SaMo Transpo

A field trip was long overdue – my son moved to Santa Monica 3 years ago; I hadn’t visited him, so there would be a lot to see.

I knew of the bike lanes, bikeshare, light rail, the 22-mile Marvin Braude Coastal Bike Trail – Santa Monica has it all, but my favorite attraction is the Third Street Promenade.

Inspiration strikes like a pang in my heart – wouldn’t Santa Barbara’s lower State Street be so much more if it were closed to car traffic? Like Santa Monica’s Promenade, it would take a giant step towards maximizing its economic potential, while improving pedestrian safety.

I’ve been telling friends of this fantasy ever since moving here last November – it seemed so obvious, why hasn’t there been an outcry to make this happen on State Street?

Ironically, no bicycling is allowed on the promenade. That’s because it’s jammed with pedestrians most of the time, so this passion of mine, which stems from my bicycle advocacy, would mean no bicycles on lower State Street. Nonetheless, the economic impact would be worth it – tourists would love it, residents, too.

I’d done my research – what to see, what to do, where to stay, but most importantly, how to get around. The date was set and schedules were synchronized for my visit.

Then I awoke to an article in the Washington Post, “L.A. – the city of traffic jams — finds a way to get people out of their cars.”

So no surprise, light rail is a hit in Santa Monica, but even with bikeshare and bike lanes galore, there are too many cars and congestion is a constant.

My son didn’t know – you can use the Metro TAP card on the bus, too, which he thought would be more convenient for him – maybe there’ll be one less motorist in L.A.