CSM! News September 22, 2002

TEN NEW BICYCLE PARKING SPOTS AT TRADER JOE'S-SANTA MONICA (UPDATE)

BEACH GREENING

TIDE SHUTTLE POLL

SANTA MONICA DRINKING WATER PRODUCT QUALITY CONTROL ORDINANCE

In this issue I have included seven articles. First, I wanted all cyclists to know about the new bicycle parking we lobbied for at Trader Joe's is now available for you to use. And I would like to ask that you give me some feedback on what you think about them. The next three articles are reprints from OPCO News. All three of these stories have an impact on cycling. The first on "Beach Greening" is about converting over 300 parking spots on the beach to recreational use. I think Cycle Santa Monica! may also like to have input into this project.

The second OPCO News article about the Tide Shuttle extension, would indirectly effect Cyclists. I think that the extension of hours for the tide shuttle would be great at eliminating the need for people along the route to drive their car to get to the Wednesday and Sunday Farmers Market. One important issue to remember that the Tide Shuttle currently (generally) do not provide bicycle racks on them. So this extension would benefit pedestrians more especially. Second consideration I have is that the Tide Shuttle is cheaper to ride than the Big Blue Bus 25 and 75 cents respectively. There is more involved with this topic. And I think the Santa Monica Cycling community would benefit by providing input into this project.

The last article, also an OPCO News reprint is about "SANTA MONICA DRINKING WATER PRODUCT QUALITY CONTROL ORDINANCE" Cycling, like other physical exercise/activity, creates a demand for more water intake than sedentary driving of a motorized vehicle. Additionally, when whether is warmer there is even greater intake of water. So the quality of water is important to cyclists because our bodies need to filter alot more fluid through our organs such as kidneys, and bladder due to cycling. If there is a small amount of impurity in our water and we drink more. Our bodies have to deal with greater amount than people who don't take in as much water because they don't get as much exercise. I think the cycling community may like to be involved in this initiative or other initiatives that effect our drinking water.

The last two articles include a story notice about a FREE mountain Bike training course offered in the Santa Monica mountains and reminder of the October CSM meeting. I expect to have a guest speaker to talk about volunteer opportunities available in Santa Monica that you can do on your bicycle. Also there is a form where you can submit suggestions for items that you would like to see in the October meeting agenda. Additionally there is some boxes you can check off to specify interests that you have so that.

I have received some feedback about the Cycle Santa Monica Yahoogroups. In response to the feedback. I have altered the Yahoogroups to fully moderated and investigating solutions to accommodate the needs of more people on the list. Additionally, I have changed the "reply" feature to posts so that all responses to posts will go to the person who posted the message as opposed to the message board. These should eliminate posts to the board that are more of a personal nature. This is a test. If you have any comments about this, please email me with your comments [email protected].

A couple ideas that have been proposed is to have two Yahoogroups for CSM!. One would be strictly used for announcements and limiting the number of mail to that list to a maximum of about 2 per month. And to have another CSM! Yahoogroups which would be for discussion of topics. It has also been proposed that the groups should be changed from closed from public view to allowing anyone in the public to view any of the messages.

When we first started the Yahoogroups. We started it as a solution to the cumbersome method of everyone having to update an email list with people who continually were wanting to join or unjoin the list. The yahoogroups was a way for people to use a central list that could be modified by individual members to subscribe or unsubscribe themselves.

Over the last several months it has become apparent that there is a need for a more limited mailing list for those that don't want to read the discussions, but are interested in the distilled information from discussions or other info. If we decide to move to have two lists. I think we should keep the existing list as the announcement list. So for Now, I will be more closely monitoring posts to the Yahoogroups and I will be editing posts for clarity and content. I hope this will improve the quality of information you all receive. Continue to feel free to post information you think will be of interest to the Santa Monica Cyclists!

Michael
Editor
Cycle Santa Monica!
http://www.geocities.com/cyclesantamonica

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September 21, 2002, ten new bicycle parking spots are available for use. Four staple racks were mounted into ground with cement near the entrance to the store.

Here are some pictures from 9/23/2002. This first one is a picture of what it looked like when I arrived. Note the BMW encroching into the bicycle parking zone. Also, note the shopping cart being left in the zone. Also, there is an electric scooter parked in the corner blocking the use of 3 bicycle parking spots. And this scooter will have trouble being used for shopping in that spot because the bicles will be in its way when parked in the spots. Overall this spot needs some solutions to fix

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This next picture is what it looks like with a bicycle being parked with the BMW encroaching on it. Note that the bicycle wheel can not be left straight and there is no room for bicycle to be removed from that side. This problem will become more extreme for biccyle parked in internal bicycle parking spots when other bikes are parked on the surrounding spots. My suggestion is to repaint the striping for the bicycle parking area with green paint solid. provide another 2 feet of zone on the right side with the green paint. Incorporate bicycle parking symbol painted on the ground along the outer edges. Add to tire cement blocks along the outside edge of the left side of the bicycle parking zone (painting them green also with some bicycle parking text along both sides. Additionally, some kind of sticker signage on the bike racks themselves indicating that these are bicyle parking racks. This should help eliminate any confustion that this is a shopping cart storage zone. And make a designated space for the electric shopping cart  outside the bicycle parking zone. I suggest along the edge of the building with easy access to the store entrance. When I was there there was plenty of room along the edge of the building

These next to pictures show the encroaching BMW from two other angles.

Note that there is several feet on the driver's side.

I think Trader Joe's management is moving in the right direction. They just need some help to refine the bicycle parking solution. 

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The Recreation & Parks Commission is considering a proposal to "green" some of Santa Monica's south beach parking lots. The proposal would essentially convert 390 beach parking spaces to recreational space.

OPCO, the PRC and the Main Street Merchants Association are seeking to have input on the plan, which is the subject of a new staff report. The Merchants have asked OPCO to support a request that the proposal be re-agendized to allow neighborhood participation.

Part of the Merchants' objection to the plan going forward is that over the last two years, they have sought to increase short-term parking and lower rates at the beach lots. OPCO was a partner in this plan, which many residents felt would decrease problems on their residential streets. A rate pyramid plan was put forth that would make parking costliest at the Pier and cheaper moving away from the Pier. The idea was to move beach traffic away from the Pier, away from the neighborhoods, and out of the Main Street business district municipal lots, and instead into the southern beach lots.

However, City staff countered that only limited short-term parking could be created, and rates could not be lowered as much as was necessary to really shift beach-goer parking.

MSMA is requesting that free parking in the southern beach lots be allowed for people going to the Main Street Farmers' Market on Sunday mornings, as no one parks there in the morning, and there is a crush in the Main Street lots and in the adjacent neighborhood. The City has yet to respond to this proposal favorably.

The staff is proposing to use "Netlon" as the surface for the "green" areas. The staff report describes this as follows. "Netlon Advanced Turf: A rootzone (mesh structures mixed with mulch) substructure with a turf layer on top. Studies indicate this surface is primarily for events and sports areas with occasional overflow parking use. Positive features of this turf included high load bearing capabilities for reduced tire rutting when parking cars. All examples found of this type of turf were for multiuse events and sports areas with occasional overflow parking (20% parking, 80% recreation) and included golf courses, horse racing tracks, track and field stadium, and soccer stadium. Specific sites are Exposition Park, Los Angeles Coliseum, San Diego State University, Poly Technics School of Pasadena and Murray Soccer Field, England."

The basic premise is to provide more room for field recreational opportunities by "greening" the center area in Lot 4 South, located at 2030 Barnard Way. A cost estimate covering the $1 million project can be viewed by accessing the City's staff report via the OPCO site by going to: http://www.opco.org/bgsr71802.htm

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OPCO is conducting a poll on behalf of residents who have suggested that Tide Shuttle hours be extended on Wednesday and Saturday mornings to make bus rides available to the downtown Farmer's Market.

The poll notes numbers of people in support of or opposed to the hours for round trips to the Promenade beginning at 9 a.m. on these days.

To participate in the poll, go to http://www.opco.org/tide.shtml or stop by the OPCO table at the entrance to the Ocean Park Farmer's Market each Sunday and ask for a Tide Shuttle Poll form.

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The OPCO Board has voted to support the Santa Monica Drinking Water Product Quality Control Ordinance.

The ordinance is being put forward by water-quality proponents in place of any anti-fluoridation campaign as a way to address the oversight and safe control of water quality overall in the City by attaching requirements and standards to not only fluoridation, but any substance that would be put into the drinking water. OPCO was one of several neighborhood groups approached by Jeff Green from the Citizens for Safe Drinking Water to sponsor this replacement initiative before the Santa Monica City Council.

To read the proposed ordinance supported by OPCO, go to:

http://www.smnc.net/smdwpqco.htm

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Just Like Riding a Bike
by Marry Sorensen

You may never forget how to ride a bicycle, but childhood lessons fall short when facing a steep slope or slippery downhill on your mountain bike. "Introduction to mountain Biking Skills." a free course offered the first Saturday of each month from 9am to 1pm at Malibu Creek State Park in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, gives an overview of proper body positioning for seated riding, controlled braking, shifting, slow-speed technical maneuvering, and other technigues you just don't pick up on the road. Bring your mountain bike and helmet, and don't forget plenty of water and a high-energy snack--this course is no picnic (805)480-0500; http://www.corbamtb.com/skills/shtml.