Santa Monica City Council Approves Plan For More Bike Lanes

SANTA MONICA, CA — Expect to see more bike lanes in Santa Monica next month.

Santa Monica City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve more protected bike lanes and increase infrastructure for bike safety in the city.

The city plans to add a network of protected bike lanes in Santa Monica through an update to the 2011 Bike Action Plan.

"This is part of the City’s commitment to multi-modal and carbon light living, reducing roadway fatalities through Vision Zero, and spurring economic recovery by connecting people to commercial districts and facilitating quick trips and deliveries to local businesses," officials said.

“This is an exciting next step to creating a bike network that enables residents of all ages and abilities to move more safely outdoors while also helping us make progress on our long-term climate, safety, and mobility goals,” Chief Mobility Officer Francie Stefan said in a news release. “Protected bike lanes are a proven way to entice biking for both recreation and everyday use and we’re excited to get to work on 19 miles of protected bike lanes in Santa Monica.”

There are 17 corridors in the city that were identified using data as protected bike lanes, which adds separation between people bicycling or scooting and people driving. These lanes help reduce crashes or accidents and also connect people to the city from the greater LA County area.

Having protected bike lanes is also safer. Studies show a 45-90% reduction in collisions where protected bike lanes have been implemented, city officials said.

The map featured in this story shows the identified streets labeled as a five-year project, a longer-term bikeway vision, or a future priority connection as part of the 20-year Bike Action Plan Vision.

The five-year plan will add a total of 19 miles of protected bike lanes, 15 new and 4 miles planned for construction in the following year. This adds even more space to bike or explore, adding to the city’s more than 100 miles of bike lanes and 19 miles of green lanes.

"These are not new to Santa Monica, earlier in the COVID-19 public health emergency, a pilot on Broadway from 16th to 20th Street demonstrated a model for future lanes," officials said.

Construction will begin in November with a protected bike lane on Ocean from California to Colorado avenues with connections to the California Incline and Colorado Esplanade, which already have protected bike lanes. That project is slated to open for community use in December.

Cycling is part of the quality of life in Santa Monica, with locals using bikes and scooters to make short trips and longer jaunts across town.

City officials expect the additional bike lanes to keep benefiting the community, with the city continuing to apply for both state and federal transportation grants.

"Many of the 5-year projects in the update already have identified funding possibilities from outside sources. Santa Monica’s Mobility Division regularly submits applications for outside transportation grants to supplement local investments.

For more information read the staff report and to follow the progress of protected bike lanes in Santa Monica, visit www.smgov.net/BAPA.

Do you bike or ride scooters in Santa Monica? Tell us in the comments.

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