With Santa Monica public schools back in session this Thursday, August 22, public employees have been working hard this summer to develop measures to combat the effects of back-to-school traffic and promote environmentally friendly means of transit.
The city encourages the usage of public transit in order to counter traffic, especially in the coming weeks as back-to-school traffic can be quite chaotic for both commuters and residents near schools. The city of Santa Monica has also been working on physical improvement projects for years to ensure pedestrians feel more comfortable walking around the city.
One of these major projects is the Safe Routes to School initiative. Through infrastructure and construction projects, such as their Four Schools Project (completed in 2021) and their ongoing pedestrian improvements at Six Schools Project, Safe Routes to School has worked to improve pedestrian safety at 10 SMMUSD schools. Safe Routes to School also focuses on education and encouragement in the classroom. Bike it! Walk it!, which launched in 2010, is a week-long initiative every year that promotes sustainable transportation and physical activity by encouraging students to bike, walk, or take public transit to school.
Various other programs have worked to promote greener modes of transportation as well, focusing mostly on biking or bussing.
The Family Cargo Bike Loaner Program with the Bike Center provides families with the opportunity of a free one-week trial to test out their family-style bikes (allowing for up to three small children in attached cargo). Biking is not only a feasible way for individuals to combat climate change, but also a way to reduce traffic at school drop-off and pick-up areas.
"It was paused during the pandemic when there wasn't as much in person outreach, but now we're ready to get that program rolled out to the public," said Colleen Stoll, Transportation Demand Manager, in an interview with the Daily Press.
The GoPass program, which was initially launched in 2021, gives students an incentive to take advantage of public transit. GoPass is a regional fare-free program for k-12 and community college students allowing them to ride the Big Blue Buss and the Metro free of charge. Administered by Metro in partnership with school districts--one being the Santa Monica-Malibu School District– getting a GoPass TAP card is as simple as reaching out to one's school administration, followed by a quick registration process. Alfredo Cheralez, the manager of planning at Big Blue Bus, said the program has been very successful.
"Locally and across the county, in terms of Big Blue Bus, [the GoPass program] is the source of a lot of ridership growth over the last couple of years," Cheralez said.
The Big Blue Bus is a common transit option for many Santa Monica High School students, with multiple routes that operate every 10-20 minutes and arrive directly outside the campus. In addition, both the Big Blue Bus and the Metro have been focusing on safety and comfortability for a period of time, working to ensure a pleasant riding experience for their passengers.
As pick up and drop off areas tend to get chaotic, it is recommended that parents of Samohi students dropping off their kids prioritize locations other than Michigan Avenue (including the Seventh Street Corridor) to relieve congestion for the sake of those students who are walking and biking.
However, while public transit is encouraged, every transit trip requires a pedestrian trip at some point, Jason Klieger, Santa Monica’s Mobility Manager, explained.
"[Improving conditions for pedestrians] is kind of the first mile connection," Klieger said.
The Department of Transportation has made efforts to make pedestrians feel more comfortable walking around the city. Leading pedestrian intervals, for example, which are meant to increase pedestrian safety, give pedestrians a slight head start before the light turns green for vehicles (Federal Highway Administration). There are currently between 50 and 70 signalized intersections throughout the city with active leading pedestrian intervals; however, the city is still working to expand them further, as studies have shown they improve visibility and reduce the occurrences of Right Hook collisions with pedestrians.
While the coming weeks may see more traffic due to SMMUSD going back in session, Santa Monica is committed to creating a safe, healthy environment for its pedestrians, while encouraging other sustainable modes of transportation.
Leo Lucente, Daily Press Intern
