Transit Mall Improves Downtown Mobility For Easier Access to More of Santa Monica
Dedicated Bus, Bike Lanes and New Transit Amenities Expand Cityscape for Bus Riders, Cyclists, Pedestrains

SANTA MONICA, CA. - - The new Downtown Transit Mall is making it easier-not to mention more fun and more interesting-to visit and shop in Santa Monica, and expand the average person's experience of the city beyond the popular Third Street Promenade.

The newly completed Transit Mall is a 6-square block area bounded by Ocean Ave., Broadway, Seventh St. and Santa Monica Blvd. The $15-million project created dedicated lanes for the Big Blue Bus, and also widened sidewalks for easier pedestrian access and more outdoor dining possibilities. New amenities on the Transit Mall-touch-screen kiosks at bus shelters, bike racks on the street, and a wide variety of public art-give transit users, tourists and pedestrians of all stripes more entry points to Santa Monica and the metropolitan area beyond.

Everyone is invited to visit and explore the Transit Mall during its Grand Opening on Saturday, June 22, at 12 noon. The Santa Monica Street Party will feature numerous musical acts at stages on the Third St. Promenade (at Broadway and at Santa Monica Blvd.) and on the Santa Monica Pier. A cooking stage with culinary demonstrations can also be found on the Promenade between the two musical stages and a 15,000 square-foot Kid's Stage will be situated at Second St. and Santa Monica Blvd.

Free passes to the Wild Rivers Theme park will be given away, one per family, for the first 10,000 riders of the Big Blue Bus. Even better, all passengers on the Big Blue Bus will ride for free for the entire day. For detail information, please Click here.

"The Transit Mall is all about moving people downtown in a different way than before, and the new art and amenities really encourage people to take advantage of alternative modes of transportation," said Stephanie Negriff, Acting Director of Transportation Services for the City of Santa Monica. "The visual and informational elements will encourage people to broaden their experience of Santa Monica beyond the Third Street Promenade."

The new Transit Mall features amenities like dedicated bus lanes and new ways to get bus information that will help move more people more places faster than ever before. New stainless steel and bronze bus information signs, designed with touch-screen kiosks, offer richer information than before. These four-sided kiosks provide Big Blue Bus routes and maps, timetables and information on places to go-museums, numerous shopping possibilities, beaches, parks and airports, among others. Dining establishments are also listed by neighborhood and type of cuisine, complete with address and phone. Schedules for the electric-powered Tide shuttles are also listed, all at the touch of a fingertip.

New two-sided signs offer information specific to that location about which bus lines stop at that stop, its end points, and schedule information.

For more information about the Big Blue Bus, the Santa Monica Downtown Transit Mall, or the June 22 Santa Monica Street Party, call (310) 451-5444