Students and Public Invited to Re-Imagine Merrimac Way in Costa Mesa

The City of Costa Mesa and the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Go Human campaign invite residents and visitors to bike, walk, skate or roll to Explore Merrimac, a free street festival to be held on Saturday, April 21, from 12 noon to 4 p.m.. The goal of the event is to allow residents and visitors to test out and provide feedback to the City on potential street improvements along Merrimac Way.

Explore Merrimac will bring together friends and neighbors to enjoy family-friendly activities including a bike workshop, bicycle repair stations, food trucks, giveaways, music and more. Residents and visitors can try out temporary street improvements that make walking and biking easier, safer and more enjoyable. The event will feature a protected bike lane and a sidewalk seating area with creative seating, tables and umbrellas.

A kick-off press event will take place at 12:15 p.m., at the event hub located in Orange Coast College’s Parking Lot E, north of Merrimac Way between Harbor Boulevard and Fairview Road. (Merrimac Way, Costa Mesa, CA 92626).

Mayor Sandra Genis, California State Assemblymember Matthew Harper, and SCAG President Margaret Finlay are confirmed to speak at the press event.

“At Explore Merrimac, community members can explore temporary street improvements that make it safer and more enjoyable to walk and bike on Merrimac Way,”said Costa Mesa Mayor Sandra Genis. “This street is an important connector to Orange Coast College and the Campus Bike Loop, and these potential improvements would improve both accessibility and safety. Explore Merrimac gives the City an opportunity to get public input on these potential changes so that we can use resident feedback to create positive, lasting change.”

“Making it safer to bike and walk by investing in active transportation infrastructure has a transformative effect on local communities,” said SCAG President Margaret Finlay. “These are small investments that help increase access to education, jobs and local businesses and improve public health.”

SCAG’s Go Human campaign is working with cities across Southern California to develop open streets events and safety demonstration projects, such as Explore Merrimac, which promote safety while encouraging people to walk and bike more.

Come experience what these proposed changes could be like permanently! Attendees are encouraged to attend this free street event on foot or by bike, scooter or skateboard.

Explore Merrimac is the product of a partnership between the City of Costa Mesa, Clean Transportation Funding – MSRC and SCAG’s Go Human campaign. For more information, visit GoHumanSoCal.org/Explore-Merrimac.

About SCAG

SCAG is the nation’s largest metropolitan planning organization, representing six counties, 191 cities and more than 18 million residents. SCAG undertakes a variety of planning and policy initiatives to plan for a livable and sustainable Southern California now and in the future. For more information about SCAG, please visit: www.scag.ca.gov.

About Go Human

Due to the increase in traffic collisions involving people walking and bicycling, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), launched Go Human, an active transportation safety and encouragement campaign. Go Human aims to increase the number of people walking and biking and decrease the number of collisions that involve people walking and biking. The campaign is a collaboration between SCAG and the health departments and transportation commissions from six counties in the region; Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura. For more information, visit: www.gohumansocal.org.

Contact: Natalie Cushman, Public Affairs Specialist

(213) 236-1990 / cushman@scag.ca.gov GoHumanSoCal.org/Explore-Merrimac