Category Archives: leadership

Action Alert – Support Safer Streets in Santa Monica: Email Council Today!

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. 

Bike Plan Update: Virtual Meeting with SM Mobility Staff: Sunday, Nov 12

City of Santa Monica Mobility Staff will Join us for a Virtual Online Meeting to present updates on bike and safety projects, campaigns, and to get your feedback. Please join us Sunday November 12th at 10am.

Meeting Discussion and Topics:

  • Bike Action Plan Update
  • Broadway and other Bike Corridor Projects
  • New Bike and Safety Projects and Campaigns
  • 17th Street Ribbon Cutting Event

To get the zoom link please click here to Register and to submit questions for staff or for discussion.
Any updates will be added to Calendar Event HERE

Weigh in on LADOT Westside Mobility Projects!

Join us providing input for better bikeways in WLA!

Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) is in the process of planning a network of four bikeways connecting Westside neighborhoods and adjacent cities. The proposed bike routes will feature traffic calming measures to make them comfortable for riders of all ages and abilities. These routes will mostly follow neighborhood streets.

There are multiple ways you can weigh in on these projects – and maybe win a bike too!
We will share more events as they are scheduled.

THE FOLLOWING SESSIONS WILL SEEK INPUT ABOUT SAFETY CONCERNS AND POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENT MEASURES.  

Open House Workshop –
Focus on Santa Monica to Westwood Corridor 
Tuesday, September 12, 2023 | 5-7 PM 
Collins & Katz Family YMCA, 1466 S Westgate Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90025 

Pop-Up –
Focus on Santa Monica to Ballona Creek & West LA to Del Rey
Sunday, September 17, 2023 | 9 AM-2 PM 
Mar Vista Farmer’s Market, 3826 Grand View Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90066 

Pop-Up –
Focus on Santa Monica to Ballona Creek & West LA to Del Rey
Friday, September 22, 2023 | 6-9 PM 
Penmar Summer Concert Series, 1233 Rose Ave Venice, CA 90291  

Virtual Workshop –
Focus on Santa Monica to Ballona Creek & West LA to Del Rey 
Wednesday, September 27, 2023 | 5:30 – 7:30 PM 
Click HERE to register: Zoom Meeting ID: 826 6749 4445 

Open House Workshop –
Focus on Santa Monica to Ballona Creek & West LA to Del Rey
Friday, September 29, 2023 | 5:30-7:30 PM 
Bikerowave, 12255 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066 

Pop-Up –
Focus on Santa Monica to Westwood Corridor
Thursday, October 5, 2023 | 10 AM-2 PM 
UCLA Sustainable Transportation Fair 

THE FOLLOWING SESSIONS WILL SHARE FINDINGS FROM THE FEEDBACK RECEIVED IN THE EVENTS LISTED ABOVE AND RELATED TECHNICAL RECOMMENDATIONS. 

Virtual Workshop – Focus on Santa Monica to Westwood Corridor 
Thursday, October 12, 2023| 5:30 – 7:30 PM 
Click HERE to register: bit.ly/WestsideOct12 Zoom Meeting ID: 865 3463 9625

Virtual Workshop – Focus on Santa Monica to Ballona Creek & West LA to Del Rey 
Thursday, November 9, 2023 | 5:30 – 7:30 PM 
Click HERE to register: bit.ly/WestsideNove9 Zoom Meeting ID: 871 8483 8306

Check out the English/Spanish Flyers HERE:

The Engine Inside: Film Screening and Panel Discussion

Wednesday, September 6th at the Aero Theatre, (doors open at 6pm)
The event is FREE to ALL but you must register to attend
Free Bike Valet will be provided

Click image to view trailer

The Engine Inside follows six everyday people from vastly different worlds who dedicate their lives to a simple, 200-year-old machine. Their trials and tribulations reveal the bicycle’s unique power to change lives and help build a better world.

Covering many different global issues—from climate change and indigenous trauma to socio-economic inequality and more livable cities —The Engine Inside sparks hope and agency in everyone it touches.

Screening will be followed by a Live Panel Discussion with Jason Kligier, Mobility Manager at City of Santa Monica, Cynthia Rose, Director Santa Monica Spoke and
Cris Gutierrez, Santa Monica Safe Streets Alliance.
The panel will be moderated by Ferris Kawar, Sustainability Manager, Santa Monica College.
See more info in our Calendar event HERE

The Details

  • Event starts: Wednesday, September 6 at 7pm PDT
  • Location: Aero Theater at 1328 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403

Free Bike Valet will be provided.

Walk or Ride, don’t drive if you can.
The Aero Theater is served by Big Blue Bus lines 18, 41, and 42.

Bring your reusable water bottle!
Water is provided by the City of Santa Monica’s Office of Sustainability and the Environment

This is a zero waste event!
Enjoy the concessions, but when finished, please discard sustainably at the Zero Waste stations

A Call to Roll Back Street Safety Improvements on 17th Street?

A request by council members Brock and de la Torre to “enhance vehicular movements while not compromising bicycle and pedestrian safety” on the new – not yet completed – 17th Street Protected Bikeway. ie. let cars go faster at intersections where the data shows conflicts leading to crashes and injuries happen. If that sounds strange to you we’d have to agree.

There is no need to “study” this, the documentation on how protected bike lanes and intersections improve safety is widely disseminated and accepted worldwide – this YouTube video on the topic was posted over 12 years ago. The “gold” standard implementations on 17th were years in the planning and follow national and international design standards for safety and were designed by experts in the field. Repeated studies consistently show that adding protected bike lanes increases the safety of all road users – people driving cars, walking, and biking. Research shows that adding protected bike lanes reduces all collisions and injuries by 30-50%. The simple fact is research and experience shows again and again and again the same thing: protected bike lanes are good for everyone. The 2018 CalBike report notes that – among other benefits – protected bike lanes “improve safety for bicyclists, car drivers, and pedestrians” and “Get more people to ride bikes by providing the safety, comfort, and separation most people want and need to consider bicycling.” The 17th Street Protected Bikeway configuration fulfills an international “gold” standard for safety referred to as a “Dutch crossing.” 

There is no argument that useful information is a good thing. However it is important to note – this important safety project – after years of planning and outreach – is not yet even complete having suffered many unavoidable delays during construction due to an exceptional rainy season that no doubt led to confusion. Until recently when the work was nearing completion there was legitimate confusion and concerns that arose in the community from both motorists and cyclists. We all know change is hard. It is a given that – although the changes are an improvement – there will be a certain amount of discomfort and confusion when implementing new and unfamiliar road design standards. It is also understandable that concerns are often generated during construction when new street safety projects are partially implemented. However, now that the project is near-finished it has clearly become evident – supported by the overwhelming feedback received – that the configuration fulfills the world class safety standards that were envisioned by the community. So, do we now switch back to choosing speed over safety to “enhance vehicular movements” at intersections? Is this just the beginning? Where will the vehicle prioritizing corrosive changes end?

These sorts of Council member requests are almost routinely passed. We have no doubt an Information Item on the 17th Street protected bikeway improvements will detail the project’s resounding successes and include Staff’s attentiveness throughout the project and into the final stages of completion. Just recently, as the project nears the finish line, City Mobility staff have made adjustments in response to community feedback and regular onsite inspections to accommodate disability parking, signage and potential conflicts with concrete lips. We ask the Council to remove the counterproductive second half of the 16-D request from any motion being considered. Council needs to choose to prioritize safety over speed modifications that “enhance vehicular movements.” Choosing safety and equity for all road users over “enhanc[ing] vehicular movements.”  We know vehicle speed is a key factor in traffic violence that results in serious injuries and traffic fatalities.  We urge Council to stop prioritizing vehicles over people and to affirm prior commitments to protect our most vulnerable road users, people walking and biking.  Prioritize people, kids to seniors, and our collective future for a livable climate.

One click to Email Council
– Please personalize and don’t forget to sign your name and add your zip code

More Press on Santa Monica Next and StreetsBlogLA

Why 17th Street?

17th Street connects local neighborhoods to transit facilities, bikeways, schools, employment opportunities, and entertainment. 17th Street was identified in the Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE), Bicycle Action Plan (BAP), and Pedestrian Action Plan to include safety improvements for pedestrians and bicyclists. With the opening of the Metro Expo light rail station — by 2018 there had already been an 1160% increase in pedestrian traffic and an 82% increase in bicycle traffic.