Bike Action Plan Amendment

The Bike Action Plan Amendment (BAPA) outlines the path forward for Santa Monica to build a protected bike lane network citywide by 2025. By prioritizing bicycle connections that are safer and more accessible, the BAPA builds on the same goals and objectives as Santa Monica's 2011 Bike Action Plan and 2010 Land Use and Circulation Element.

Protected bike lanes remove many of the stresses inherent on larger streets by creating physical separation between people riding bikes and people driving cars. By reducing opportunities for conflict, protected bike lanes create an environment that is more welcoming to a broader array of experience levels. Families with children and novice riders who may not ride in the straightest lines, or who are nervous about traffic, benefit from facilities like protected bike lanes. Creating safer streets that encourage bicycle riding is an important part of Santa Monica's mission to reach climate goals, improve public health, and build community resiliency. The Bike Action Plan Amendment is an achievable plan, focused on high-impact projects that the City can get done in the near future.

The Bike Action Plan Amendment was formally adopted by Santa Monica City Council on October 13, 2020.

Project Downloads

Bike Action Plan Amendment

Project Information English/Spanish

Santa Monica Bikeway Network Vision Map

Bike Action Plan 2011

Part I - Executive Summary

Part II - Shifting Gears

Part III - Bicycling in Santa Monica Today

Part IV - Setting A Course

Part V - Rolling It Out

Part VI - Appendix A (Existing Bikeway Network Descriptions)

Part VII - Appendix B (Priority Bikeway Sheets)

Part VIII - Appendix C (Glossary)

Part IX - Appendix D (Bicycle Transportation Account Matrix) and E (Funding Strategies)

Part X - Appendix F (City of Santa Monica Bicycle Parking Ordinance) & G (Public Bicycle Parking Guideline)

FAQ

What is in this amendment?

This Amendment builds on the 20-year vision of the Bike Action Plan. It refines the 20-year map by identifying the bike facilities that are most necessary to convert to protected bikeways. Using practical guides of demand, feasibility, and safety, the amendment strategically identifies a key network of protected facilities within a five year horizon. The Amendment was developed following the same goals and objectives of the Bike Action Plan and the LUCE. This is a technical amendment with the limited scope of introducing a new facility type enabled by changes to State and Federal transportation guidelines. It does not revisit the baseline policy and bike network established by the 2011 Bike Action Plan. Instead, this Amendment identifies priority corridors for protected bicycle lanes and how to implement them on existing roads in a way that balances the needs of all users, including loading and parking needs. This Amendment includes:

1. A clear process to identify priority corridors for protected bike lanes.

2. An action plan, including project summary sheets outlining design considerations and conceptual designs for the five-year protected bikeway vision.

3. Next steps to guide the implementation of this Amendment.

How do protected bike lanes encourage more people to ride?

Most people will not ride a bike in places they do not feel safe. Protected bike lanes remove many of the stresses inherent on larger streets by creating physical separation between people riding bikes and people driving cars. On any street with a maximum speed over 20 mph, people riding bicycles and walking generally feel more comfortable with a larger separation from moving vehicle traffic.

People who bike in Santa Monica have a range of experience levels. Trained, experienced, or fearless cyclists feel confident riding closer to motor vehicles. Families with children and novice riders who might not ride in the straightest lines, or who are nervous about traffic, benefit from facilities like protected bike lanes. By reducing opportunities for conflict, protected bike lanes create an environment that is more welcoming to a broader array of people.

Santa Monicans have routinely stated that their number one barrier to riding more is the perception of safety on the roadway. In 2017, as part of the City of Santa Monica’s Resident Travel Survey, respondents were asked if they felt safe bicycling in Santa Monica. Nearly 32% of respondents said they did not feel safe. When asked what would make them feel safer, the number one choice was protected bike lanes.

As part of the intercept survey for COAST 2019, participants were asked: “what would encourage you to walk/bike more?” 42% of respondents stated that having more protected bikeways would make them bike more. Finally, as part of the shared mobility pilot program users were asked: “What barriers, if any, prevent you from using e-scooters/e-bikes in Santa Monica as much as you would like?” Nearly half of respondents cited a lack of bike lanes as the primary barrier.

By providing more protected facilities on Santa Monica’s bike network, more residents and types of riders can feel safer and comfortable riding a bike. And when they feel safer, they are much more likely to choose to ride.

How do protected bike lanes relate to Vision Zero efforts?

Santa Monica is committed to eliminating fatal and severe crashes in the City by creating safer facilities for all people that use its streets, sidewalks, and bikeways. A key component of making streets safer is to build them so people drive more carefully (often including more slowly) and to separate people using different modes. Improving the design of bicycle facilities to include additional protection reduces the number and severity of crashes involving people on bikes and scooters. One study found that installing protected bike lanes decreases injury collisions for people biking by 90%, compared to a 50% reduction in injuries when standard bike lanes are installed.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many more community members are walking and biking for short trips around town and physically-distanced exercise. Santa Monica can help to create safer and more inviting outdoor spaces that everyone can enjoy without fearing the possibility of being involved in a crash. Protected bicycle lanes are one tool to help accomplish this.

How does bicycling help fight climate change?

Santa Monica’s Bicycle Action Plan has served the community well, guiding the installation of over 100 miles of bicycle facilities. As Santa Monica continues to make progress in meeting sustainability goals, it is important to facilitate access to active transportation modes that reduce carbon emissions and congestion. Vehicle transportation contributes 64% of Santa Monica’s total carbon emissions.4 However, the travel habits of Santa Monica residents show potential for a shift away from driving alone. About 45% of Santa Monica residents say they already bike at least once a month, and over half of driving trips are less than three miles, which is a comfortable riding distance for many people.

Protected bicycle lanes provide an environment that encourages individuals of all ages and abilities to bike more often or take up bicycling for the first time, especially for those shorter trips. By inviting new community members to ride their bicycles to go to school, parks, local businesses, transit stations, and other destinations, Santa Monica can reduce vehicle trips and the associated environmental and public health impacts.

How does bicycling relate to community health and economic recovery?

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the need for attractive and safer travel options that allow for physical distancing. Urban areas have seen a 21% increase in bicycle ridership during the pandemic.6 Protected bicycle lanes are a critical investment to help Santa Monica recover from the public health crisis and prevent an increase in drive-alone trips as schools and workplaces reopen. Bicycling supports economic recovery as well. Comfortable bike and scooter connections will bring residents and visitors to local businesses, supporting the goals of Buy Local Santa Monica and attracting further investment. Studies have found that protected bike lanes in other cities have significant economic benefits.

Is Santa Monica ready for protected bike lanes?

Protected bike lanes are not completely new to Santa Monica, and they have met with success. The esplanade on Colorado Avenue between the Downtown Expo Line Metro Station and the Santa Monica Pier features a two-way protected bicycle lane that has been very popular, and other small segments exist throughout the City, such as Broadway between 16th Street and 20th Street. Broadway has the highest bike ridership of any continuous east-west corridor in the city.

Protected bikeways are a logical next step in the continued evolution of bicycle facilities in Santa Monica. Over the last decade, Santa Monica has progressed from simple bicycle lanes and sharrows to today’s buffered bicycle lanes. These bicycle improvements correlate with a 67% increase in people bicycling to work from 2011 to 2018 in addition to observable increases in activity. Protected bicycle lanes are the next step in creating a safer and comfortable environment for bicycling, and making bicycling a preferred choice for community members.