Santa Monica, CA
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Navigating Santa Monica by bicycle
Although Santa Monica is not considered to be a Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists, it is one of the better places to bicycle in the Los Angeles Metro Area to ride a bike. Most roads are very well maintained, and there is a extensive network of bike lanes across the city and a large amount of bike shops. On any given day you can see a large number of people cycling from work, school or for exercise. The beach path constantly has both bike and roller blade traffic, mountain bikers can enjoy traversing the single track up in the Santa Monica Mountains and Road Cyclists can find plenty of terrain for any intensity of ride. Santa Monica is also one of the key rest spots on the Pacific Coast Bike Route.
However, the SMPD can be very unforgiving if you a)don't follow traffic laws b)ride in a large group or c)are intoxicated (as has been experienced by Santa Monica Critical Mass, CubCamp, The Wolfpack Hustle, and most recently, the one off Alphabet Soup ride.) It is difficult to determine the stance of Santa Monica City Council and SMPD on urban social bike rides. There has been public admission that there is any policy specifically targeting social bike rides. Given the conflict since July 2007 it appears that, at the least, the SMPD has adopted a policy against urban social bike rides. For the most part, negative treatment towards single cyclists, or small groups, is not the norm, but it is worth being aware of if you venture into Santa Monica.
See also, Santa Monica Critical Mass's conflicts with SMPD.
Bicycle Infrastructure in Santa Monica
Bike Lanes & Paths
Compared with the City of Los Angeles, Santa Monica has a greater density of bike lanes. For the savvy cyclist it is often possible to get to most major areas of the city using them. All bike lanes cease when they reach downtown. In most cases they are replaced with Bus lanes, which cyclists may use to avoid car traffic. However, heading North to South can is still difficult, particularly between Broadway and Pico. Many of the bike lanes in Santa Monica are adjacent to parallel parking, so it is important to remain alert to avoid being hit by car doors. Riding on the left edge, or even slightly outside of the lane, can help one avoid the door zone.
Some of the most popular bikeways are the Santa Monica Beach Bike Path, the bike lanes on Broadway, Main Street, and San Vicente Blvd, and the Pacific Coast Bike Route. The Beach Bike Path is privately scorned by many utilitarian cyclists because tourists and other modes add a host of hazards to daytime riding, and the path is winding and indirect.
Bike Parking
Many major businesses in the city have some form of bike rack available for parking, and the downtown region has bike racks in every parking garage and along many of the transit and foot traffic hubs such as the 3rd Street Promenade. Despite these accommodations, biking is sufficiently popular enough within Santa Monica, that it is not uncommon to search for a place to lock up; many racks will be filled to capacity at peak traffic times in popular areas such as Downtown. A recent research project has revealed that bicycle parking facilities in front of bicycle shops in Santa Monica are either absent (Performance Bikes) or of a ridiculous quality (Cynergy) or representative of the 1970's bicycle parking (Helen's). A survey of Supermarket Bicycle Parking standards yielded similar results.
Santa Monica is a leader in the region in the use of valet bike parking. The City of Santa Monica maintains bike valet parking at many popular city events such as the various Farmers Markets, and the Twilight on the Pier concert series.
Post Ride Eats and Drinks
Bike Activism in Santa Monica
Santa Monica is home to an increasingly vocal community of cyclists. Santa Monica Critical Mass and the Santa Monica Police Department have been at odds since July 2007, and the conflict spread to City Hall in November 2007 when at least 50 cyclists attended the Santa Monica City Council meeting to protest the ticketing of cyclists on the November ride. The conflict has frequently been covered by the Santa Monica Daily Press, and on some occasions by Surf Santa Monica, the LA Times, the LA Weekly, and local news stations Fox News 11 and KTLA.
More quietly the recently organized Bikerowave has gradually established itself as a resource for cyclists interested in learning about bike repair. As of June 2008, this group has elected a board of directors, and is on the verge of filing for Co-operative status. It has become the default choice for Westsiders interested in becoming involved in activism.
Recently cyclists have had a big presence in the Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) update process. The LUCE is a long range master plan which defines priorities for Santa Monica in the areas of urban planning, transportation management, and zoning. At some meetings during the draft process more than 15% of attendees were cyclists. Cyclists were able to secure a meeting between the planners working on the draft plan to share concerns. At City Council meetings discussing the plan cyclists have been a vocal group during public comment.
One City Councilman, Kevin McKeown, is a well known cyclist.
