Measure BB Science And Technology Building

23 June: Public Scoping Meeting

Project Manager Shannon Daniels is our guide: Go to http://www.smmusd.org/measureBB/index.html Then at the top of that web page you will see a tab that says “Campus Improvement.” Put your mouse arrow over “Campus Improvement” and you should see a drop down menu. On the drop down menu, put your mouse arrow over “Santa Monica High School.” Then you will see another drop down menu, put your mouse arrow over “Individual Initial Study” and then “Initial Study.”

The direct way for the initial study is here, and the wisely separated title page here

Here are some points to raise
1) Insufficient Outreach, low numbers attending, badly scheduled after school is out, cannot find study file with the link provided
2) Include bike workshop with auto workshop.
3) TDM programs to reduce car trips to include students and staff.
4) Make sure that the present project does not impact on the planned 7th Street pedestrian bridge
5) 7th Court Alley is an inappropriate space for high volumes of traffic, serious conficts with pedestrians on Michigan, sightlines,
6) accomodate bicycle traffic at drop off and pick up times on Michigan in a safe manner, which enhances the role of Michigan Ave as Bike Access and Bike Boulevard through the site
7) Need about 300 safe bike parking spaces (CHPS standards)
8) Cut out for drop-off on Olympic would cut into pedestrian area and decrease efficiency of existing drop off along Olympic. May need to relocate further west to avoid danger of east bound cars traveling at high speed exiting I-10 onto Lincoln
9) Baseline traffic counts in the area should include non-motorised transportation, including skating, boards, etc, as they are quite prevalent around the school, and pose their unique challenges
10) Baseline air quality measurements from I-10 traffic
11) Consider to narrow East Bound Olympic traffic lanes and widen pedestrian areas to create less of a speed inducing environment. Olympic should receive the same treatment the street has already received West of 4th Street


If you did not hear about the meeting in advance and want to make your own comments, please send them by email to measurebb@smmusd.org by Thursday 9 July 2009

Bike / Walk to School Days Eliminate 1200 Car Trips

April 2nd, 2009: School District SMMUSD approves a comprehensive resolution supportive of cycling for pupils and staff.

May 2009: SAMOHI students (Solar Alliance), members of LACBC and Santa Monica Spoke convene to organize Bike/Walk to school events in the district (One high school and two middle schools). We invite students to become campus bicycle ambassadors, beginning with a short course on bike safety taught by League of American Bicyclists certified Cycling Instructors.
Interaction with police, administrators and teachers, the city provides valet bike parking and conducts traffic counts on the approaches. A bike safety curriculum for the classroom is made available for home-room use. Students invited to become bike safety ambassadors.

June 10/12: Bike/Walk to school events with approximately 1200 students choosing non-motorized mode. One school sees more than six-fold increase in number of bicycles (15 to 92)

June 16: District PTSA approves budget for bicycle safety programs of more than 3000$. This will allow the program to expand to other schools in the district and start their own local program.



Thanks to the enthusiasm of high school students who wanted to bring the bike to the younger ranks, thanks to the work over the past four years by Alison Kendall, an urban planning consultant and Santa Monica High PTSA Transportation Committee Chair, and much good will brought our way, we find us now mid-way into a scholastic bicycle revolution in Santa Monica. Next term we shall have the advantage of starting early in the year with an established program to build on, more word of mouth, and more classroom support by teachers, including an interdisciplinary bike curriculum. We shall advertise the Safe Cycling Class to parents at PTA meetings early in the term, we want to work with the police to establish a helmet ticket diversion program, and we have invited the principal to “The Principal’s Bike Ride.” We shall assist teachers to find bike related activities for Community Service element and establish closer contact with PE teachers. Then comes the expansion and improvement of current bike parking facilities. Yes, there is plenty of room for interested parents and teachers to work with us. Why not set up a bicycle user group of teachers in the district?

Now join us to continue our work with an approved budget in the background: Some call it modal shift, we call it fun. And lets get rid of those helmets on the handlebar and put them where they belong: On the head!

The Numbers:
Lincoln Middle School (1190 students), 357 participants (206 walkers, 92 bikers, school bus 2, transit 14, skateboard 43) Helmet use among cyclists more than 75 %.

John Adams Middle School (990 students), 415 participants (311 walkers, 71 bikers, 24 bus riders, and 9 arriving by skateboard or scooter) 75% of cyclists arriving on campus wearing helmets.

SAMOHI (3200 students), 442 participants (166 bikers, 130 walkers, 111 transit, 35 skateboard) (some gates not counted)

Statistical data for one school regarding modal choices in each class is available

John Adams Walking Biking

Great success at John Adams Middle school for Bike/Walk to school day on 12 June 2009: Of 990 students over 415 students participated: 311 walkers, 71 bikers, 24 bus riders, and 9 arriving by skateboard or scooter. This is the highest percentage in the district! A survey of some cyclists arriving on campus showed 35 out of 46 cyclists (over 75%) were wearing helmets. We already have a great report on the web: but here are a few more pictures:



This is our crew of helpers after the successful distribution of Popsicles!

Almost half of the students arriving without a car, that is really a great. But who is going to sit down and calculate all the good we have done the environment, the health, and the community, by driving less, by walking and cycling more. Perhaps there is a Science Magnet somewhere at JAMS? I think I saw one on the lawn.



Diane Toppel laughing her bike in a safe distance from car doors. Remember, these doors have a nasty habit of opening any time. So stay away from them!


Of course here are many ways to ride your bike, and even some cars like to ride a bike. They just put it up on the roof, and bingo, even a car can cycle.

Lincoln Rolls 135 Strong

Bike/Walk to School Day. The bike enclosure usually houses a dozen bikes, today we have seen ten times as many. A tandem was found in a friend's garage, bikes of all sizes and colors, and plenty of helmets too. 92 bikes in our large rack on the front lawn, plus 42 on those fabulous skateboards, longboards, scooters, not counting Mr Johnstone's bike, nor Susanne Webb's bike or any of the other cycling teachers (how many?)

Our walkers, putting the trusted feet to work, they came from all directions, with books to return, with musical instruments, 190 of them, happily saving gas and the environment. They came on their skateboards and on the scooter, and the Security officer confirmed, "a marked reduction in the usual car traffic, I can confirm this indeed". We counted 190 walkers, another 32 taking the bus, that is a third of the school not driving, wow, this is a real big deal. Kids, you are making us proud, and you make the gasoline companies poor, you make your parents rich, and the environment happy. Yeahhhh!
And what went wrong? Well, some parents think that driving your child in the car is the best way to show your love and affection to your offspring. Chauffeur = Good Parent. Some children may think so too, but none of those interviewed confirmed this car-love-complex. However, Harrison wanted some streets closed, and thought Walk/Bike to school could run for a whole week. One week of walking and cycling: Now we are talking - Lets calculate the gas savings right away. And next time, lets get text book return out of the way, or re-design the textbooks so that they can be carried on the bike.

Bike Safety Workshop

Do you want to be a Bicycle Safety Instructor? Here is where it starts: Monday 8 June, Bike Safety Workshop at John Adams Middle School. All middle school grades are welcome. Curriculum by the League of American Cyclists: The aim is not only to become a better cyclist, but also to get you started on the way towards becoming a League Certified Instructor (LCI).
Start at 3:15, paticipants from Lincoln may arrive a bit later. Bring bike, helmet and signed waiver. The whole thing will take about 2 hours. If you want to get a head-start, more details about the curriculum are here