestrian Safety & Bicycle Accommodations. This is a simple survey that can help us add safety and equity for all road users on PCH. You need not fill in all topics.

This corridor is highly utilized for all kinds of people on bikes. Your input can help create a safer PCH.

Click HERE or on the image below to get to the survey.
Screen Shot 2013-08-23 at 12.36.21 PM

 

Silver Level Bike Friendly Community designation!

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Santa Monica moves up to Silver Level in Bike Friendly Communities
and named 5th Most Bikeable City in U.S

During all the celebrations of National Bike Month and to kick off Bike to Work Week, the League of American Bicyclists announced its latest round of Bicycle Friendly Communities (BFC). The City of Santa Monica has been awarded national recognition of our local efforts by raising our ranking from Bronze to Silver level. At the same time Walk Score, a national organization devoted to promoting walkable neighborhoods, ranked Santa Monica at #5 on its Bike Score list of Top 100 most bikeable cities.

The Bicycle Friendly Community “Silver” award will be presented to Mayor Pam O’Connor by our own Jennifer Klausner, Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition on Wednesday, May 15th at 5pm in the courtyard behind Santa Monica City Hall, 1685 Main Street, Santa Monica.  Before the award presentation you are invited to join us and SM City staff on a bicycle tour highlighting new bicycle facilities during Bike Week. Cyclists are invited to gather for the ride at 3:30pm in the courtyard behind City Hall.  We roll out at 4pm to return by 5pm for the award ceremony. After the ceremony you are in invited to join us for a Handlebar Happy Hour Celebration at West 4th & Jane.

“The Bicycle Friendly Community Silver award is presented only to communities with remarkable commitments to bicycling. You should be very proud of this accomplishment,” wrote Nicole Wynands, Program Manager for the League of American Bicyclists.

The City earned an impressive 83 Bike Score from Walk Score. This rating is derived from a data set that includes infrastructure, hilly terrain, numbers of bikers on streets and more.

“Santa Monica has embraced bicycling as one of the most important strategies to help achieve its environmental, economic and quality of life goals and adopted an award-winning Bike Action Plan in November 2011.  Since then, the City has invested heavily in bicycling, in both programs: education, events, awareness, enforcement, –and facilities: parking, lanes, sharrows, and signal detection” quoted the press release by Lucy Dyke, Planning & Community Development.

For more information on Bike Week Events and bicycling in Santa Monica:
Bike Month Santa Monica, SM Spoke
Bike Santa Monica, SM City

For more information on Bicycle Friendly Communities:
http://www.bikeleague.org/

For more information on Bike Score:
http://blog.walkscore.com/2013/05/bike-score-expands-to-100-cities/

 

Monday Events: Free Bike Checks

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Fix your bike day events

Helen’s Cycles, 26th and Broadway
Bicycle safety checks from 7:30AM – 10AM, coupon good for $25 off a basic tune-up. Same free safety checks and coupons on Thursday Bike to Work Day.

Cynergy – Santa Monica Blvd at Cloverfield
special deals and discounts for bike month

Santa Monica Bike Center, 2nd and Colorado
Free bike safety checks all week and $10 off tune ups, not including parts

Team Bike Attack, Main Street
Free Air and Oil, Free Quick Inspections from 10am – 7pm

Performance Bicycles – 5th and Broadway
Free safety checks through Monday 5?13 plus special deals and discounts for bike month

Zone3 Multisport, 3216 Santa Monica Blvd.,
Free inspections 1-5pm

 

 

May is BIKE MONTH!

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Still basking in the afterglow of CicLAvia? While we wait for the next one in June …

May is National BIKE MONTH!!

TheLEAGUE-BikeMonth

Sponsored by the League of American Bicyclist, National Bike Month is an opportunity to celebrate the unique power of the bicycle and the many reasons we ride. Whether you bike to work or school; to save money or time; to preserve your health or the environment; to explore your community or get to your destination, get involved in Bike Month in your city or state — and help get more people in your community out riding too!

 

We have a Bike Month Tab here on SM Spoke to keep you updated on the local events here in Santa Monica as well as in and around LA. There are lots of events and rides planned for Bike Week sponsored by Metro here in Los Angeles County, and LOTS of special events planned here in Santa Monica!

More on Bike Month Bingo and 2013 National Bike Challenge (join Santa Monica Bike Center team), and many more local events, links to resources and specials!
If you have an event let us know and we will post it.

CicLAvia: Feeder Rides from Santa Monica & the Westside UPDATED

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CicLAvia is THIS SUNDAY, April 21st. 3 Feeder rides

Whether you ride with us or get there on your own – don’t miss it!
CicLAvia celebrates the streets of Los Angeles for everyone!  Temporarily limiting the access of motor vehicles and opening the streets to all users – walking, wheelchairs, skates, bikes, scooters, skate boards, strollers – you name it!
For more info visit CicLAvia’s web site, CicLAvia to the Sea on Facebook

Santa Monica Spoke: Meet at the Colorado Center Park,
Entrance at corner of Broadway & 26th Street
Pre-CicLAvia Kick off party Coffee and breakfast,
8:00am party, roll out 9:15am. 

We are SUPER excited about this CicLAvia to the Sea! Instead of starting our usual feeder ride at the Santa Monica Pier Canon, this time we will start further east at the Colorado Center Park at Broadway and 26th (across from Helen’s Cycles). We will partner with our friends at Helen’s to host a Morning Pre-CicLAvia kick-off party! We’ll serve coffee and snacks, and we will have PRIZES! Helen’s is sponsoring a special CicLAvia prize raffle as a fund raiser for Santa Monica Spoke. YUP! you can have your coffee, snacks, win prizes, enjoy a day of Open Streets at CicLAvia and help Santa Monica Spoke all on the same day! SUPER RIGHT???
Our route will travel west on Broadway and go by the Santa Monica Bike Center, the Canon at the top of the Santa Monica Pier, and the Santa Monica Beach Bike Campus. You can meet us at any of those locations if you miss the kick off party. We would love to have a GREAT BIG GROUP as we travel to the Windward Circle Hub where we join the
CicLAvia Route!
facebook event here
Question? Email us here

Bike it Walk it: Meet at the Santa Monica Beach Bike Campus
9:30am – roll out 9:45am

This group will gather to bike together to CicLAvia at the Santa Monica Bike Campus, 1 Ocean Park Blvd (across from Perry’s). Family/Cyclist can park at Beach lot 5 South (usual fee). They will decide the route based on the skill level of the group. (Beach Path or Main Street bike lane)
This group will also lead a return ride that meets at the Windward Circle Hub at 12:30pm. They will ride back to the Beach Bike Campus together from there.
Please click here to RSVP for this ride

UCLA Bike Coalition: Meet at the Bruin Bear
9:15am roll out 9:30am

The UCLA Bicycle Coalition is collaborating with LACBC to do a feeder ride from UCLA through Westwood to Venice. They meet at the Bruin Bear at 9:15 and roll out at 9:30. They’ll ride down Westwood Blvd to pick up folks from nearby neighborhoods. Everyone is welcome, please spread the word! facebook event here

If you know of other local rides let us know we will post it.
Also CicLAvia has a TRIP PLANNER PAGE with all kinds of info on the many ways to connect to the event. 

Info on light rail & bus routes to or from CicLAvia

Big Blue Bus Rapid 10 takes the frwy downtown LA to Santa Monica FAST!
Metro 720 route DT Santa Monica south, Venice Blvd to downtown & Union Station
Light Rail: Connect to the Expo Line Culver City Station (timetable) then 
Big Blue Bus Rapid 20 to DT SM, Rapid 12 (to Westwood) or Route 12 (Westwood and Palms)
Bike Venice Blvd Bike lane west.  
Metro 733 route to Santa Monica on Wilshire Blvd from downtown LA

Stuff to bring:

  • helmut (for feeder ride or children under 18)
  • sun screen
  • cash
  • spare tube/ patch kit
  • hydration
  • any special tools your bike requires!

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