Category Archives: S.A.F.E

Governor Vetoes Complete Streets Bill – Chooses Against Safety

For Immediate Release: October 12, 2019

SB 127: Gov. Gavin Newsom VETOES “COMPLETE STREETS” BILL

SACRAMENTO, Calif.– Late this evening, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed the Complete Streets for Active Living Bill (Senate Bill 127) championed by Sen. Scott Wiener.

The bill would have required the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to consider bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements when it repairs or repaves state routes that serve as local streets. This bill aimed to ensure state roads that run through local communities (e.g. 19th Avenue in San Francisco, Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, San Pablo Avenue in the East Bay, Santa Rosa Street in San Luis Obispo) are safe for people to walk, bike and use wheelchairs along those routes.

The Complete Streets for Active Living Bill had strong and widespread support. A recent poll found that 78% of California voters support a policy requiring safety improvements when improving a road. They want children to be able to safely walk or bike to school. Hundreds of schools exist within a half-mile of a California State Route and these streets remain some of the deadliest in the state.

Linda Khamoushian, Senior Policy Advocate, California Bicycle Coalition,:
“Gov. Newsom’s decision blatantly ignores the immense support for this critical policy change. People risk their lives everyday just to walk or bike along dangerous state-owned streets. Without more aggressive complete streets policies, our transportation system will continue to operate business as usual. SB 127 was a rare opportunity to create livable streets for everyone. This decision was ill-informed by the faulty cost estimates from Caltrans that were proven illogical based on actual practice, and unfortunately will only perpetuate distrust without resolution. Communities demanded better from the Governor, but now are left in the dust.”

Jamie Morgan, Government Relations Regional Lead, American Heart Association:
“Californians want safer, more livable streets that support local businesses and local jobs. They want the ability to walk and bike safely. By vetoing SB 127, Gov. Newsom missed out on the opportunity to create more livable streets for our children, our residents and our communities.”

Tony Dang, Executive Director, California Walks:
“We are appalled by Governor Newsom’s decision to derail SB 127 despite overwhelming support by the public and the Legislature. Families and children deserve to be able to walk, bike, and cross their community’s local and main streets without fear–the veto of SB127 lets Caltrans off the hook and leaves the safety of our vulnerable residents to chance.”

Margo Pedroso, Deputy Director, Safe Routes Partnership:
“The Safe Routes Partnership is so disappointed that Governor Newsom vetoed the Complete Streets for Active Living Bill into law. As SB 127 made its way through the legislative process, it became clear that legislators understood this bill would create safe routes for everyone when Caltrans repaired state highways in populated areas. This legislation was a common-sense and cost-effective way to get more kids and families walking and biking to school safely when those schools are located next to state highways.”

COMPLETE STREETS BACKGROUND

In California from 2007-2013, nearly 1.7 million people were injured in traffic incidents, including 95,758 while walking along or across the street. In those crashes, 22,117 people were killed, with pedestrians accounting for one-fifth of the total persons killed. The problem is often concentrated around Caltrans roads that go through low-income neighborhoods where more people get around via transit, biking and walking.

Caltrans often claims to make streets safer when they repair them. But in practice, they prioritize fast traffic over the communities demanding more livable streets almost every single time. The Complete Streets for Active Living Bill would have brought safety improvements necessary to stop the killing and maiming on state-owned roads.

SB 127 Co-Sponsors:
California Bicycle Coalition, California Walks, American Heart Association, AARP, Safe Routes Partnership

Contact:
Linda Khamoushian, California Bicycle Coalition, 916-668-9401, linda@calbike.org
Tony Dang, California Walks, 510-464-8052, tony@calwalks.org
Jamie Morgan, American Heart Association, 916-431-2359, Jamie.Morgan@heart.org
David Azevedo, AARP, 626-616-9539, dazevedo@aarp.org
Margo Pedroso, Safe Routes Partnership, 301-292-1043, margo@saferoutespartnership.org

Supporting Organizations: 350 Bay Area Action, 350 Silicon Valley, Active SGV, American Lung Association in California , Alameda County Transportation Commission, Berkeley Climate Hub, Bicycling Monterey, Bike Bakersfield, Bike Concord, Bike East Bay, Bike San Diego, Bike Santa Cruz County, Bike SLO County, BikeVentura, California Alliance for Retired Americans, California City Transportation Initiative/NACTO, California Democratic Party, California Interfaith Power & Light, California Park and Recreation Society, California ReLeaf, CALSTART Inc., CALPIRG, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Stockton, Cedars, Center for Climate Change and Health, Central California Asthma Collaborative, City Heights Community Development Corp., City of Encinitas, City of Half Moon Bay, City of Long Beach, City of Los Angeles, City of Oakland, City of Sacramento, City and County of San Francisco, City of Santa Monica, City of San Luis Obispo, Climate Action Campaign, ClimatePlan, Climate Resolve, Coalition for Clean Air, Coalition for Sustainable Transportation-Santa Barbara, Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities, Costa Mesa Alliance for Better Streets, Compton Unified School District, Cultiva La Salud, Davis Bike Club, Day One, East Bay Recreational Park District, Elders Climate Action (NorCal), Environment California, Fossil Free California, Inland Empire Biking Alliance, Investing in Place, Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, La Verne Bicycle Coalition, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, Local Government Commission, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, Los Angeles Walks, Lyft Inc., Marin County Bicycle Coalition, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, Move LA, Napa County Bicycle Coalition, Natural Resources Defense Council, Office of Mayor London Breed – San Francisco, Orange County Bicycle Coalition, Office of the Mayor, San Francisco, Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition, Planning and Conservation League, PeopleforBikes, PolicyLink, Public Advocates, Redwood Community Action Agency, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Rural Counties Representative of California, Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates, San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, San Francisco Transportation Municipal Agency, San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco Planning Department, SFBA Families for Safe Streets, Santa Monica Spoke, Save The Bay, Seamless Bay Area, Shasta Living Streets, Sierra Club California, Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition, Sunflower Alliance, Transform, Transportation Agency for Monterey County, Trust for Public Land, Vision Zero Network, Walk Bike Berkeley, Walk & Bike Mendocino, Walk Oakland Bike Oakland, Walk Sacramento, Walk San Francisco, and Walk Long Beach.

TELL THE GOVERNOR TO SIGN THE COMPLETE STREETS BILL TODAY!

Santa Monica Spoke joined CalBike and 80+ organizations in support in support of Complete Streets Bill SB 127. Collectively we believe that local streets should include safe space for people who walk, bike or scoot, not just fast-moving cars. We have support from major cities as well as rural/suburban, along with endorsements from elected officials. Many of you have been posting, retweeting, blogging, and putting out action alerts. This has resulted in hundreds of calls and nearly 2500 emails to the Governor’s office. 

If you agree, please email Governor Newsom and ask him to sign the Complete Streets Bill, SB 127. This bill will require Caltrans to serve the interests of all road users when it repairs or repaves local streets it controls.

Caltrans has resisted this bill. Governor Newsom needs to hear from you that you want Complete Streets today!

SB 127 has been sitting on the Governor’s desk waiting for a signature (and attention among all the rest of the headliners) – at this point we know he is hearing about the issue and may be briefed as early as tomorrow.  But the Caltrans fiscal impact issue still looms. While Calbike and Coalition partners have provided information to counter the Caltrans inflated estimate and the Dept of Finance flawed analysis, we still have convincing to do, especially pointing to the degree of need. 

Time for a big push directed at the Governor. There are multiple posts on the CalBike twitter page you can retweet, or create your own as some partners have done (thanks, Transform!). Please tag  @CAgovernor @GavinNewsom and @ScottWiener, and #SB127 and #completestreets.

Tell Governor Newsom to sign SB 127, the Complete Streets Bill. 

The more people who email Newsom, the more he’ll know that the people of California are holding him to account when he says “If anyone is wondering if climate change is real, come to California.”

(Feel free to customize the email with your own experience of riding and walking on Caltrans streets!)

Click here to send your email to Gov. Newsome today!

Interactive Safety Map – add your concerns!

Click on map

Calling all road users: people walking, biking, driving cars or scooters! The City of Santa Monica launched an interactive map to provide input on where our communities problem areas are as we studying how to best improve road safety in Santa Monica. We shared this at our last meeting and as part of the Wilshire Blvd. Safety Study outreach. We’ve had some great input – have you given yours? We are asking you to use this new interactive map tool to report any safety concerns you may have through out all of Santa Monica.
Check it out at santamonica.gov/friendlyroad

Happy Bike to Work Week Santa Monica!

Some Thursday Morning Pit Stops are moving to Friday – Please check back!

Thursday May 16th
Santa Monica Bike to Work Day Pit Stops 2019,
9th Annual Bike FROM Work Handlebar Happy Hour at Tiato.
Breeze Bike Share Connect â€” Free Ride* time all day , Bike to Work Day*out of hub fees still apply
Big Blue Bus – Bring your bike or helmet and ride for free!

Friday May 17th
Santa Monica Bike to Work Day Pit Stops 2019

List of Bike Week, Bike Month & Bike Local SM Specials – Join us in Celebrating May, Bike Month in Santa Monica!

SM City Council: Bike Month Proclamation We invite you to join us at City Council May 14th to Proclaim May as Bike Month in Santa Monica! Info & rsvp HERE

Bike Ride with City Manager to Celebrate Green Lanes!
May 18 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

The City of Santa Monica is expanding its green lane network by installing 19 miles of new green bicycle lanes at various locations throughout the city. Free ride time on Breeze for this event – click HERE for more info.

Stay up to date on Bike Month Events, Promotion or Bike to Work Day Pitstop or HandleBar Happy Hour #HBHH on our Calendar!
New events still being added!

2019, Santa Monica Bike Month & Bike to Work Day Pit Stop Map:

Metro LA Pit Stop Map

note: if you know of other Pit Stops not listed – lets us know and we will add them!


Pit Stops on Thursday May 16th

Pilatesmith*
8:00am -10am, At Pilatesmith at 2110 Main St, Santa Monica
Stop by Pilatesmith for some cool hydration and a free core workout! We’ll have cold drinks from our friends at RECOVƎR 180 and offer you a 5-minute Mat Pilates core workout so you start your day feeling fresh and strong! And ask any of our team members about our intro offers!
http://pilatesmithstudio.com 


Helen’s Cycles â€“ Thursday & Friday
8:00am  â€“ 10:30am, front of our store – 2501 Broadway
Food, Drinks, Nutrition, support


Tradesy, Inc.
8:30am  â€“ 10:00am, 1217 2nd Street
Drinks, water, coffee, donuts, music (a DJ) and cool Tradesy swag give-aways.
http://tradesy.com


Gelson’s Market
9:00am – 11:00am, 2627 Lincoln Blvd. Santa Monica
We will have water, snacks, and giveaways.
http://Gelsons.com


Afternoon pitstops ——


Montalba Architects
4:00pm – 5:30pm – 26th/ Bergamot Metro Platform
Bike Month materials, swag, Vitamin Water and Lara Bars
www.montalbaarchitects.com/


Pedal 4 the Planet – Global Green
4:00pm – 5:00pm – Flywheel 520 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Pedal 4 the Planet – Charity spin ride at Flywheel Santa Monica on May 16th. It’s a 45 Free spin class followed by a happy hour and fun raffle!
https://www.mixr.net/mixr/pedal-4-the-planet-flywheel-santa-monica/ 

Pit Stops on Friday May 17th

City of Santa Monica,
7:30am – 9:00am – the grand-daddy of all local Bike to Work Pit Stops!
Santa Monica City Hall, 1685 Main Street,
Live Music by Sunny War & DJ Mayo,  giveaways, Bike Swag, Free Food, City Bike Info and lots of fun with other bike commuters! Organized by City of Santa Monica in partnership with METRO and Santa Monica Spoke.
https://www.smgov.net/Departments/PCD/Transportation/Bicyclists/ 


Crossroads School Arts & Sciences
7:00am – 8:00am,  1748 21st Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404
In front of a brick building – BIg blue canopy with tables.
Water, snacks, giveaways, raffle


Snyder Diamond
7:00am – 9:00am, Front of 1399 Olympic Blvd. / 14th Street
Water, juice and snacks, Giveaways


Moore Ruble Yudell
7:00am – 9:00am, 933 Pico Boulevard — Pit Stop on the northwest corner of 10th and Pico.
fruit and granola bars – and enthusiasm!
www.moorerubleyudell.com


Heal the Bay
7:00am – 9:30am, North West corner of 9th Street and Broadway, in front of PONO Burger (829 Broadway)
Free Reusable Cup Giveaway until supplies last. Coffee & light refreshments, Prizes
www.healthebay.org


Santa Monica Family YMCA
7:00am – 10:00am, 6th and Santa Monica Blvd
Pitstop fun and giveaways


Downtown Santa Monica, Inc.  
7:30am – 9:30am, 520 Broadway – Corner of 6th and Broadway
Gift Cards and Snacks
www.downtownsm.com


The Bike Center
7:30am – 10:30am, 1555 2nd St (corner of 2nd St & Colorado Ave)
Live DJ + breakfast burritos for the first 50 people who visit our pit stop
https://thebikecenter.com


Helen’s Cycles (Thursday & Friday)8:00am  â€“ 10:30am, front of our store – 2501 Broadway
Food, Drinks, Nutrition, support


Boston Properties and BIRD
8:00am -10:30am, Colorado Center, at 2500 Broadway (at 25th Street)
Stop by on your bike for music, breakfast bites, coffee, snacks, water & giveaways!


Afternoon pitstops ——


Funnel Mill Rare Coffee and Tea
noon – 2pm, corner of Broadway and 10th street
Water, hot/cold coffee and Tea
www.funnelmill.com

* Bike Month Specials offered during the all of May

The Gallery Food Hall
— 10% discount when you mention #BikeMonthSM or #BikeLocal at Azule, Paperboy and Voltaggio Brothers’ STRFSH
Third Street Promenade’s Premier Dining Collective is next to the famed Criterion Theater, the two-level space was overhauled in 2015-16 to create The Gallery, a state-of-the-art marquee food hall featuring unique, neighborhood-serving restaurants and a mix of indoor and outdoor dining space, including the Promenade’s only elevated dining deck. More info HERE

Pilatesmith
— Pilatesmith is a new Pilates studio in Santa Monica and is excited to participate in Bike Month this year! Along with a pit stop they’re hosting on Bike to Work Day, all month long you can get $10 off a monthly membership or pack of workouts when you bike to Pilatesmith and purchase!Pilatesmith is a big believer of getting out of your car and on your feet – they encourage their Smiths to walk or bike to workout with a “Scoot, Spin, or Stroll” loyalty program. 

Bike Share Connect
— Free Ride* time all day May 16th , Bike to Work Day. *out of hub fees still apply
— Discounted membership prices all of May. Sign up as usual! (Web buttons may read regular price but will charge promo rate) Promo rates good until end of May only.
•Annual membership is now $54.75 (15¢/day)
•Monthly is $6.20 (20¢/day)
•Bike Share For All is $4.65 (15¢/day
•Student is $4.65 (15¢/day) 

Big Blue Bus
— Extend your commuting possibilities – Ride for free May 16th , Bike to Work Day. Join BBB and all the local bicycle commuters to celebrate Bike to Work Day on Thursday, May 16. Bring your bike, folding bike or helmet on board a Big Blue Bus and you ride for FREE. You heard that right!

Orchestra Santa Monica
— Orchestra Santa Monica Presents its ”Bohemian Rhapsodies” Concert Sunday, May 26, 2019
Santa Monica Spoke and our cycling community are invited to to attend this performance and a special offer saving $5-$10 per ticket.
Click HERE to access this special on-line-only ticket offer.
— During Bike Month events we will be giving away 4 complimentary tickets to this concert — courtesy of Santa Monica Orchestra.

Santa Monica Chamber 
— On social media use the tag #SMChamber in addition to #BikeMonthSM #BikeLocalSM and you will get free entry into the SM Chamber’s Biz@Sunset events on either 5/15 or 6/25. The Chamber will contact you via social media you post on to give you a code to get the ticket.
May 15th Biz@Sunset celebrates Santa Monica’s Most Loved Businesses over drinks and small bites. This is a great way to connect and network within the local business community.

City of Santa Monica Open Streets Event COAST: October 7th, 10am-4pm

Celebrates Art, Sustainability, + Mobility
Sunday, October 7, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

This Sunday is the City of Santa Monica’s third annual open streets event COAST presented by Metro. At this free event, the public will experience two miles of streets closed to car traffic and filled with interactive art exhibits, live performances, local food and business purveyors, and connections with families, friends, and neighbors.
More info on COAST HERE


Visit Santa Monica Spoke and the Santa Monica Safe Street Alliance on route in front of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.

  • Free Bike and Small Wheels Skills, Safety & Obstacle course for the kids (11am-3pm)– bikes/helmets provided by Santa Monica Safe Routes to School
  • FREE bike safety checks by Performance Bicycle Santa Monica
  • BEST Class” Bicycling 101 (1pm – 2pm) register HERE for Free
    – no bike needed for this workshop
    – gifts for all attendees – (please register)
  • Lots of great information all day at COAST
    – free and low cost helmets while they last.

In its second year in 2017, COAST welcomed more than 50,000 visitors of all ages to Downtown Santa Monica for the event. This year the route will feature a variety of interactive and eclectic performances including a performance stage on Ocean Avenue at Santa Monica Boulevard, strolling musicians, dancers and large-scale immersive art installations at site-specific locations to be discovered along the route.


Aerial Artist John Q will gather up to 1,000 people in real time at the event creating a live human installation to artistically illustrate art, mobility and sustainability. Artists Jana Cruder and Matthew LaPenta demonstrate the impact of disposable plastic on the natural environment with their larger-than-life art installation titled, Natural Plasticity, constructed of a massive plastic straw and giant plastic bottle towering nearly 30 feet high. Event goers will have an opportunity to contribute their personal mark to artist Peter Tigler’s interactive thumbprint mural that will take shape with public participation to illustrate a message of mobility and sustainability.

Time:
Volunteers: 8:00am – 12:30pm
Participants: 11:30am – 12:30pm
(photograph at 12pm sharp!)

Where:
Volunteers will meet in downtown Santa Monica, on Ocean Ave just north of Santa Monica Blvd. There will be an A frame with a bright umbrella just north of the stage where folks can assemble. A volunteer coordinator will be there to greet everyone. Participants arriving at 11:30am will see us set up just north of the stage, the image will be more obvious / laid out by then.


The Santa Monica Community Garden offers a variety of ways to explore the natural world through garden tours, arts and crafts, planting tips, and a how-to on preparing home-grown vegetables. Active Santa Monica will lead a series of engaging sessions ranging from dance to sports.


Click map to download PDF

COAST will be held on two miles of streets closed to street traffic, including Ocean Avenue from Wilshire Boulevard to Tongva Park, as well as Main Street to Marine Street. To attend COAST, visitors can ride the Expo Line, Big Blue Bus, or take advantage of Santa Monica’s 110 miles of bikeways.

Attendees are encouraged to use all human power mobility, ride bikes or walk along the route. Bike rental will be available at multiple locations along the route as well as 85 Breeze stations located throughout Santa Monica. Free bike valets will be available to make it easy to check-in your bike to grab lunch and enjoy the entertainment.

For more information about COAST, visit www.smgov.net/coast and join the conversation on social media using #COASTSaMo. For more information about Metro’s Open Streets Program, visit https://www.metro.net/projects/active-transportation/metro-open-streets-grant-program/.

The event is funded by Metro’s Open Streets Grant Program, which seeks to bring visitors to new parts of the region to explore and enjoy car-free streets within Los Angeles County. Metro supports numerous active transportation programs that create better conditions for walking and bicycling, particularly to connect with Metro’s growing public transit system. The agency’s Open Streets Program, the largest of its kind in the United States, invests approximately $2 million each year for car-free events, many in new communities. In total, 23 Open Streets events have been hosted to date.Â