Bicycle Master Plan in Santa Monica: Take the Survey

City planning has started work on a new Bicycle Master Plan. It will set priorities for bicycle facilities on the basis of public input. The plan, once adopted by the council, allows the city to apply for funding for bicycle related improvements.

Many think that Santa Monica could become a bicycle perfect community: Take a community keenly interested in sustainability, a council which wants to do the right thing for the environment, and add sunshine most of the year: Really great things can come of this. The Bicycle Friendly Community Award (Bronze) from the League of American Bicyclists is proudly displayed in City Hall. Santa Monica Spoke emphasizes the community benefits of cycling, and there is talk about a bicycle commission for the city council. We are here in the Prius capital of the world: Every gas saving vehicle encountered on our streets bears testimony to a mild sense of guilt many motorists feel.

If you want to give the city the benefit of your comments, please take the survey. As part of the school community we are convinced of the value of education, but it may be important to remind the planning department that this is not only about bike lanes and bike paths, but about a change in transportation culture which needs lots of education and encouragement in order to initiate a process of change. Because we can no longer view the car as the default transportation mode.