As part of the Santa Monica City Council’s agreed consent items, the governing body quickly glossed over and approved funding-related requests for three transportation initiatives in traffic enforcement, beach parking, and bicycle parking facilities at its Aug. 9 meeting agenda.
A five-member council authorized a request from the Santa Monica Police Department to accept a $158,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety in Support of the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program. The grant is “only available for overtime operations” and, according to Santa Monica Police Chief Timothy Jackman, “would be used to operate a one-year Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) with best practice strategies, which includes DUI/driver’s license checkpoints, saturation patrols, and traffic and motorcycle safety operations.”
It is Jackman’s hope that the funding would ultimate help devise strategies to promote vehicular safety throughout the City of Santa Monica. Specifically, the grant would fund six DUI and driver’s license checkpoints, 10 saturation patrols, two motorcycle safety enforcement operations, and 12 enforcements operations to monitor red light, intersection, and speeding violations.
A few more funds are being directed toward real-time beach parking signs, as well. As part of its design services provided to the City for the Real Time Beach Parking project, Kimley-Horn and Associates will receive as much as an additional $25,000 to install up to 15 “parking and travel information” signs for lots adjacent to the Santa Monica Pier.
The original project only called for the installment of 11 signs for about $110,000; the extra $25,000 was secured through a successful grant application.
Finally, an amended professional services contract with Civil Source was approved to allow for the additional construction of bike parking facilities at Structures 7 and 8. The amended contract adds $67,200 to the original contract amount, meaning Civil Source may earn as much as $261,138 under the new terms.
Construction on the bicycle parking project is expected to commence this month and continue through October. Funding for the project is provided through a Metro grant and approved by the California Transportation Commission (Caltrans).
