SANTA MONICA—The Santa Monica City Council approved two projects that will advance pedestrian, scooter and biker safety in the area. Nineteen miles of bike lanes will be painted green in the first project, and 17th Street and Michigan Avenue will undergo an improvement project. The city council approved both projects on July 24.
According to the city of Santa Monica website, some green bike lanes have existed in Santa Monica for several years along Main Street and Broadway. The green lines have proven to make streets safer by ensuring bikers and scooters are visible to drivers. The use of green paint in bike lanes clarifies the use of road space for everyone. The project will include the installation of video detection cameras at 20 intersections. The city will also add 1,250 bike racks to the region.
The Safe Streets for 17th Street and Michigan Avenue Project aims to improve pedestrian and biker safety. According to the city of Santa Monica’s website, the number of people walking on 17th Street has increased by 1600 percent, and the number of bikers has increased by 82 percent respectively.
17th Street connects four neighborhoods, two major bikeways, three transit stops, and the Michigan Avenue Neighborhood Greenway. Since the area is traveled by a lot of bikers and pedestrians, the project will include the addition of pedestrian-scale lighting to improve personal safety. It will include curb extensions to reduce crossing, and a bikeway protected by a raised median. The 17th Street improvements will span from Wilshire Boulevard to Pico Boulevard.
The project will go through final design in 2019, and construction is expected to start in early 2020.
For more details about the 17th Street and Michigan Avenue Improvement Project, visit smgov.net/17thStreet. For additional information regarding the Bike Lane Project, visit smgov.net/bikelanes.
