Santa Monicans will soon have a chance to shape the future of bicycling in their city.

Bicycling around town is noticeably on the rise. Some major employers in the city have reported substantial increases in bike commuting, according to city of Santa Monica Transportation Planning Manager Lucy Dyke. The City Council, and several of the city's commissions and task forces, have been discussing the possibility of incorporating bicycling into plans and development projects in recent months.

One of the city's goals as defined in the new, 20-year Land Use and Circulation Element plan is to limit growth in car trips. Encouraging trips by bike, bus and the future Expo Line train will factor heavily in reaching that goal. Elaborating on the framework from the element plan, the city of Santa Monica's Bicycle Action Plan, now being written, will set the direction and timeline for improvements and programs to support bicycling in the city.

To see the revolution in transportation happening in Santa Monica, just look at events such as the Twilight Dance series. On some nights, the series—which prominently featured bike valet corrals—attracted just as many bicyclists as drivers, according to Dyke. This illustrates quite clearly how a bike's small "footprint," so to speak, allows events to scale up attendance with significantly less traffic and parking impacts than auto trips. Such events also showcase how many locals have bikes and are willing to ride them when facilities and encouragement are provided.

On Broadway, one of the city streets more heavily traveled by bike, the growth of bicycling is part of the local economy. With the recent grand opening of the bicycle shop Bike Effect, there are six bike shops along the Broadway corridor. Moving east to west, this includes Helen's Cycles, Cynergy Cycles, Bike Effect, Pedal or Not, Performance Bicycle and REI.

Although most drivers in Santa Monica seem to understand that cyclists have a right to the road, there is still a lot of misunderstanding among the public. I still experience the occasional road rage by a driver who does not respect cyclists.

On one of my morning commutes this week, I encountered a driver who was compelled to pull up and roll down the window to scream and curse at me at the top of her lungs after repeated unprovoked honking. She instructed me, in between curse words, to get off the road or onto the sidewalk.

Sidewalk riding is illegal in Santa Monica. However, drivers such as the one I encountered this week, try to intimidate cyclists off the road. This has resulted in a lot of sidewalk riding as bike ridership has grown. It has produced conflicts with pedestrians as well.

Some cyclists also express frustration that pedestrians walk in large groups on bike paths, and that joggers sometimes use bike lanes. Some drivers are frustrated by some cyclists who "roll" stop signs, and many cyclists are frustrated by speeding drivers not giving safe passing distance. Basically, there is a little bit of chaos out there as bicycle ridership has grown significantly, but the physical and cultural landscape hasn't quite caught up with how to integrate bicycling successfully.

This dilemma is not unique to Santa Monica. Cities across the country are seeing growth in bicycling trips, and are seeking to encourage that growth as a means to improve mobility without the congestion and other negative consequences of increased car trips. Although the city's Sustainability Report Card reports bike trips are up in Santa Monica, so are collisions between cars and bikes. Reducing conflicts between drivers, cyclists and pedestrians requires changes to infrastructure, education and police enforcement.

That is where the pending update to the Santa Monica bike plan comes in. The previous 1995 bike plan was one of the first in Southern California. However, the plan was never fully implemented. Some of the more ambitious projects that were initially proposed ended up being cut because of a lack of community support. Things have changed in the past 15 years, and so has the need to approach bicycling more comprehensively.

Even if you never intend to set foot to pedal, making the streets safer for bicycling makes the streets safer for everyone. During Dyke's recent presentation to the Planning Commission on the state of bicycling in Santa Monica and the bike planning process, she reported that traffic congestion and average speeds were not significantly affected on Ocean Park Boulevard, but traffic collisions of all kinds are down by nearly two-thirds.

Janette Sadik Khan, the visionary head of the New York City Department of Transportation, is quite fond of reporting that many streets where bike lanes and pedestrian improvements have been implemented in New York have seen their rates of fatal collisions drop in half. This bike plan is more than just a matter of setting aside some space for bikes; it's part of making safer and more inviting streets for all types of users.

The first public meeting soliciting input on the new bike plan will take place Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the Civic Auditorium. The Bicycle Action Plan will be guided by the Land Use and Circulation Element and will determine specific priorities for route selection, roadway design standards and other important details. I highly encourage anyone who rides a bike in Santa Monica, or anyone interested in planning for bicycling in the city, to attend the public workshop and give your input and support.

[Editor's note: The start time of the public meeting was previously listed incorrectly as 7 p.m.]