Traffic Efficiency to Be Tackled at City Council Meeting

Community members and city officials are expected to devote a significant amount of time at Tuesday’s meeting to the ongoing discussions of long-term city planning goals.

The dialogue will focus primarily around planned improvements to foot, bicycle and automobile circulation throughout Santa Monica, as they would relate to the Land Use and Circulation Element.

With talks and funding allocations dating back to spring 2009, Tuesday’s discussions will be principally concerned with the existing and expected increase in pedestrian and bicycle traffic, particularly around and resulting from planned developments at the .

Also on the agenda are planned developments to the , the additional parking and traffic needs that will result from such developments, the improvement of neighborhood interconnectivity, and Redevelopment Agency projects.

As early as June 2009, the council set aside RDA funds for interconnectivity improvements around Santa Monica, highlighting the Colorado Esplanade, bicycle traffic provisions and the closure of network gaps. The goal was to improve traffic efficiency and cut down on daily trips in and out of the city.

The Council will also hear discussions about the Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force, a decade-old partnership between various law-enforcement agencies in Los Angeles. Recent legal action against the task force have motivated the coalition’s members to move toward a Joint Powers Agreement governance model.

Meanwhile, final tract maps for two condominium development projects—a five-unit property at 1211 Ninth St. and a 16-unit one at 44 Cloverfield Blvd.—are expected to be approved.

The Council is also scheduled to discuss a revision to its contract with U.S. Security Inc., the company contracted to provide security services for the . City staffers have suggested an adjustment of $200,000 to the contract, an increase of nearly 30 percent.

In May of last year, the council approved $336,000 for the city’s contract with the security outfit. It approved an almost $136,000 increase in January to allow provisions for the Campus Expansion Project.

The council is slated to approve amendments to the Municipal Code governing the regulation of vehicular use and the possession of open containers of alcohol on Santa Monica beaches.

Revisions of large vehicle parking regulations and the use of sidewalk and right-of-way signage by local businesses are also on the agenda.

Finally, there will be a discussion of planned historic preservation projects and funding for them.