Category Archives: Safe Routes to School

MANGo Ribbon Cutting Event!

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Save the Date:
Saturday, May 30th, 10am – 11:30am
Michigan Avenue & 12th Street

You are invited to celebrate the opening of the Michigan Avenue landscape circles and the first phase of implementing MANGo, the areas first Neighborhood Greenway! Streets designed to support equity of all road users.

We join the Pico Neighborhood to celebrate the rich cultural tapestry of many threads, woven on and Michigan Avenue, throughout Santa Monica’s History. Hear from residents, past and present as they share their experiences of everyday life in the neighborhood.

See more on MANGo here and on the City’s website here

MANGo Opening Invitation


The Michigan Avenue Neighborhood Greenway is intended to create an inviting streetscape along Michigan Avenue and adjoining streets. This could be achieved through elements including roadway calming, increased landscaping, sidewalk widening, bike facilities, and enhanced crosswalks. The three-mile Greenway between the Bergamot Arts Center and the beach would provide a safe and comfortable place for neighbors of all ages to walk, bike, recreate, and interact with one another. Additionally, it will be a functional circulation link to connect residents and visitors with many significant community and regional institutions, including schools, parks, job centers, and future Expo stations. The project will make it easier to get around Santa Monica on foot and by bicycle, and is intended to enhance the livability of the Pico Neighborhood and improve environmental quality.

Santa Monica Festival, May 9th starts Bike Week!

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Santa Monica Festival kicks of Bike Week for us here in Santa Monica as it celebrates its 24th year at Clover Park Saturday, May 9th from 11am to 6pm.  The Santa Monica Festival showcases sustainable living and culture through an array of free, family-friendly activities and performances, including art workshops, music and dance performances, cooking demonstrations, fitness classes, and more that reflect the culture and diversity of this unique beach City. The free festival is an opportunity for residents and visitors alike to come together to connect, create, and celebrate Santa Monica.
Check our Calendar for more upcoming events for Bike Week, BTWD, and so much more added all the time! 

We celebrate this year with an even bigger expanded FAMILY BIKE HUB!
Bikes again play a large roll in the festivities. Santa Monica Spoke is again excited to be participating by putting on our 5th Bike Exhibition, a Youth Skills Course / Bike Rodeo and Bike Demos in the ever expanding BIKE ZONE / Family Bike Hub supported by the City of Santa Monica Planning and Community Development Dept and Safe Routes to School.

The Bike Exhibition demonstrates the wonderful versatility of the bicycle and how it can enhance our lives as a healthy, sustainable part of our city and the environment.  We demonstrate the adaptability of bicycles and how bicycles can be more than just for pleasure – they can get us to work or school, go shopping, get groceries, run errands, and take us on terrific adventures from cruising in the sun to bike touring destinations near and far.

We will have a large variety of bicycles on display from standard cruisers, mountain bikes and road bikes to the increasingly popular cargo bikes and folding bikes.  We will have trailers for hauling all kinds of cargo from your children and pets to trips to your local farmers market, weekly groceries and weekend shopping sprees.  We will also have some nice vintage bikes on display as well, still ready for daily use.
Volunteers needed – email volunteer@SMSpoke.org
Bikes on display are courtesy of Santa Monica Spoke community, and with generous help from our local bike shops.
Family Bike Hub

Youth Skills Course – Bike Rodeo NOON to 4pm will offer a fun training and skills course for children to learn or improve their riding skills and learn safety precautions. Adults can get instruction, safety tips and learn their rights and responsibilities of smart cycling.

Activities will include helmet decorating, Bike Safety check and bike maintenance workshops with Bikerowave, & REI, Photo Wall , FUN PRIZES AND MORE!

Ride your bike to the festival, Free Bike Valet will be provided by the City of Santa Monica.
Free rides on the Big Blue Bus (line #8 only) will be offered to festival participants. Click to print coupon. Also, Santa Monica Free Ride will offer free shuttle service between Main St. at Ocean Park Blvd. and the Festival. Seating is on a first come, first served basis.

We look forward to you visiting our Exhibition and talking with you about bicycling in Santa Monica and the City’s progress on the Bike Action Plan.

The Festival:      Website      On Facebook      Facebook Event       twitter @santamonicafestival

The 24rd annual Santa Monica Festival is presented by the City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division and Office of Sustainability and the Environment, and is produced by Community Arts Resources (CARS). The festival is free and open to all ages. See you on May 9th!

Each year since 1992, Community Arts Resources, (CARS) who also has produced this event that has grown into Santa Monica’s largest celebration of its civic identity. The Santa Monica Festival expresses the city’s persona through a two-pronged approach: culture and the environment. Now one of the greenest festivals in the Los Angeles area, the event employs solar-powered stages, carbon offsets, waste diversion and product replacement to be as sustainable as possible. The festival, located in Clover Park since 1994, also celebrates the amazing diversity of Santa Monica through programming on two stages, a Town Square of local non-profits and government agencies, a Global Café, and a Marketplace of diverse vendors. The festival is presented by the City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division as well as the City’s Office of Sustainability and the Environment.

SANTA MONICA, CA (APRIL 10, 2011) – Commemorating its twentieth year (in 2011), the Santa Monica Festival has evolved into a celebration of the unique intersection of art and the environment.  Festival-goers can celebrate Mother Earth and all moms this Mother’s Day weekend with an eclectic mix of live music and dance, DIY art workshops utilizing recycled and repurposed materials, guilt-free shopping from vendors featuring earth-friendly artistic wares and local resources offered by a variety of City and local non-profit organizations.

May: National Bike Month, The National Bike Challenge & MORE!

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MAY: NATIONAL BIKE MONTH IS ALMOST HERE!!!

TheLEAGUE-BikeMonthMay is National Bike Month, sponsored by the  League of American Bicyclists and celebrated in communities from coast to coast. Established in 1956, National Bike Month is a chance to showcase the many benefits of bicycling — and encourage more folks to giving biking a try.bike_month_250x250

Whether you bike to work or school; ride to save money or time; pump those pedals to preserve your health or the environment; or simply to explore your community, National Bike Month is an opportunity to celebrate the unique power of the bicycle and the many reasons we ride.

Each year the number and diversity of Bike Month celebrations continues to grow, accelerating the momentum around bicycling nationwide.

 

Join us for the National Bike Challenge 

The National Bike Challenge is a nationwide event uniting thousands of current bicyclists — and encouraging countless new riders. In its simplest form it is a logging center for users to record miles ridden and be part of the national community of bicyclists. It is a free and easy way to challenge yourself, colleagues and the greater community to ride more. Users compete on a local, state and national level. The year the Challenge aims to unite 75,000 riders to pedal 35 million miles from May 1, 2015 until September 30, 2015. Now in its fourth year, the Challenge is a successful partnership between the PeopleForBikes and Kimberly-Clark’s Scott Natural Brand.

PeopleForBikes owns, operates, and maintains the National Bike Challenge website. PeopleForBikes mission is to making bicycling better for everyone by uniting millions of riders, thousands of businesses and hundreds of communities..

Join the Challenge and ride for team Bike Santa Monica!NBClogo-SCREEN

After you sign up for the National Bike Challenge. and create your account - join team Bike Santa Monica!

The National Bike Challenge officially starts May 1st. We are already warming up in April – don’t wait join now! This year there are 4 apps you can choose from to record your participation. Visit the app gallery here. IT”S EASY!

May 6th: National Walk Bike to School Day
& Bike it Walk it Week Santa Monica

Bike Walk to School

The first-ever National Bike to School Day took place on May 9, 2012, in coordination with the League of American Bicyclists’ National Bike Month. Almost 1,000 local events in 49 states and the District of Columbia joined together to encourage children to safely bicycle or walk to school.

The event builds on the popularity of Walk to School Day, which is celebrated across the country – and the world – each October. Many communities and schools have been holding spring walk and bicycle to school events for years. National Bike to School Day provides an opportunity for schools across the country to join together to celebrate and to build off of the energy of National Bike Month.

Bike it Walk it Week Santa Monica, May 4th -8th

Santa Monica and Malibu schools celebrate Bike it Walk it Week May 4th-8th. Join the fun by contacting SRTS Coordinator Cory Keen, your PTA President or the Bike it Walk it coordinator at your school to find out about how you can participate.BIWI_main_v2

SMMUSD Bike it Walk it

  • Lincoln Middle School: Tuesday May 5th
  • Franklin Elementary: Wednesday May 6th
  • Will Rogers Learning Community: Friday May 8th
  • Edison Language Academy: Friday May 8th
  • Grant Elementary: Friday May 8th
  • John Muir Elementary: Friday May 8th
  • MASH: Friday May 8th
  • McKinley Elementary: Friday May 8th
  • Roosevelt Elementary: Friday May 8th
  • John Adams Middle School: Friday May 8th

Bike Week LA 2015

Bike Week LA is an annual week of community events sponsored by Metro and local advocates all over the County of Los Angeles to promote bicycling as a sustainable and practical mode of transportation. Check Metro website for events all over LA.  In Santa Monica we have you covered, to get connected in your area look up LACBC, or your areas LACBC Local Chapter or Bike Ambassadors.

Santa Monica Spoke we will again participate and host rides and events through out the week! More info on these rides and events is coming soon Check out our Event Calendar for the latest. Here is an overview of Metro Events some of what we have planned locally to get you excited!

  • Saturday May 9th
    Santa Monica Festival    , with a BIGGER Family Bike Hub, Skills Course and the 6h Santa Monica Spoke Bike Exhibition!
  • Sunday May 10th
    Get ready with fix your bike day.
    CycloFemme Rides
  • Monday May 11th
    Metro Bike Week Kick off at El Monte Bike Hub
    Metro Evening Speaker Panel
    Local – Santa Monica Spoke: Meatless Monday Ride and Fundraiser at Veggie Grill
  • Tuesday May 12th
    12th Annual Blessing of the Bicycles
    Local – Santa Monica Spoke, Ladies Coffee Chat meet up
    Bike in Movie at Performance Bicycles (tonight and every Tuesday in May!)
  • Wednesday May 13th
    BALLONA CREEK CAMP COFFEE
    City Ride: Santa Monica Spoke local ride and Free Movie Screening of Dogtown and Z-Boys, with snacks and beverage!
    Metro: Bike in Movie - Marsh Park along the LA River
  • Thursday May 14th 
    Bike to Work Day Pit Stops, lots in Santa Monica
    Bike FROM Work: Handlebar Happy Hour at Areal on Main Street – more LACBC & Chapter HBHH’s here
    Pledge to ride to work
    Don’t forget: RIDE FREE on BBB, Metro and many municipal transit carriers all day Thursday if you board with a bike!
    Color Wheels: Bicycle Community Art Show at CalTrans details here. 
  • Friday May 15th
    Metro Hosts Bike Night at Union Station, LACBC After Party at Angel City Brewery
  • Saturday & Sunday May 16th & 17th – some all week or all month!
    Bike Locally! Ride your bike to eat, play or shop, take advantage of special discounts just for bicyclists! Locally Buy Local is now also Bike Local – Because bicyclists are great for local business!

Join the National Bike Challenge: Ride for team BIKE SANTA MONICA

More Bike Week, Bike Month & Bike Local SM Specials posted “linked here” soon!

Kidical Mass: Garden Ride & Community Garden Tour, April 18, 2015

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KIDICAL MASS Earth Day Bike Ride
Tour Park Drive Community Garden
FUN hands-on KIDS Workshop

DATE:    SATURDAY APRIL 18TH
TIME:    9:00 AM – 12:30 PM
START:  MEMORIAL PARK
–  Parking lot off 14th Street.

Free: Please RSVP HERE

Join Santa Monica Spoke, the City of Santa Monica and Santa Monica Community Gardeners for Santa Monica’s Kidical Mass Ride. 
We will take a family friendly ride in Santa Monica to visit Park Drive Community Garden for a special kid friendly event. Prizes and giveaways at Memorial Park when we return!

Schedule.
9::00am – 12:30pmSM Community Gardens
– Check-in, Morning Snacks, Bike Safety Checks, Helmet Decorating
– Ride to Pit Stop visit at PARK DRIVE COMMUNITY GARDEN
– KIDS GARDEN TOURS AND WORKSHOP
– Pitstop hosts Cynergy Cycles & Santa Monica Community Gardeners
– Ride back to Memorial Park by noon for fun activities, Prizes and post ride snacks by KIND
               KINDLogo_ for White Background

Watch our 1st Kidical Mass in 2013 video here

Don’t have a Kid Carrying Bike?   NOT A PROBLEM !sm_bike_center
Special 20% discount on Rental at the Santa Monica Bike Center. You can find special Kid carrying cargo bikes, kid seats, trailers, tandems, tag-a-longs!! Anything you could need at a 20% discount  rentals) – Please reserve online and write “Kidical Mass” in the special requirements section of the reservation – 20% discount will be applied at check out! Reserve early and plan to pick up bikes Saturday morning in time to arrive at the event.

Children must be accompanied and are the responsibility of their parents. Bikes should be in good working condition. Free Safety Checks on site for minor adjustments/repairs. Please use good judgement – ride is on city streets – younger children should be in a child seat, trailer or on a Tag-a-long.

Take Action: Save Biking & Walking Funding for our Communities

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Bike League Action

Congress is preparing to take action on a new federal transportation bill.  Given the shortfall of federal transportation dollars, some members of Congress are already questioning why the federal government provides any funding for bicycling and walking.

We need your help to make sure that Congress doesn’t cut funding to help local communities build sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes, trails and more. Please Ask your Senator to Co-Sponsor S. 705, The Transportation Alternatives Program Improvement Act.

The Transportation Alternatives Program provides hundreds of millions of dollars each year to local communities to invest in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. It’s the only federal program specifically focused on local transportation priorities. S. 705, the Transportation Alternatives Program Improvement Act, written by Sens. Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Ben Cardin (D-MD), makes changes to the program to  make it more effective and easier for local governments to use.

For decades, our federal transportation system has focused the bulk of its resources on building roads, leaving many of our communities with few transportation options and rising safety risks for people bicycling and walking. More and more Americans want options for bicycling, walking and transit to live healthier and safer lives. More and more cities and towns are clamoring for more facilities for biking and walking to make their communities more attractive to residents and to improve their economies. S. 705 would help make sure that Congress continues to invest a small share of federal transportation dollars in these types of projects.

Ask your Senators to cosponsor S. 705, the Transportation Alternatives Program Improvement Act, to ensure that our federal transportation system continues to provide funding for bicycling and walking.

Click the link below to log in and send your message:
https://www.votervoice.net/Shares/BHd8NA4dACgsJAAqnpM7FAA