Category Archives: Pedestrian Action Plan

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

Updates on MANGo, BIKE SHARE, Bike Action Plan (BAP),
Esplanade & MORE

BikeShareMeeting
Regional Bike Share Stakeholder Meeting
Westside COG

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.

LOCATION:
Fairview Branch Library,  2101 Ocean Park Blvd
DATE:
Saturday, December 7th, 2013
TIME:
10:30-12:30pm

Doors Open at 10:30am for refreshments
We will start the morning with coffee and bagels

11:00 am Presentations will start  (order may change slightly)

  • 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.

MANGO FESTIVAL 2Mango FestivalSMW logo Square

Santa Monica Walking Train: Santa Monica Walks! October 26th, 2013

SMW logo Square

Santa Monica Walking Train with Santa Monica Walks! & Santa Monica Next

Saturday, October 26
Meet: 3:30 p.m in front of the new library in Virginia Avenue Park, 2200 Virginia Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Walk: Three miles, checking out Expo Line construction, Pico Neighborhood and the brand-new Tongva Park with Grace Philips & Gary Kavanagh (you can take the Big Blue Bus #7 back to the start, or vice versa)
Beers: 6:30 p.m. at Chez Jay, 1657 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90401
See who’s coming and invite friends on Facebook

Los Angeles Walks promoted the month of “Walktober” with a series of events. Los Angeles Walks joins Santa Monica Walks and Santa Monica Next who are co-hosting an event here in our own fair city.
Beginning at Virginia Park the group will take a walking tour along construction of phase II Expo Line light rail and along Michigan Ave. in the Pico neighborhood where the “Michigan Avenue Neighborhood Greenway Project (MANGo) is proposed. Enjoy hearing about MANGo and a bit of history on the neighborhood which had rail service back in the day, and how the building of the 10 freeway divided not only one of our most diverse neighborhoods but is still a source of disruptive devision in our city today despite it’s benefits.

The walk will conclude at the BEAUTIFUL new Tongva Park overlooking Ocean Ave., with the arrival planned around sunset when the park truly shines. Stick around for drinks after at Chez Jay.

la_walks_website1     SMNxt 700

Santa Monica High School Improvements for Safe Routes to School

Santa Monica High School Improvements for walking, biking and Safe Routes to School

March 11, 2013, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm, Civic Center Auditorium

SRTS Santa MonicaPlease join us for a discussion on improving the area around Samohi to encourage more walking and biking. Good for kids – good for the community!

Light snacks will be served.
Bike Parking will be provided.
Big Blue Bus Routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8 and 9

Civic Center Auditorium
1855 Main St., (access parking through Main St.)

RSVP and Questions: Michelle Glickert at michelle.glickert@smgov.net or call 310.458.2204

Transportation Impact Fee, $134 million for traffic improvements

Update: 2/27 City Council voted unanimously to approve the TIF ordinance. Great job!
Important action: Tuesday February 26 –

 

On Tuesday February 26, Santa Monica City Council will be considering an Ordinance to establish a Transportation Impact Fee (TIF) that if approved will go into effect this May.

The Transportation Impact Fee on new development will require projects to pay their fair share of transportation network improvements necessary to relieve traffic congestion and support walking, biking and transit use.  The fee would partially fund the $134 million in costs associated with improvements to the walking, bicycle, transit and vehicle system needed to address congestion and transportation safety in Santa Monica. The fee is recommended in the LUCE and was requested by the Council years ago.  It will fund $34 million in bike improvements, $25 million in pedestrian improvements and additional transit, vehicle and transportation demand management projects. It is important to get community support for the TIF as we suspect an organized vocal opposition.

I hope you will join us, and many of the Neighborhood Councils and Organizations in writing to Council to support approving the ordinance. I have included our letter of support.
Send your letters to Council@smgov.net

We encourage folks to attend and speak at the Council meeting Tuesday evening. It is agenda item 7-E and expected to come up for comment around 7:30pm.

City Hall Council Chambers 2nd Floor
Council Meeting Agenda: http://www.smgov.net/departments/council/agendas/2013/20130226/a20130226.htm
Staff Report – Item 7-E:    Introduction and first reading of an ordinance to establish a Transportation Impact Fee to facilitate developer contributions to transportation network improvements and the achievement of no net new trips in the afternoon peak hour.
http://www.smgov.net/departments/council/agendas/2013/20130226/s2013022607-E.pdf 

TIF

Re: Transportation Impact Fee Agenda Item 7-E
Hearing Date: February 26th, 2013

We support the Transportation Impact Fee on new development that will require projects to pay their fair share of transportation network improvements necessary to relieve traffic congestion and support walking, biking and transit use.

The required nexus study and ordinance before the Council, along with an economic study requested by the business community substantially address concerns about the impact of the fee on development feasibility. We believe the TIF is careful to respect existing land uses, and ONLY charges when a land use is intensified, and gives credit for existing on-site uses when they are demolished.  When businesses change over (retail to restaurant and vice versa – NO TIF WILL BE CHARGED). The study shows that the fee has an insubstantial impact on developer profit.

If we want to create a safe and sustainable city where we are not continually dominated by traffic congestion we must prioritize our environment and its people and support alternate transportation modes in Santa Monica. Neighborhood serving retail will generate demand for walking, biking trips and should pay a fair share of the network and safety improvements. This was studied extensively In response to concerns raised by the Chamber.

As we all know City Hall is tightening budgets and money is getting more scarce. With new transit oriented development, we must invest in transportation diversity to achieve No Net New PM Peak Period Vehicle trips as envisioned in the LUCE. Because the LUCE created a shift to multi-family on the boulevards, exempting multi-family will make it impossible to collect the funds necessary achieve No Net New peak vehicle trips. New development is creating new vehicle trips and should be responsible for safety and traffic mitigating network improvements. It is indeed the developers and their tenants (commercial and residential) that will benefit form these improvements that ultimately make Santa Monica a safer more livable city for everyone. New multi-family projects will depend extensively on pedestrian, bike and transit improvements funded by the TIF. The current market trends show a very strong climate for multi-family housing development, exemptions are not needed to encourage housing production. It is appropriate that the TIF as proposed exempts very low and low income housing units (including required affordable housing units in market rate projects)

The transportation Impact fee is urgently needed - we need increased walking, biking and transit to minimize any new vehicle trips and create a more comfortable city for everyone. Just imagine a city where streets and sidewalks are comfortable and inviting, even for the most vulnerable street users such as seniors and children, and streets that have facilities where bikes can travel safely and in harmony with motorized traffic without the current intolerably high levels of congestion. The fee is especially needed given the arrival of Expo which will increase the number of residents and visitors walking and biking. Our community has made it clear we want a more sustainable city where we can all move safely – whether we choose to walk, bike, take transit or drive to meet our daily needs. We must envision the future where we provide safe and appropriate facilities for all Santa Monicans. New development can contribute a meaningful share of needed improvements. Studies prepared show that the proposed transportation fee has no substantial impact on developer profit. It’s time to adopt this fee to make sure that new development contributes to our future safety and mobility.

Santa Monica remains very desirable to developers and is one of the few jurisdictions in the area without any transportation impact fee for new development – West LA and Culver City are larger, less condensed and less geographically constrained than Santa Monica and don’t have the same challenges. Comparing TIFs in those cities cannot be considered relevant. Even WLA is actively working on updating their fees and anticipate increases and reduced exemptions. The Council requested TIFs to be established over 5 years ago, it’s long overdue. Cities all around us have Transportation Impact Fees and it’s time Santa Monica did too.

 

 

Saturday Feb 9th! Find out what’s up – CELEBRATE BIKES

A full day: Food, Fun, Info, Music and Ice Cream?!IMG_0491-SQ
– Bike Action Plan Review and Forecast 2013
– New Project Michigan Avenue Neighborhood Greenway
– Bike Parade to Grand Opening Ocean Park Blvd
Complete Green Street!

We’ve been hard at work coordinating this fun and informative bikey day! There will be lots of information to engage you while you have FUN and ENJOY the day with us. We need your input and support so COME OUT AND PLAY THIS SATURDAY!

Doors open at 11:00 with coffee and cinnamon rolls and lively discussion on our Bike Action Plan & exciting new projects.
At 12:00pm the pizza arrives and we get a very special presentation on our next big proposed project “The Michigan Avenue Neighborhood Greenway”
At 1:30 we hop on our bikes for a bike parade over to the Grand Opening Party for the Ocean Park Blvd Complete Green Street at 2:00pm

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Colorado Community Room,
502 Colorado,
Bike parking in the patio

 

Program:

11:00am      Doors open with coffee and homemade cinnamon rolls

Lets go for Platinum!

Lets go for Platinum!

11:15am       We are excited to once again have Lucy Dyke and City staff give us a review of the wonderful new bike projects and lanes stripped in 2012 and feedback and input from us as we look forward to what you want to see prioritized in 2013!
We have invited Santa Monica’s newest SMPD Bike liaison to be with us to participate and be available for discussions.
12:00pm      Pizza!
12:15pm      Settle in to hear about our exciting Michigan Avenue Neighborhood Greenway! Jason Kligier will give us an over view on the ideas and potentials of AWESOME project and how we can help make it happen!
1:15pm        WE JUMP ON BIKES AND ROLL OUT AT 1:30pm. It’s time for the bike parade to the Grand Opening of the Ocean Park Blvd Complete Green Street, and beautiful GREEN BIKE LANES!.
2:00pm       We arrive at the Ocean Park Blvd Complete Green Street Grand Opening where we will celebrate and be treated to live jazz music and ice cream from the Peddlers Creamery. Ocean Park Blvd between 5th & 6th (in front of SMASH/John Muir Schools)

Free Bike Valet provided by the City of Santa Monica.

OPASTREET

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