SANTA MONICAMetro officials have announced plans to help encourage more cycling in the city.

Using a $224,000 state grant, Metro plans to provide 150 free safety classes for cyclists. The classes will be held throughout Los Angeles, Culver City, Santa Monica and Long Beach. In an effort to further promote safety, Metro will also be giving each student a helmet, bicycle light and safety manual upon completion of the class.

In continuing its effort to promote more cyclists on the road, next month Metro will be choosing a vendor to provide a bike-sharing program in Los Angeles. There will be 65 stations created, offering 1090 bicycles for use. The bike-sharing program is expected to launch next spring.

Metro plans to add bike racks on 1,000 of its 2,000 buses by 2018.
Metro plans to add bike racks on 1,000 of its 2,000 buses by 2018.

In addition to the bike sharing, Metro is adding more bike racks to larger buses and creating ad campaigns to promote more walking or cycling. They also plan to create street festivals, which only allow cyclists and pedestrians to walk through. This will help promote bike safety and utilization more throughout the city.