Via city of Santa Monica. This post is by Jason Kligier, senior transportation planner.
With over 100 miles of bikeways, Breeze Bike Share stations across town, convenient bike parking, relatively flat terrain, and gorgeous weather, Santa Monica is without a doubt one of the best places to be a cyclist in the Southland. Santa Monica is even designated as a Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists. Still, only a minority of people bicycle, so our work is far from over in sharing the great health and environmental benefits.
Biking is a cornerstone of our plan to realize City Council’s strategic goal of establishing a new model for mobility in our coastal city we all adore. In the coming years, millions of dollars will be spent to make it more fun and convenient to bike for commuting, dropping the kids off at school, errands, and recreation.
Two-thirds of local greenhouse gas emissions are from vehicle transportation. Every time you choose to bike, you are helping to slow climate change and contributing to better air quality. And if you didn’t quite keep up your New Year’s resolution to hit the gym more, biking is an easy way to burn calories while you commute.
May is celebrated across the nation as Bike Month and there’s no better time to hop on two wheels and get exploring! Start out with a simple trip for leisure or a local errand. We think you’ll love it. We’ve also got a whole host of activities planned for the month that you can learn more about on Santa Monica Spoke’s event calendar.
May 9: Bike Month Proclamation at City Council meeting
May 8-12: Bike It! Walk It! Bus It! Week with SMMUSD
May 14-21: Bike Local Week
May 18: Bike to Work Day
– Annual City Hall Pit Stop with coffee, continental breakfast and goodies for the first 100 cyclists from 7 – 9 a.m. at 1685 Main Street
– Main Street Business Improvement Association Pit Stop at 2740 Main Street from 7:30 -10:30 a.m. with free coffee, pastries, bike tune ups, and giveaways
May 21: Santa Monica Family Bike Festival + Swap at McKinley Elementary School (2401 Santa Monica Blvd) from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
