Santa Monica Boulevard Safety Study
Santa Monica Boulevard is a critical street that provides multimodal access to community and regional destinations such as:
- the Santa Monica Main Public Library,
- the Santa Monica Main Public Library,
- Santa Monica Community College Performing Arts Center,
- McKinley Elementary School,
- public parks including Memorial Park, Reed Park, and Douglas Park;
- high density residential neighborhoods (Mid-City and Downtown Santa Monica); and
- large job centers such as Downtown Santa Monica, Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center, and Providence Saint John’s Health Center.
In 2022, the City adopted the Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP), which builds on the previous Vision Zero work launched in 2017 to eliminate fatal and severe crashes on city streets. Both of these studies identified Santa Monica Boulevard as a top priority due to the number and severity of crashes that occurred during the analysis period. From 2015 to 2019, the 2.4 mile stretch from Ocean Avenue to Centinela Avenue experienced nine severe injuries and one fatality. The Santa Monica Boulevard Safety Study will focus on identifying improvements that address crash patterns on Santa Monica Boulevard, as well as observations and experiences shared by community members through a robust community engagement process. Recommended improvements will aim to improve safety for people walking, driving, and taking transit, and serve to improve connectivity to major destinations and job centers. Ultimately, this study will set out to achieve the following goals:
1. Gather existing conditions information to establish and understand the context of the corridor;
2. Identify targeted safety enhancements through a detailed and data-driven process;
3. Gather community feedback through robust public outreach process;
4. Encourage safe and equitable access to destinations, business, and transit along Santa Monica Boulevard;
5. Identify preferred short-term and long-term recommendations to improve safety for all users.
Community engagement will begin in Fall 2024 and include several opportunities for input including:
- late October 2024 - a community pop-up event along Santa Monica Boulevard
- November 2024 - a second pop-up event at the Downtown Farmer's Market
- February 2025 - a community walk audit
- July 2025 - a community workshop to learn about the proposed improvements
The project will begin in Fall 2024 and conclude in the Winter of 2026.