UPDATE: Nov 15th — ITEM 16C PASSED UNANIMOUSLY

Support City Council Item 16C to Improve Street Safety

and strengthen Santa Monica’s Vision Zero commitment to eliminate all preventable fatal and severe-injury crashes from Santa Monica’s roads. This action comes on the heels of the recent fatal crash on Idaho Ave. October 27th where 69 year old Tania Mooser — our neighbor, mother, sister and retired teacher — was struck and killed while riding her bicycle. Two weeks later another bicyclist was struck and injured at the same intersection.

Send an email to voice your support of the City Council Agenda Item 16C motion by Councilmember Zwick, Torosis and Mayor Davis. Click here to send your email

Santa Monica has made great strides in advancing ambitious Vision Zero goals, yet more work remains to fully realize the initiative. With motion 16C the City Council directs the City Manager to work with staff to implement the following initiatives to improve roadway safety through what are commonly referred to as the three E’s of transportation safety: engineering, enforcement, and education.

• Immediately initiate engineering analysis of outstanding community requests to upgrade intersections to all-way stops, with the intersections on Idaho Avenue to be prioritized.
•  Develop and publish locally tailored City of Santa Monica guidelines for upgrading unsignalized intersections to all-way stop controlled intersections that further our City’s adopted goal of zero fatal and severe-injury crashes.
• Upgrade the portal through which residents can report a dangerous intersection, allowing for staff to determine a variety of possible safety interventions, including all-way stops, traffic circles, and diverters. In all such analyses, the determination that furthers our City’s adopted goal of zero fatal and severe-injury crashes shall be recommended whenever possible.
• Establish criteria for the use of “Cross Traffic Does Not Stop” warning signs at two-way stop-controlled intersections that are not recommended for conversion, and develop an installation plan and timetable for such signage on intersections that meet the criteria. 
• Establish a regular meeting series between the Santa Monica Police Department and Department of Transportation to review traffic safety enforcement priorities, including locations and violations of highest concern, and capacity for reallocation of enforcement resources to priority areas and violations. 
• Refresh the City’s popular “Take the Friendly Road” roadway safety messaging campaign and initiate a new push of community messaging, including, but not limited to, bus ads, public service announcements, digital media efforts, and physical collateral. 
• Develop and submit a proposal in the upcoming biennial CIP process that evaluates and proposes safety countermeasures including the creation of “daylighting” zones to address illegal parking that obstructs sight-lines, with a focus on priority un-signalized intersections as identified in the 2022 Local Roadway Safety Plan. 
• Identify shortfalls in resources, if any, required to implement these vital safety measures, and consider possible sources of funding needed beyond any CIP dollars requested per the above item, including, but not limited to, transportation impact fees, administrative fines for parking violations, the parking facilities tax, and any available grants.