> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Locals give city leaders - URL: https://www.smdp.com/locals-give-city-leaders/ - Published: 2007-10-09T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T03:17:29.000Z - Author: Kevin Herrera - Tags: Education, Pier, #archive-import *tips on keeping traffic moving smoothly* JAMS As they leaned over a large white map of the city, residents from all corners of Santa Monica acted like plastic surgeons and used red, green and blue markers to show urban planners where the city’s problem areas are and what needs to be done to make moving through those neighborhoods easier and more enjoyable. Some used the red marker to highlight congested streets like Santa Monica and Pico boulevards, while others grabbed the green one to draw lines between sections of the city that need to be better connected, like the Santa Monica Pier to the Civic Center and on through Santa Monica High School. The exercise was part of a citywide effort to create a new Land Use and Circulation Element, or LUCE, which will drive development in Santa Monica for the next 20 years or more. The workshop, which was held last Saturday at John Adams Middle School, was one of a half-dozen hosted by the Planning Commission and City Hall’s Planning Department. Others have dealt with development in the light-manufacturing district, making better connections between neighborhoods, housing and economic development. Staying with the flow Another transportation and mobility workshop is being planned for later on this year. For the first part of the workshop, roughly 70 residents, city officials and those interested in urban design were treated to a brief summary of the many traffic problems the city faces. It is no secret that this quaint city by the sea has grown into a bustling economic machine that is home to major corporations as well as small, mom and pop businesses. With that comes plenty of traffic, but not all of it is caused by employees driving into the city for work. A lot of traffic is caused by residents who are taking short trips to the grocery store or the dry cleaners, said Jeffrey Tumlin of Nelson/Nygaard Associates, a consultant hired by City Hall to facilitate to workshops. Tumlin said residents can cut back on trips with better public transit. He did point out that the Big Blue Bus is working toward adding more routes. He also said that Santa Monicans own far fewer cars than most people in other local cities, particularly in downtown where 40 percent of residents do not have a car. This has helped cut down on congestion, but more still needs to be done and the community can get creative in coming up solutions. Some ideas he threw out had to do with parking. Tumlin said — and many residents agreed — that including the cost of parking in goods and services did a disservice to those who are not able to afford a car or who are making a conscious decision not to drive. By giving cash to employees who find alternative means of getting to work, employers could entice more employees to cut down on their driving. If parking wasn’t included in the cost of an apartment, that could open up more opportunities for those who are at the low end of the economic spectrum. Employers could also offer free transit passes to employees and encourage carpooling, Tumlin said. Another radical idea that is working in central London, England is charging drivers a fee to enter certain parts of town, something which is known as “congestion pricing.” The City Council could also adopt a trip reduction ordinance that would force developers of large projects to make sure that employees drive less as a condition of the development. There’s also the concept of having more rental cars for residents. If someone wanted to drive to the grocery store, but didn’t own a car, they could go online and order one to be dropped off at their home or they could pick it up nearby and then leave it parked out in front of their home when they’re done for someone else in the neighborhood to use. That would eliminate much of the cost of driving and make it so that more people would give up their cars in exchange for a convenient and less expensive alternative, Tumlin said. Many residents liked that idea as well as unbundling parking costs and providing transportation alternatives such as the Exposition Light Rail Line. “I now feel that the pedestrian is second to the car and we need to flip that,”said Chaz Marr, a principal partner in an eco-friendly design firm who is interested in the LUCE process. A man sitting next to Marr named Adam said he was in favor of building more housing near transit hubs, especially the Expo Line, which will run through the central spine of the city. “For me, I’ve basically made it so I always live five minutes from work,” he said. “I live my life around that.” Others at the table, including Shannon Parry, who works in the Environmental Programs Division for City Hall, advocated for more bike lanes and better connections between the bike path and the city. Parry also said better enforcement along the bike path to keep pedestrians off it would also be a help to riders. She took a blue marker and highlighted the entire path. City planners said they will take the multi-colored maps and use them as they move closer to developing a plan for the council’s approval. Mary Kaye, a resident who lives north of Montana Avenue, said she felt good about spending roughly five hours talking about mobility and traffic, two topics that can induce rage or boredom in most. “I think this is a very important process to be involved in,” she said.“I think everyone at the table was very thoughtful in their suggestions and I am very impressed … I moved here seven years ago and the city had such a strong appeal. Now there is just too much development going on and I’m concerned about the future.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 9, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/100907.pdf?ref=smdp.com)