A community group dedicated
SANTA to biking in Santa Monica.
Working to make the
City of Santa Monica
MONICA a more sustainable,
bikeable place to live, work and play.
SPOKE Local Chapter of the
Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition
Martha Welborne, FAIA January 20, 2015
Executive Director Countywide Planning
Metropolitan Transit Authority
1 Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Dear Ms. Welborne:
Santa Monica Spoke would like to express our enthusiastic support for the 2015 Metro Call for Projects applications being submitted by the City of Santa Monica to improve bicycle network connection from the regional bike facilities of the beach bike path, the Pier, downtown Santa Monica and the Expo LRT.
Santa Monica has demonstrated a positive commitment to the environment with the emphasis on bicycling with its award winning Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) and the Cities Bike Action Plan. As bicycling becomes more popular, this is a key opportunity to encourage and support bike ridership by providing facilities to connect to the beach, the Pier, downtown and public transit. Connecting Santa Monica residents, the millions of Pier visitors and bike commuters to the facilities of the Colorado Esplanade Cycle Track and the Expo Light Rail Station at 4th and Colorado.
With the emerging bicycle culture and Santa Monica's growing bicycle network, supporting bicycle connections like this facility along with construction of the Expo LRT will give the city the opportunity to continue to encourage a significant shift from automobile trips to biking and public transit.
Santa Monica Spoke, along with others in the cycling community were active partners in the development of the City's Bike Action Plan, which lists this connection as a high priority due to the impact it can have connecting those traveling by bike to and from the beach path via the Pier. This ramp can directly contribute to reducing congestion and improving air quality both locally and regionally serving residents, visitors and both bike / transit commuters.
We urge you to support the City of Santa Monica's requests and fund this important project to improve bike connectivity and fill the gap in the local bike network.
Sincerely,
Cysthin Rose
Cynthia Rose
Director
Santa Monica Spoke
SANTA MONICA
- PIER —
JANUARY 7, 2015
Martha Welborne, FAIA
Chief Planning Officer
Los Angeles County
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
One Gateway Plaza, Los Angles, CA 90012
Dear Ms. Welborne:
The Board of the Santa Monica Pier Corporation enthusiastically supports the City of Santa Monica's applications in response to the 2015 Metro Call for Projects. The submission includes the construction of a proposed bike ramp connecting the Santa Monica Pier and regional beach bike path with downtown Santa Monica.
The proposed bicycle ramp at the Santa Monica Pier will provide a much-needed connection to the beach bike path and address new bicycle ridership demand that will be created upon construction of the Colorado Esplanade Bicycle Track and completion of the Expo Station and 4th and Colorado directly east of the Pier.
The Santa Monica Pier and Santa Monica State Beach greet millions of visitors each year. The regional beach bike path, going north/south, has long supported recreational and commuter ridership. However, the lack of a connec tion from the beach bike path at the Santa Monica Pier has inhibited commuter ridership from the regional bikepath into downtown Santa Monica.
The Pier Corporation Board participated in and supports the goals and strategies of the City's Bike Master Plan.
Throughout the Plan's community engagement process, participants were extremely vocal about the need for this proposed bike ramp in order to fill a significant gap in the emerging City bike network.
We enthusiastically support the City of Santa Monica's applications.
Sincerely,
Pud Mise
Judy Abdo, Chair
Santa Monica Pier Corporation Board
200 SANTA MONICA PIER, SUITE A, SANTA MONICA, CA 90401
WESTSIDE CITIES
COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS
January 26, 2015
Ms. Martha Welborne, FAIA
Executive Director Countywide Planning
Metropolitan Transit Authority
1 Gateway Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Subject: City of Santa Monica's 2015 Metro Call for Projects Applications Dear Ms. Welborne,
The Westside Cities Council of Governments (WSCCOG) proudly supports the City of Santa Monica's applications in four modal categories to enhance regional connections and encourage increased use of active transportation and transit based on completion of the Exposition Light Rail Phase I line by next year.
As this major investment in regional transit becomes a reality, the smaller details at local levels are the key to creating a truly transit-oriented environment supportive of its use to change travel behavior on the highly-congested Westside. The City's projects that support bicycles, pedestrians, improved traffic flow on regional connector streets and transit travel assistance are high priorities that need to happen. The projects we are supporting include:
• Pedestrian lighting and sidewalk improvements near 17* St. Station; • RSTI components on Olympic and Stewart to facilitate safe first-last mile travel between the Expo Station and jobs/housing in the Creative Business districts; • Travel Planning Assistance to support new users of Metro's light rail system to become regular transit users;
• A bike connection from the popular regional beach bike path up to the Downtown Santa Monica and the Expo Station.
The City's four applications will not only improve Santa Monica, but will also have benefits for the other Westside Cities in our COG, by taking cars off the streets of West Los Angeles and the other three cities. Please support these four projects so that we as a region can change our travel habits and achieve our air quality and congestion reduction goals.
Sincerely,
Nathunter-Estilaw
atherine Perez-Estolar
Executive Director
448 South Hill Street Suite 618, Los Angeles CA, 90013 | P: (213) 612.4545 | F: (213) 488.3468 SMPLA
January 16, 2015
VIA EMAIL & US POST
Mr. Selim Eren, P.E.
CITY OF SANTA MONICA - CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
1437 4TH Street, Suite 300
Santa Monica, CA 90401
RE: SANTA MONICA PIER BIKE RAMP
Dear Mr. Eren:
The Santa Monica Pier Lessees Association (SMPLA) wholeheartedly supports the City of Santa Monica's application for grant funding to construct a bike ramp connecting the regional, beach-level bike path with the Santa Monica Pier and downtown Santa Monica.
The construction of a bike ramp will help reduce automobile traffic and associated pollution in the city's downtown district, encourage bike ridership, and provide a safe, accessible right of way connecting the Pier and beach with the Expo Station at 4th Street and Colorado. Completion of the light rail line and its Expo Station is expected to greatly increase the number of people - coming into Santa Monica daily, making this proposal timely as well.
A bike ramp at the pier creates better access for commuters who use the bike path to reach downtown Santa Monica or to connect with the Expo Station. Currently, access to the downtown area from the north-south bike path is hindered by the lack of a connection between the path and the Pier, creating unsafe conditions for bicyclists, pedestrians and cars. The proposed bike ramp also compliments Santa Monica's efforts to promote alternative transportation.
The SMPLA is pleased to endorse the city's grant application to the 2015 Metro Call for Projects.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Chais Valaski
Chris Volaski
President
Santa Monica Pier Lessees Association
321 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, California 90401
Phone: 310-396-0897 Email: [email protected]
www.opa-sm.org
Ocean Park Association
January 6, 2015
Martha Welborne, FAIA
Chief Planning Officer
Los Angeles County
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Dear Ms. Welborne:
The Ocean Park Association Board has voted to support the City of Santa Monica's efforts to improve the connectivity of the bicycle network within the City and the beach bike path.
The 2015 Metro Call for Projects application has OPA support as it is being submitted by the City of Santa Monica for a new bike ramp to improve the connectivity between the bicycle network and facilities at the Santa Monica Pier and the Santa Monica Beach area that includes our neighborhood, Ocean Park, as well as the Expo Light Rail.
Connecting the Regional Bike Path on the beach to the Santa Monica Pier and to the Expo Station in downtown Santa Monica via the Colorado Esplanade Bicycle Track would create a link that is presently missing and would promote transit use and support the goal of reducing car trips to the Santa Monica Pier and Santa Monica Beach.
We urge you to support the City of Santa Monica's applications for these efforts to improve connectivity for the residents, visitors, and transit commuters in Santa Monica.
Hamed haver
ames Lawson
Chair
Ocean Park Association