Yesterday, Santa Monica hosted the latest iteration of its popular Coast open streets festival. Two miles of Santa Monica streets were closed to cars and open to bicycling, walking, skating, and much more. The all-ages event attracted lots of families.
The relatively short distance attracted a higher percentage of pedestrians compared to other L.A. County open streets events. Anecdotally, this writer observed that about half the participants were on foot. A few bicyclists seemed impatient with the foot traffic, but for the most part, active transportation modes shared the space peacefully.
Coast featured lots of booths, displays, music, puppets, and much more.
Readers - how was your experience at yesterday's Coast open streets festival?
UC Berkeley's SafeTREC programs train groups to assess bicycle and pedestrian safety in their communities and identify safety improvements. Agencies and community groups are encouraged to apply.
In almost every state, federal funding on highway expansions far outstrips spending on transit, active transportation, electrification, and all other programs that aim to reduce emissions.
California is no exception.
Metro ridership has grown steadily for the past two years, with October, a second straight month of million-plus daily boardings, setting a pandemic-era record