Santa Monica

(Note:if you want to support Gary's work and our regular coverage of Long Beach, join us at the Library Alehouse this Tuesday. - DN)

Featured Event: Since the City of Santa Monica didn’t host a grand opening for their brand new bike corrals, SM Spoke is filling the void.  The Unofficial Grand Opening starts with a celabratory ride from Bike Center to the corral at 2439 Main Street.  Ride meets at 10:30, but if you want to join them … Continued

Things are getting very exciting for our March 27th all day fundraiser at the Library Alehouse.  Earlier today I picked up a donation from the Big Blue Bus and got word on a donation from Bikes and Hikes L.A.  Remember, if you want to support our expansion into Santa Monica, all you have to do is show up at 129 Main Street a week from today and buy something to eat or drink.  I'll be there all day selling raffle tickets, t-shirts and bags, so say hello while you're there.   Oh, and buy some raffle tickets, t-shirts or bags while you are there.  Or the heck with me, our Santa Monica writer will be there for a lot of the evening as well.

This week, Santa Monica opened it’s first on-street bike corrals located within business districts, with two prominent locations on Main Street. At Main St. and Kinney St. there are 2 corrals on each side of the street, with a larger full space on the east side of the street, and a smaller corral with 4 racks on the north side. Another full size corral with 7 rubberized staple racks is located in front of the Peets Coffee at the Edgemar Center between Ocean Park Blvd. and Hollister Ave.

Lately it seems like every week in Santa Monica there is something new happening that makes it easier and more pleasant to get around without a car. New sharrows there, a new bike lane here, bike racks popping up at shops all over town. New pedestrian oriented mixed use developments are going in several at a time along the future Expo Line corridor and revamped Big Blue Bus shelters are waiting in the wings.

As we've struggled just to provide in-depth coverage of transportation issues in Los Angeles, Streetsblog's coverage of Santa Monica has been uneven.  Every now and then a story about something really cool, or really stupid, would demand that we write a full story; but we were never able to create a consistent narrative for the city.

Los Angeles Streetsblog is hiring a writer to contribute a weekly column covering transportation and livability issues in the city of Santa Monica. The winning applicant will have a knowledge of progressive urban planning and transportation policy as well as a familiarity with Santa Monica city government. Stories can cover new transportation projects, political and community leaders in the area, transit oriented development, open space and parks and other issues that impact the public health and access to public space - all specific to the city of Santa Monica. The position is a freelance contractor, publishing at least once a week. Funding is secure for at least one year at this time. Depending on Streetsblog raising additional funding, there some possibility for extending and/or expanding the position.

After years of being considered the most bike-friendly city in the Southland, Santa Monica fell behind Long Beach in recent years both in terms of infrastructure and cyclists imagination.  However, in recent months, the city once known as the People's Republic of Santa Monica for embracing many of the most progressive ideals imaginable (at least in America) is playing catch-up.

This week's been a big one for bike parking in L.A. County with the opening of Bike Stop in Burbank and Bike Center later this morning in Santa Monica.  Meanwhile, the Culver City Bike Coalition is looking at plans for the Expo Line stop in Culver City and wondering "what about us?"  Streetsblog presents a quick tale of three public cycling centers: