New Parking at Santa Monica College: Not Just for Bikes

1:08 PM PST on February 11, 2013

Riding on Pearl Street a few weeks ago, I noticed preparations for a new bicycle parking lot. This past Saturday, before Santa Monica College students returned for the spring, I had a chance to check out the new bicycle parking. I was surprised to see not only bike parking, but other parking and amenities for those who travel to Santa Monica College without a car.

Our Santa Monica weekly column is supported by Bike Center in Santa Monica.

Unlike the college's large automobile parking structures, which are accessed via Pico Boulevard, the new bicycle parking is right off of Pearl St., one of Santa Monica's primary east-west bike lane south of the 10 Freeway.

I estimated around 200 new U-racks with good spacing between each. These new racks will accommodate around 400 additional bicycles. With 32,626 students enrolled last semester, Santa Monica college needs as much parking as it can fit on campus. By fitting space for 400 bicycle commuters and 20 skateboard commuters on land that could accommodate roughly 15 parked cars, the choice for the type of parking should be obvious.

I was surprised to see that parking not only for bikes, but also for skateboards:

After looking at some of the existing bicycle parking, I think those students who value locking their bikes to two points of contact will relish the new racks.

In addition, Santa Monica College has provided two repair stands with tools and a pump.

Is this new bicycle and skateboard parking and repair facility enough to commit cycling culture at SMC? I don't think so, and SMC doesn't think so either, which is why the new facility is just one part of a multifaceted plan. Glancing at the first few pages of the Spring 2013 Schedule of Classes hints at SMC's commitment to cycling. Will biking become as large a part of SMC culture as it is at UC Davis? If so, this will be a huge victory for retrofitting a campus and surrounding community to support cycling. Much of the City of Davis's growth in the 1960s and beyond purposefully accommodated cycling.