Author Archives: Santa Monica Spoke

Letter to SM Police Chief Jackman

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Stuck between statistically unsafe and illegal riding on the sidewalk, and cars on the roadways with aggressive and dangerous behavior put cyclists between a rock and a hard place.  Something cyclists deal with on a daily basis.  On Monday Barbara Filet had her latest encounter with a vehicle that passed her at an unsafe distance going a high rate of speed, she wrote to the Chief of Police.

December 16, 2010
Dear Chief Jackman,

On December 15, 2010, around 12:15 pm, I was cycling north on Fifth Street between California and Washington. Traffic was light and I was making sure I was riding outside of the door zone of parked cars. The driver of a vehicle behind me proceeded to overtake me in an aggressive manner, passing me with only inches to spare at high speed. I felt threatened by a deadly weapon. Shortly afterwards, he pulled into a driveway and parked his car in the carport in the 1000 block of Fifth Street.

I decided to confront him about this aggressive act. When the middle-aged, balding, heavy-set man got out of his vehicle, I told him, angrily, that he had frightened me by driving so close and that I would have liked him to pass at least three feet away from me. He was not receptive to what I said and told me that I had no right to ride “in the middle of the street” and should instead ride on the sidewalk, where I belonged. I told him it was illegal for me to ride on the sidewalk. He was unwilling to consider he might be wrong. He demanded to see my driver’s license. I told him I would show him my license if he showed me his, but he was not willing to identify himself.

I went to my destination, a birthday party, half a block away. The host accompanied me back to the address on Fifth Street, to note down the car license to make a police complaint. The car is a white Dodge Grand Caravan, license number is 4ZDG299. When we were noting down his license, he came out of the building to get back into his car and saw us. We took his photograph, which angered him. The driver continued to assert that cyclists need to ride their bikes on the sidewalk, and we were not able to convince him otherwise.

I don’t want this driver assaulting other cyclists with his deadly weapon, and I would not be surprised if it is a pattern for him to be aggressive in this manner. Is there some way that you could warn him to cease this behavior and inform him that bicyclists belong in the street, and not on the sidewalk? Is there some way to keep this letter on file to see if he repeats this behavior? I will also leave a copy of this letter on his car.

This case shows that many members of the public still need to be educated about where bikes belong and how they need to share the road. Could you write an article for the next Seascape Magazine, to inform the community about how Santa Monica is dedicating itself, through the LUCE, to become a bicycle-friendly city.  And please include information about these laws:

CA VC 21200.  (a) Every person riding a bicycle upon a highway has all the rights and is subject to all the provisions applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this division, including, but not limited to, provisions concerning driving under the influence of alcoholic beverages or drugs.

SM MC 3.12.540 Bicycle riding or coasting restricted. (a)  It shall be unlawful to ride a bicycle or to coast in any vehicle upon any public sidewalk, except as provided for in Section 3.12.550.

Thanks again for your help in education this driver and the driving public on how to share the road with bicyclists. If you need assistance with this task, or if you feel the need for input from the cycling public, please do not hesitate to contact me or the local bicycle advocacy group called Santa Monca Spoke, of which I am a member.

Barbara Filet

That brought up another recent incident where a Santa Monica cyclist had a similar encounter.

The attached pic is of a car driven by an elderly man, who had road rage while I was riding with a friend on Yale near Wilshire. He turned on Wilshire and his destination was only a half block away. Needless to say he got an earful from me. We need to educate the clueless in SM and many are long past school age.

And also a recent post by Gary Kavanagh where he describes driver motivations and an incident he had.

Sometimes a driver feels they must take things further, and use their car as a threatening weapon, presumably to “teach me a lesson”. Tuesday on Colorado Ave., an SUV driver with a Jack Skeleton Nightmare Before Christmas icon attached to his trailer hitch, honked, honked, honked again, then buzzed me, passing with less than a foot clearance at high speed, even though there was a completely open lane he could have used to pass safely and easily. (click for complete post)

Are these aggressive drivers the only problem, of course not.  When we’re out on the road we also see cyclists that are not following the law.  Making it unsafe for all involved.  Just like aggressive motorists, it is a problem that needs to be addressed.  But just as we don’t paint all motorists with the broad brush of aggression we demand that same distinction between those cyclists that do follow the law and cyclists that don’t.  It seems painfully evident that a huge hole in the system is EDUCATION.  Any Bicycle Action Plan proposed by the city must address how we can educate not only our school age children and young adults but the general population of cyclists and motorists that can’t seem to acknowledge the rules of the road or quite simply don’t know what they are.

I would say that Santa Monica needs to step up and demonstrate its commitment to Complete Streets and make it safer for everyone, cyclist, pedestrians and motorists.  A broad advertising campaign, and a visible commitment to cycling coupled with education would go far to achieving these goals.

CA VC 21200. (a) Every person riding a bicycle upon a highway has all the rights and is subject to all the provisions applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this division, including, but not limited to, provisions concerning driving under the influence of alcoholic beverages or drugs.

SM MC 3.12.540 Bicycle riding or coasting restricted. (a)  It shall be unlawful to ride a bicycle or to coast in any vehicle upon any public sidewalk, except as provided for in Section 3.12.550.

City Meetings – Bike Parking and SuperBlock development project

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City Council scheduled to move forward on Bicycle Parking Facilities

At tonights meeting , City Council is due to move forward on the plan for the Grant-Funded Bicycle Parking Facilities in Parking Structures 7 & 8 at just under $1.4 million dollars.
See tonights agenda here.  Staff report here.
Here is an excerpt of the staff report concerning this project:

Background

The City’s Downtown Urban Design Plan adopted in 1997 emphasizes balancing the streets to accommodate mixed modes of traffic, making streets bicycle-friendly, and providing bicycle parking throughout downtown with activated storefronts to enliven the pedestrian experience.  The City’s Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) adopted this year identifies an increase in bicycling as necessary for the City to reach its goals of reducing auto trips, meeting its greenhouse gas emission reduction commitments, and promoting active living.  Facilities listed in the LUCE to support increased bicycling include secure bike parking and bicycle-transit centers with additional amenities such as showers and repair services.

Is this really the beginning of what we’ve been asking for?  It’s certainly a start.  I have to wonder what happened to the initially proposed plan that included Parking Structure #2. That would ultimately seem to have been better because it afforded facilities at both ends of the of the Promenade.  We can add that to our wish list.

Tomorrow night, Major Santa Monica Development,
SuperBlock at the old PaperMate Site

Wednesday night, City officials will hold a public meeting at Virginia Avenue Park at 7pm to discuss the Bergamot Transit Village Center Project. Officials are set to prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the mixed-use village comprised of creative arts, residential and retail uses on the site of the old PaperMate Plant .  The Development Agreement from a special meeting of the Cities Planning Commission back in January can be found here in section 5-A.

See the article in the todays LookOut News, which describes in more detail the sheer magnitude of this project and how it will likely impact this already congested area.

I paraphrase what Allison Kendall, of Kendall Planning + Design recently had this to say about this the proposed project.

This PaperMate site is enormous, and nearly as critical to bicycle and pedestrian access to the Expo station as the Agensys site.  …..Currently, the fact that the current development doesn’t include a sidewalk on Olympic and forces a strange geometry on the 26th and Olympic intersection means lots of high speed car traffic and danger for both pedestrians and cyclists, especially those coming South down 26th to Bergamot station , ….

Inserting 1 million square feet of mixed use development onto an area which already has some of the worst congestion in the city will call for some amazingly effective disincentives to driving and amenities for other modes.  A full scale BikeStation and bike sharing/rental facility, plus showers, widened and improved bike lanes in all directions, major subdivisions of the “superblock” and onsite eating and retail might be among the amenities.

There is also an obvious need to provide frequent future transit service along 26th and probably Stewart as well to serve the Expo station and the transit village.  Amenities for transit riders and provision of free monthly Metro or BBB passes to all employees and residents provided by employers or building owners should be a requirement—this was very effective in Santa Clara County with the “EcoPass”.

It’s also been noted that it’s not just the sheer volume of parking but the fact that parking costs are “bundled” into housing unit costs rather than paid for as an amenity by car owners.  This drives up the cost of the units for all tenants regardless of whether they have a car or not and does nothing to promote the car free lifestyle the city has stated they want to support.

Come out to hear first hand what the city has planned with this SuperBlock project and how they propose handling the congestion it will surely bring to the surrounding area.  Will the city make good on all the talk about committing to active living and bicycle infrastructure?

Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Virginia Avenue Park.

Bicycle Action Plan,
Some key talking points

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30 Sec. Sound Bites and Talking Points

  • Each time a driver makes a trip by cycle instead of by automobile, not only the cyclist but society as a whole reaps the benefits.”
    ~Marcia D. Lowe, The Bicycle: Vehicle for a Small Planet
  • The continued allocation of public space to cars instead of people exponentially takes us further and further from our sustainability goals of a liveable city where quality of life comes first.  ( ie parking structures, more and wider roadways mean fewer places for people)  We need to adopt a “Complete Streets” approach to street design that addresses the needs of all road users, not just cars.
  • If the City of Santa Monica is going fulfill it’s goals for increasing multimodal transportation, SMPD must support that process by addressing the high rate of bike and pedestrian collisions with motor vehicles and developing a fact-based strategy for improvement (ie, target improvements at problem areas, etc).
  • To increase bicycle ridership the city must  create a safe, well connected bikeway network throughout the city and step up the relatively inexpensive process of adding secure bicycle parking thought the city, and furthermore aggressively explore innovative bike parking alternatives such as bike corrals.
  • A comprehensive Bicycle Action Plan must actively promote cycling in Santa Monica as an effective way improve traffic flow, air quality and to free up limited assets such as parking while reducing dependance on non renewable resources.
  • Law enforcement should assist in the promotion of bicycling as a essential means of transportation though a sensitive enforcement of current laws.  Address the high rate of bike and pedestrian collisions with motor vehicles and develop a fact-based strategy to improve this (ie, target improvements at problem areas, etc).  Develop diverse encouragement programs to get more people cycling and assure that SMPD policies and operations support the city’s goals for cycling.
  • We must facilitate and promote bicycle education programs for adults and children.  Santa Monica needs a safe cycling environment composed of an interconnected network of bike routes, with a reliable and transparent way to measure progress toward this goal.  Implement a track plan to measurement progress of bicycle usage, safety improvements, and bike parking utilization, etc.

Please add your ideas in comments or email them to Contact@SMSpoke.org

Cyclists Gaining Momentum

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Cyclists gaining momentum for planning push

Article in todays Daily Press (SMDP) regarding the December 13th meeting as the first of several public meetings that will be held to discuss Santa Monica’s new Bicycle Action Plan.  The article also highlights what official believe are a series of recent moves that demonstrate their commitment to working with cyclist.
So far what we’ve seen has been mostly all talk…. but talk is good if it actually goes somewhere.

Also mentioned in the article is the new position we have long been pushing for:

As of Wednesday, City Hall for the first time has a staff member who will serve as the point person for the city’s bicycle planning efforts in Transportation Planning Manager Lucy Dyke

Read more on December 13th meeting, it is important to give your input, hope to see you there.

Click to read the full article “Cyclist gain momentum for planning push” SMDP

CR

Subject: SMPD Bike Patrol

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Letter to the Editor, SMDP

From: Roger Swanson

SMPD Bike Patrol: Sunday Ride at the Beach?

On Sunday, November 14 at 1:35 PM, a friend and I rode behind two members of the SMPD Bike Patrol on the beach bike path south of the Pier. This was my first encounter with the Bike Patrol since moving to Santa Monica 12 years ago. In over 500 rides on the Santa Monica portion of the bike path, this was a first! So, I took some photos with my cellphone camera.
That’s the good news.
Now, the bad: The attached photos show the Bike Patrol completely ignoring the pedestrians on the beach bike path. In the background is a parallel, and separate, pedestrian walkway, the Beach Promenade. One must conclude that the inaction of the Bike Patrol means this portion of the bike path is a shared bikeway where pedestrians are allowed, according to the Santa Monica Municipal Code (Public Safety) 3.12.550 – Bike-path and beach promenade.
OK, shared bikeway.
SM MC 3.12.550 also says: “All persons riding bicycles on the bike-path shall comply with all lawful signs and directional markings, including, but not limited to, painted directional arrows, bike-path route boundaries, and signs designating permissible travel lanes.”
Did I miss the signage and the travel lanes?
Maybe a shared bikeway with poor signage?
On the other hand, if it is a true bike path, then CA Vehicle Code Section 21966 – Pedestrian in Bicycle Lane applies: “No pedestrian shall proceed along a bicycle path or lane where there is an adjacent adequate pedestrian facility.” As far as I can tell, there is an adjacent adequate pedestrian facility
So, which is it, 1) shared bikeway with poor signage, or 2) a bike path with pedestrians?

Now the irony: If riding bikes on sidewalks is a public safety issue (and prohibited by SM MC (Public Safety) 3.12.540 – Bicycle riding and coasting restricted), then why are pedestrians on a bike path not a public safety issue? The beach bike path looks like a sidewalk to me.
I really hope the Bike Patrol promoted public safety elsewhere on Sunday.

And here what appears to be the resulting article:
Equal treatment under the law

quote from the article:

“What we’re concerned about is the presence of a double standard, one that cannot stand. If the Santa Monica Police Department is going to be aggressive in ticketing bikers on sidewalks (which it should), officers should be equally vigilant about ticketing pedestrians on the bike path. On our ride we were behind two officers on bikes and watched as they failed to cite or even talk with pedestrians, this despite the fact that the path was packed with peds and their kids, some of whom were left unsupervised to swerve in opposing lanes. This would have been a perfect time to raise awareness that the bike path is for bicycles.

People need to be more responsible and respect the law, and that includes cyclists who fail to stop at stop signs or ride without lights at night. And the police department needs to stop the selective enforcement. City Hall needs to live up to its reputation as being bike and pedestrian friendly. Right now, the bike path is neither.“