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Community Events, Demos & Lectures

Upcoming lectures at our stores, bike demos from manufacturers, and community events in the LA area.  Size is limited for most events and registration may be required.  Please call ahead or register online (if applicable) to reserve your spot.

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Santa Monica Bike Campus Now Open

Ocean Park Blvd and Barnard Way (map)

This bike campus facility is on a linear strip of what was no longer actively used roadway connecting to parking lots just east of the beach bike path at Ocean Park Boulevard. The pavement is now painted with various markings for teaching bike education classes. There are simulated lanes, sharrows, crosswalks and bike lanes for teaching lane positioning, as well as some designs for bike handling tests that are part of the League of American Bicycling’s “Smart Cycling” course material.

In years past the campus idea had been met with indifference, but with the passage of Santa Monica’s Bike Action Plan, a dedicated bike education space is finally a reality.

The facility is meant to provide a dedicated space for local LCI (League Certified Instructors), and area schools to teach bike safety principles in a safe space before working up to lessons involving live traffic. Setting aside such a space in Santa Monica was a longtime vision of Ron Durgin the general manager of the Santa Monica Bike Center and an LCI instructor himself. Durgin has taught bike safety classes for the City of West Hollywood and teaches classes in Santa Monica along with other instructors recently certified in the area.

The local LACBC chapter, Santa Monica Spoke, has also been advocating for the SMPD to provide a bike education diversion program (such as the one in Portland, OR and more locally in Huntington Beach) for bicyclists cited for moving violations. In such programs a traffic safety class is offered as a cheaper alternative to more stringent fees, and connects those committing violations with actual traffic instruction instead of just a brief moment in court. If such a diversion program is developed, this bike campus would likely become the facility to host such classes.

The painted lines of the bike campus have been in place for sometime now, but additional educational sign boards are going up that provide information for online resources including videos.

This facility is a first for Los Angeles County, and marks a return to integrating bicycle traffic education into regular schooling; as well enhanced opportunities for instruction for adults looking to get back into riding, or improving their safe riding skills. The Santa Monica Bike Campus isn’t quite as elaborate as the “traffic gardens” used in the rigorous bike education programs of the Netherlands, but it’s a pretty good start, and one that makes good use of space that wasn’t getting much activity before. Now if only we can get the DMV to incorporate some real bike education into driving requirements, then we might really be on our way to safer interactions between drivers and bike riders.


Santa Monica Bike Center Located at Colorado & 2nd Street

Become a member and get all the perks

  • The average person loses 13 pounds in their first year commuting to work by bike!
  • Just 3 hours per week of cycling reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by 50%.
  • Save time & money! No sitting in traffic, paying for gas, insurance, parking, tickets, or tow-fees.
  • Have fun and reduce stress!

services provided at the bike center include:

  • Secure bike parking
  • Showers & lockers
  • Bike repairs
  • Bicycle rentals and tours
  • Bicycle education & encouragement programs
  • Bike sharing programs


Member Price List

Cost

Monthly Pass
Monthly + Locker
Monthly + Towel
Monthly + Locker+ Towel
$15
$25
$40
$50
Annual Pass
Annual + Locker
Annual + Towel
Annual + Locker + Towel
$99
$149
$249
$299

Staffed Hours:
Mon-Thu: 6:30am-10pm
Fri: 6:30am-Midnight
Sat: 8:00am-Midnight
Sun: 8:00am-8:00pm

Self Service Parking hours: 24/7
membership is required for access

Santa Monica Bike Center: Main Location
1555 2nd Street, Unit A
Santa Monica, CA 90401

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