8/13/2019 MANGo Staff REPORT Support SMSpoke
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A community group dedicatedto biking in Santa Monica.
Working to make theCity of Santa Monica amore sustainable,
walkablebikeable place to live, work and play.
Re: Support StaffRecommendations on MANGo MANGo is beauty and
equity for the Pico Neighborhood
Dear Mayor Pam OConnor, Santa Monica City Council members, City
Manager Rod Gould, PlanningCommissioners, City Staff&
Consultant Team,
With overwhelming community support, the city and consulting
team have put forward awonderful project in MANGo. With only one
ask we fully support staffrecommendations for thisbeautiful project
that we believe will serve the Pico Neighborhood, the community and
futuregenerations actively and safely transporting themselves.
We understand there is opposition to the plan from some PNA
members, based on simply themere suggestion of allowing diverters
to remain in the tool box. We are not advocating foraggressive
implementation and indeed acknowledge diverters may never be needed
for thisproject. With support from many Pico Neighborhood residents
and the community we would likethem to at least remain as an
option. Tey restore peace in many neighborhoods in all parts
ofSanta Monica: Centinela and Dorchester, Delaware and Centinela,
Clovereld and Delaware,Exposition and Warwick, Bay, Grant and Pacic
at 16th, La Mesa Drive and 26th, 6th and Pico,24th & 25th
streets between Broadway and Santa Monica Blvd plus all the medians
that diverttraffic.
Santa Monica Spoke supports staffs recommendation for the use of
turn restrictions to reducetraffic. Tat and traffic circles may be
all that is necessary to bring traffic levels down to a safelevel,
and implementation can occur over a course of years. We wont know
what works until wetry. We fully understand the fear and
controversy surrounding traffic reduction goals anddiversion as
part of the plan since this is Santa Monicas rst neighborhood
greenway. Howeverthis cannot be a greenway without true traffic
reduction goals. Tere is considerable experienceand general
agreement about appropriatemaximum Average Daily Trips(ADT)and
speednumbers.Staffhave suggested an ADT goal of fewer than 2000.
TeNational Association of CityTransportation Officials(NACTO),
based on research from cities across the US, suggests a goal
offewer than 1500*. Most cities (Portland, San Luis Obispo,
Vancouver, BC), aim for a goal of fewerthan 500, Long Beachs
greenway has 800-1000 ADT, so fewer than 1500 seems reasonable
and
achievable. Please see attached What traffi
c experts say
Mathematical characterization from NACTO:On a 20 mph street with
1,000 vpd*, a cyclist traveling at 12 mph during peak hour would
bepassed by a car traveling in the same direction approximately
every 86 seconds (assuming peakhour is 15 percent of vpd, the
street is two-way with 70% of traffic volumes traveling in the
peakdirection, and cars are evenly spaced along the street). By
comparison, at 3,000 vpd, a bicyclistwould be passed by a car every
29 seconds, and at 5,000 vpd, a bicyclist would be passed by a
carevery 17 seconds.*vehicle per day
8/13/2019 MANGo Staff REPORT Support SMSpoke
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It has been noted that many PNA members live in the Virginia
Park area and are among thehundreds of parents using or abusing
Michigan Avenue to drive their children to Samohi or toaccess the
freeway. We hope you will support prioritizing the local residents
and the safetyofschool children trying to walk and bicycle to
Samohi and other schools over the convenience ofvehicle drivers and
cut through traffic. Change is difficult - but improvements are
needed. WithCouncils leadership we can provide equity and peace to
the Pico Neighborhood and safe routes toschool for future
generations of children by reducing cut-through traffic on Michigan
Avenue.
In summary; we are NOT asking for an aggressive implementation
of diverters as soon as possibleor ever if they are not needed.
Other than reducing traffic volumes to less than 1500 ADT we
fullysupport all the other aspects of staffrecommendations for the
MANGo Plan and feel this willtruly be an asset to this community
and a visionary template for improving other streets in ourcity and
region. Tis projects success hinges on steep traffic reduction and
is not a greenwaywithout it.Tere is no safety or comfort for
pedestrians, cyclists or other non-motorized roadusers without
reducing the number of cars on Michigan Ave. MANGo is a big step
towardencouraging a change in that thinking of how we get around
and can help set the tone for the nextfy years of the way Santa
Monica works. What kind of city do we want? One for cars, or one
forpeople?
Please support MANGo and make sure we set an ambitious target
for reducing traffic onMichigan Avenue to less than 1500 vehicles
per day and assure that we have all the tools at ourdisposal to
achieve safer, healthier more active options for circulating in
Santa Monica andregionally.
Sincerely
Cynthia RoseDirectorSanta Monica SpokeLocal Chapter LACBC
*NACTO:http://nacto.org/cities-for-cycling/design-guide/bicycle-boulevards/volume-management/.
