The
Pro Bike/Pro Walk 98 Conference took place in Santa Barbara
on September 8-11, 1998. There were several bike rides for the
520 conference participants led by members of the Santa Barbara
Bicycle Coalition, the local advocacy group that helped host
the international event. This is one of those rides that anybody
can enjoy. They all start and end at the DoubleTree Pro Bike/Pro
Walk Conference hotel, but you can pick them up anywhere along
the route.
Santa
Barbara Westside Bike Ride
The
Ortega Street bike/pedestrian bridge is one of three in Santa
Barbara that crosses the 101 freeway and the Railroad. One of
the Surfliner bicyclist-friendly trains is passing. Photo by
Ralph Fertig.
Highlights
of the Ride
1.
Undercrossing of Highway 101.
This freeway undercrossing offers bicyclists and pedestrians
with open views, plantings, minimal drop, no freeway ramps, and
sidewalks raised above the roadway.
2. Paseo Nuevo. This shopping center is a redevelopment
project covering two city blocks. Anchored by Nordstroms and
Macy's, it has underground parking and open space where a city
street was closed off.
3. One-way couplet streets. Two decades ago, Santa Barbara
decided to help bicyclists by installing bike lanes on two parallel
streets. Their idea was to remove parking from one side to allow
two traffic lanes plus one bike lane, but residents preferred
keeping all parking and only one traffic lane.
4. Ortega Street overcrossing. This is one of three heavily-used
bicycle/pedestrian overcrossings within the City of Santa Barbara.
They all connect residential areas with Downtown shopping and
jobs.
5. Wentworth traffic calming. An effort to improve the
appearance and reduce traffic speeds on Wentworth Avenue resulted
in planting trees within the street between parking places.
6. Westside playground. Again responding to the need for
neighborhood recreation, Santa Barbara tucked a small playground
into a lot formerly owned by the Southern Pacific Railroad.
7. Pershing Park bikepath. Designed, funded, and ready to be
built in 2001, a proposed bicycle path would have conneed the Westside
residential area with the Cabrillo Beachway. Nearby seasonal wetlands and
other environmental challenges were sufficient, however, to stop it.
8. Charter boats at Sea Landing. Charter boats from the
Sea Landing marina offer opportunities for fishing, diving, sightseeing,
and sunset dinner cruises. Trips range from an hour around the
Harbor to several days on the Channel Islands.
9. Cabrillo Beachway. Originally called the "Cabrillo
Bikeway," this 3-mile long concrete path offers scenic off-street
recreation and commuting. On weekends and all summer afternoons,
it is jammed with people engaged in multiple forms of recreation.
Route
sheet
| At
Mile Distance |
Bicycle Direction |
Name of Street or Path | Distance on Street |
| START | DoubleTree Resort entrance | ||
| 0.0 | east | DoubleTree entry drive | 0.1 |
| 0.1 | R | Calle Puerto Vallerta | 0.1 |
| 0.2 | R | cross street & lawn, R on bike path | 0.9 |
| 1.0 | R | State Street (at Dolphin Fountain) | 0.7 |
| 1.7 | L | Ortega Street | 0.5 |
| 2.2 | S | enter bike bridge | 0.1 |
| 2.3 | L | Wentworth Avenue | 0.2 |
| 2.5 | L | Coronel Place | 0.0 |
| 2.5 | R | Rancheria Street | 0.2 |
| 2.7 | L | Montecito Street | 0.1 |
| 2.8 | R | Castillo Street | 0.3 |
| 3.1 | L | Cabrillo Boulevard | 0.1 |
| 3.2 | R | across from Bath Street | 0.0 |
| 3.2 | L | immediately enter bike path | 1.2 |
| 4.4 | L | Calle Puerto Vallerta | 0.1 |
| 4.5 | L | DoubleTree entry | 0.1 |
| 4.6 | END | DoubleTree Resort entrance |
R=right L=left S=straight
Map
For
a large printable version of this map, click
here.
Select another Pro Bike ride:
Channel Drive
Casa de la Guerra
Eastside Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara Mission
Montecito Village
El Presidio
City College
Westside Santa Barbara
Stearns Wharf
Eastern Montecito
South Coast Tour