With the potential to be LA’s first neighborhood greenway, the Michigan Avenue Neighborhood Greenway represents an excellent opportunity for Santa Monica to create a safe, low-traffic route to get from the Bergamot area to downtown Santa Monica. This would allow Pico neighborhood kids to get to the new Tongva Park and the beach, would help create a route for Samohi students to bypass the hazards of Pico Blvd., and would simply make the neighborhood a more pleasant place in which to live.

A few months ago, the Pop-Up MANGo event demonstrated some of the proposed methods for traffic calming. It proved to be a great way for the community to see the possible changes in practice. During the event, many locals were asked about their opinions on these changes, including the use of traffic diverters. According to the SM Spoke website, “Diverters restrict auto access in order to reduce cut-through traffic. They can allow bicyclists full access.” Feedback from the event suggested that these diverters were supported by 55%.

However, a small but highly vocal group from within the Pico Neighborhood Association is attempting to eliminate the possibility of traffic diversion because of its inconvenience. While this may certainly be a factor, it is important to note that we do not know if this is representative of what the Pico Neighborhood favors as a whole. In order to be sure that a full range of local opinions is taken into consideration, everyone interested in the Michigan Avenue Neighborhood Greenway is encouraged to come to tonight’s presentation!

Who: Jason Kligier (AICP | Transportation Planning Associate) will be hosting the event.

What: Santa Monica city staff will present an update on the Michigan Avenue Neighborhood Greenway.
The project will enhance Michigan Avenue and nearby streets to become a safe walk/bike route to the beach for you and your family.

When: Monday, December 9, 2013, 7 PM – 8:30 PM

Where: Virginia Avenue Park, 2200 Virginia Avenue