I received this information from Babara Filet this morning. Tonight’s community meeting is very important if you want the Bergamot Bike Path.

Action
Attend the community meeting on June 9 at Virginia Park at 7 p.m. Speak up or submit comments in support of the Bergamot-Agensys Bike Path.

Date: Wednesday, June 9, 7 p.m.

Location: Virginia Park community room, on Pico Blvd. just south of Cloverfield

If you can’t attend, send emails to the Santa Monica City Council: <council@smgov.net>

Sharrows coming to 20th Street in Santa Monica soon. Also, tonight, June 9 at 7 p.m. an opportunity to advocate for a new bike path in Santa Monica.

AGENSYS DEVELOPERS OPPOSE BUILDING VITAL BERGAMOT BIKE PATH. ATTEND COMMUNITY MEETING!

Background
The Agensys biotech firm is planning a big new facility in Santa Monica on city-owned property immediately adjacent to the future Bergamot light rail station and future Expo Bikeway. For years local bicycle advocates have been arguing for a direct bicycle link on the southern edge of this parcel that would connect the neighborhoods off of Stewart Street (just east of Bergamot) with Bergamot station and a planned bikeway on Michigan Ave. Presently, 38 acres of city yard, Stewart Park and this industrial land form the second largest barrier to bicycles after the Santa Monica airport. Creating this link would open up a safe new route for bicyclists connecting West LA, the Expo Bikeway and east Santa Monica directly to the beach, Civic Center and Santa Monica High School (with one detour near Crossroads School, to be fixed in the future). Agensys has been asked to provide the path as a public benefit. But Agensys is opposed, arguing that cyclists can get around their project by taking a circuitous route to the north or south or by asking the city to use the constrained city maintenance yard for a path.

Key issues
• Cyclists should not be forced to go out of their way when an important link like this could be easily built. We need to fill in gaps like this to increase bicycle usage.

• Without the Bergamot-Agensys Bike Path, cyclists traveling west will have to detour north on Stewart St. once the Expo Bikeway is built, after 2015, cross Olympic, 26th St. and Cloverfield, then get on 20th street and cross Olympic again before finally reaching Michigan again. Before the Expo bikeway is built, cyclists may need to go north to Broadway. This adds significant time and hazards to an otherwise direct safe route to Samohi.

• The city maintenance yard is not being redeveloped now, but the Agensys project will be built by end of 2012.

• Agensys wants a 50 year lease from the city. The path must be built now or practically never.

• Agensys’ high paying jobs and important work to find a cure for cancer are great for Santa Monica. Research shows cycling can help reduce cancer risk as well. Preventing cancer is as important as curing cancer. Contributing a 14 foot bike path will help create the active transportation network we need for our health.

Action
Attend the community meeting on June 9 at Virginia Park at 7 p.m. Speak up or submit comments in support of the Bergamot-Agensys Bike Path.

Date: Wednesday, June 9, 7 p.m.

Location: Virginia Park community room, on Pico Blvd. just south of Cloverfield

If you can’t attend, send emails to the Santa Monica City Council: <council@smgov.net>