Santa Monica College Cheerleaders lead a bicycle parade during the Bike Parking Grand Opening Ceremony at SMC on Thursday, February 28, 2013. Responding to a significant increase in bicycle ridership by SMC students and employees, the college has built a new $600,000 bike parking lot with 400 spaces, bringing the campus total to 710 spaces. (The lot also has secure racks for skateboards.) The facility, on three-quarters of an acre, is notably secure, with bright lighting, security cameras and emergency phones – and it is located across the street from the Campus Police office. Funded by Measure AA, the 2008 Santa Monica-Malibu bond measure, the new bike parking lot took six months to complete.The new bike parking lot opened to students and employees the first day of the spring semester, Feb. 11, but the ceremony was held today.