Top 5 Reasons to Dust off Your Bike’s Handlebars and Cruise at COAST

August 16, 2018 12:40 PM
by Constance Farrell

Coast 2017 (Photo Credit: Jonathan Abraham)

Did you know Santa Monica residents and visitors’ bike 113 miles of the City’s bike paths, bike lanes, and bikeways daily? With over 1000 bike racks, a Bike Center and over 80 Breeze Bike Share stations in Venice and Santa Monica, navigating the Westside continues to become easier. However, nothing compares to biking Santa Monica’s prominent streets during COAST, the City’s open streets event. Celebrating the city’s commitment to mobility, art and sustainability, the event engages attendees along two miles of car-free streets with interactive programs, performances and art.

Here are the top 5 reasons you should dust off your bike and cruise at COAST:

1. Ride outside the bike lane and explore Santa Monica’s famed and landmarked-filled roads.

The annual event is the only opportunity for attendees to ride outside the bike lane and cruise or walk along two miles of Santa Monica’s iconic streets. Bikers can enjoy ocean views from the entrance to the Pier and Ocean Avenue and Palisades Park, to Colorado Esplanade, City Hall, Tongva Park and Main Street corridor. The COAST route gives attendees a new way to experience familiar landmarks and streets.   

2. Explore more of the route along with more art installations and performances.

A range of artists will liven the streets and sidewalks with interactive art installations, music, and performances throughout the day. Biking the route allows event goers the opportunity to catch dancers and musicians that will be strolling the streets and performing at site-specific locations, including the stage on Ocean Avenue at Santa Monica Boulevard. Join up to 1,000 people for John Q’s aerial art piece and leave your fingerprints as part of Peter Tigler’s interactive thumbprint mural. You won’t be able to miss artists Jana Cruder and Matthew LaPenta large-scale installation, Natural Plasticity, which showcases the impact of single-use plastic on the environment. Thanks to several free bike valets and free bike parking throughout the route, attendees can hop off their bikes and explore more by foot, but remember to bring a bike lock! 

3. Explore sustainability and mobility options through interactive experiences.

 Interactive programming at COAST is designed for event goers to explore and learn tangible ways to incorporate sustainability and non-car options of mobility into their daily lives. Santa Monica Spoke’s educational and fun Bike Rodeo will teach participants how to ride their bikes and scooters safely. Santa Monica Community Garden will show attendees how to prepare self-grown vegetables, offer garden tours, and share planting tips. Active Santa Monica will lead a series of fun and dynamic drop-in workshops ranging from dance to sports.

4. Without the worry of cars, you’ll be able to enjoy the ride and the many health benefits associated with riding a bike.

A casual bike ride at COAST can initiate a passion for cycling, which has many associated health benefits. A study organized by the University of Glasgow found that people who cycle to work cut their risk for heart disease and cancer in half. People who ride bikes are also exposed to fewer dangerous fumes than those who travel by car according to a study by Healthy Air Campaign, King’s College London and Camden council. After the City of Los Angeles held its first CicLAvia in 2010, residents expressed the desire to replace traffic with forms of transportation that allow them to exercise and reduce carbon emissions – both of which benefit their overall health. Since cycling is a low impact sport, cyclists tend to have fewer injuries than runners. Additional health benefits can be found in this recently published article by Cycling Weekly. Bikers of all ages can enjoy the car-free streets safely.

5. Connect with families, friends and the larger community.

Families and friends form traditions around annual events - creating memories in the process. The City of Santa Monica hopes COAST becomes an annual tradition where attendees gather, connect, explore, try something new and leave feeling inspired.

COAST: The City of Santa Monica and Metro present this Open Streets Event that takes place on Sunday, Oct. 7 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. For more information on the event, visit www.smgov.net/coast. For more information about Metro’s Open Streets Program, visit https://www.metro.net/projects/active-transportation/metro-open-streets-grant-program/.

Authored By

Constance Farrell
Communications & Public Information Manager