February
1994

National Bike Month events are being planned in Santa Barbara for May

• Two bicycling events set for May could become the nucleus of a cluster of activities that promote an awareness of bicycling.
• The Bicycle Ride Against Drinking Drivers has been held five times in years past, and will again take place on Saturday, May 21, according the Karin Roser, the ride coordinator. Roser is also working on plans to have an education/safety demonstration.
• Three days later, on Tuesday, May 24, the National Bike to Work Day occurs. Lori Risque at Traffic Solutions said that they are working on a program to encourage people to bicycle to work on that day.
• Other areas of the country have developed week-long celebrations of bicycling, usually in late May, the official "National Bike Month." San Luis Obispo and Boulder, Colorado have been especially active. The events involve the entire community and include well-publicized activities such as:
• A corporate bicycling challenge, where companies strive to achieve great numbers of bicycling commuters on Bike to Work Day
• Designated breakfast snack stations along bicycling corridors on Bike to Work Day
• A car-versus-bicyclist race to work
• A 100-mile "century ride"
• Bicycle polo competition
• School safety programs
• An informational ride with local officials and transportation planners
• A mountain bike trail clearing day
• A family bicycle ride
• Bicycling-related movies, such as Breaking Away
• Prizes, gift certificates, and bike maintenance donated by bicycle shops to winners in various events.
• The success of such a program in Boulder can be measured by their 1991 Bike to Work Day, when 23 locations around Boulder County served free breakfasts to 2300 bicyclists, and 90 companies competed in their Business Challenge, with an additional 2500 riders.
• Their Commuting Race was actually three races starting at different locations, and required participants to stop at two locations for coffee, a newspaper, money at an automatic teller, and so forth. The bicyclists won, including a City Councilwoman with her baby in a trailer and the Boulder County Sheriff, riding in full uniform.
• Such multi-event programs take years to develop, but greatly raise public consciousness and bicycling levels. The sooner we start, the better conditions will be for us all. Bring your ideas to our February 2nd meeting to discuss possibilities.

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Santa Barbara Police seek bike club cooperation

• A recent letter from Santa Barbara Chief of Police Richard A. Breza to the Santa Barbara Bicycle Club encouraged voluntary compliance with city traffic laws. Copies of the January 20th letter are being conveyed to the other South Coast clubs. The entire letter to the Santa Barbara Bicycle Club follows:
• "The Santa Barbara Police Department has received several complaints regarding the Sunday bicycle rides which originate at the Cabrillo Arts Center. These complaints include groups of cyclists riding 5 or 6 abreast, blocking traffic lanes and disregarding traffic control devices, as well as numerous cyclists on Sunday mornings riding on the sidewalk in front of the Cabrillo Arts Center.
• I am asking that the Santa Barbara Bicycle Club, whose members are among the top cyclists in the area, to encourage voluntary compliance with traffic laws when riding in the city. This is not only a legal and safety issue, but an important public relations concern as well. Your members are viewed by motorists and other cyclists as representatives of the sport of cycling. This is especially true when highly visible club jerseys are worn and members ride in groups. In order to present a professional and responsible image of cycling it would be to everyone's advantage to set a personal example by their individual and group behavior.
• The Police Department has always assisted local clubs in holding races and other events which support cycling. We are asking for your cooperation in taking the necessary steps to obey traffic laws and local ordinances. We will be assigning traffic officers to monitor weekend rides and will take enforcement action as necessary. The most desirable approach would be to have club members monitor themselves and encourage voluntary compliance. We thank you in advance for your cooperation and assistance."
• Bicyclists behavior is of vital interest to the Bicycle Coalition. How can we command respect and more favorable treatment if bicyclists are perceived as lawless violators of others' rights? It's interesting to note that the Santa Barbara Bicycle Club members were very careful to obey the laws on their Saturday morning 1/22/94 ride. We shall be watching the situation carefully.

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Coalition moves ahead with incorporation

• Incorporation documents are moving toward filing, according to Bicycle Coalition officers Trisha Davis and Gary Wissman. They are working with attorney and bicyclist Lee Carter who is being extremely helpful. We don't yet know how long it will take to become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, but hope to determine it this month.

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Upcoming transportation events

• Three events and one ongoing class may be of interest to bicyclists. Although none of them deals directly with bicycling, they all touch on alternative transportation possibilities.
• High Speed Rail Transportation on the California Coast, presented by the Southern Pacific Railroad and sponsored by the Citizens Planning Foundation and Grassroots 101. SP is interested in eliminating its freight runs and introducing fast passenger service along the coast. The question is, how would bikes be accommodated? Thursday, February 3, Faulkner Gallery, Santa Barbara Public Library, 40 East Anapamu Street, 7:00 pm.
• American Planning Association, dinner and meeting of the regional chapter. Panel discussion after dinner on the effect of alternative transportation programs on Highway 101 congestion. For reservations and information, phone Susan Ruby at 969-6480. Friday, February 18, Andria's Harborside Restaurant, 336 West Cabrillo Boulevard, Santa Barbara, about 6:30 pm.
• Designing for Sustainable Communities, sponsored by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and nine other groups. A three-day symposium features stellar authorities, but apparently emphasizes building and gives scant attention to transportation. "Sustainability" means meeting the needs of the present generation without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet theirs. [What about all the other species sharing our planet?] Information from Jerry Sturner 966-1813. April 7-10, Santa Barbara City College.
• Designing Sustainable Communities, this ongoing class is a local warm up for the above symposium. It's cosponsored by the AIA and Museum of Natural History. Wednesdays January 19 through March 9, 7:00 pm, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. The emphasis is likewise on building, but the last two classes touch on transportation:
• Regional Planning for Sustainability, March 2. Includes transportation, agriculture, water, bio-regional ecology, and energy.
• Community Planning, March 9. Addresses policy tools for urban reuse, transportation, resources, and co-housing.

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Bicycle Federation seeks regional help

• The Bicycle Federation of America (BFA), a Washington, DC advocacy group, is seeking volunteers in Santa Barbara County to work with them in achieving bicycle-friendly transportation plans. This is essentially what the Bicycle Coalition is doing, but we might learn how to increase our effectiveness if we ally with them.
• The BFA is attempting to establish contact with advocacy individuals in each of the 350 urban areas in the United States. The one-year campaign is called "Community Vision Campaign." It is based upon federal legislation that requires all states to have an approved long-range transportation plan—including a bicycle element—by the end of 1994. The BFA wants, as we do, to ensure that the California plan has clear goals and detailed proposals for bicycling.
• If you wish to help, contact Ralph Fertig at 962-1479 for further information. If you wish to join the BFA itself and receive its excellent monthly advocacy publication Pro Bike News, send $30 to:
• Bicycle Federation of America
  1506 21st Street NW #200
  Washington, DC 20036
• Additionally, the BFA is planning at least ten workshops across the country within the next 6-9 months. Supported by the Federal Highway Administration, the workshops will deal with methods used to develop regional bicycle and pedestrian plans. For details, phone Bill Wilkinson at 202-463-6622.
• One final item, the BFA is offering bicycle and pedestrian facility design seminars. They will be conducted by John Williams, who can be reached at 406-543-8113.

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Racing team in training

• The Chevrolet/LA Sheriff Cycling Team is back in Santa Barbara for training through February 4. They will be doing rides to Santa Paula or Solvang, and joining local racing clubs in weekend rides. (Watch those stop signs, guys.) It includes sprinter Malcolm Elliott of the UK, who now has his home here, and team manager Dave Lettieri, originally from the area.

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LA earthquake may delay 101 study

• The six-month alternative transportation study of Highway 101 may be held up because of extra traffic being diverted by the January 17 earthquake. The closure of Interstate 5 has resulted in increased traffic on Highway 101 through Santa Barbara, according to the California Highway Patrol.
• The study, aimed at determining the effect of promoting alternative transportation modes (such as bicycling) for 101 traffic, may have to be delayed because measurements of the kind and quantity of users could be distorted. At this time it's unclear how long it will take until north-south through traffic will return to pre-earthquake conditions, but it will be months.

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Are new left turn lanes bicyclist hazards?

• The City of Santa Barbara now allows left turns at all times at three extra downtown intersections. The change is in response to complaints from merchants that their customers dislike being inconvenienced by the paucity of 24-hour left turn opportunities along State Street. According to city transportation manager George Gerth, the 3-month trial period will be cut short if problems arise.
• For bicyclists, State Street is the main route through downtown because it has extensive bike lanes, connection to the beach bike paths, slow motorized traffic, and the only safe Highway 101 undercrossing in town. Since 85% bicyclist/car accidents occur at intersections, when more events happen there, intersections become more dangerous. If you feel that your safety is being compromised by this change, write to:
• George Gerth, Transportation Manager
  Santa Barbara Public Works
  630 Garden Street
  Santa Barbara, CA 93101
• Remember that changes are made for those who speak up, like the merchants.

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Santa Barbara City supplies 1993 bike accident data

• Lieutenant John Thayer, Public Information Officer for the Santa Barbara Police Department has supplied us with final 1993 bicyclist accident figures. They show that 1993 had the lowest bicyclist accident numbers over the past three years. Although the decline is slight, we hope that it's part of a long-term trend:
• 1991, 177 accidents
  1992, 186 accidents
  1993, 172 accidents
• We have no idea how this compares to the number of trips made or miles traveled by bicyclists over the last three years, since no counts were made. The people that we've talked to feel that bicycling has increased recently, faster than the city's 1% growth rate. If that's so, the accident rate per trip may have significantly declined.
• Whereas the 1993 accident volume was the lowest for the three years, the proportion of accidents where one or the other party was determined to be at fault shows that bicyclists in 1993 were at their highest fault level. In 1993, they were to blame for 55% of the attributable accidents. This may mean that other parties are being more careful, bicyclists are becoming less careful, or both. Thankfully, it's been shown that education can effect behavioral changes and reduce accidents.

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Lompoc seeks bicycling input, may get lockers

• The City of Lompoc is asking for help in determining the need for new and improved bicycle routes in the city and surrounding areas. Winston Rhodes from the City Planning Department has contacted the Bicycle Coalition for assistance, only to learn that we have almost no representation in the area.
• Right now, they are seeking input to design a bikeway network for the community. It will be followed in a month or so with public hearings and environmental impact reports. Bicycling routes are not limited to commuting, but include on/off road recreational riding. If you care about improving bicycling conditions in Lompoc, contact:
• Winston Rhodes
  phone 736-1261 x273
  Lompoc Planning Department
  PO Box 8001
  Lompoc, CA 93438
• In other business that effects Lompoc bicycling, each member of the County Board of Supervisors selected three proposals for possible funding from a list of 26 that reduce automobile pollution. Two of the supervisors, Tim Staffel and Willy Chamberlin, picked a $10,000 bicycle locker project for the City of Lompoc. The lockers would provide secure bike storage for Clean Air Express patrons.
• Funding comes from a $4 car license renewal fee that has generated $487,000 in available funds for the county this year. The proposals have been turned over to the Air Pollution Control District staff for further analysis before reporting back to the supervisors for a decision within the next few months.
• The projects are evaluated on how well they can reduce pollutants, and it's here that bicycle projects have difficulty because few studies exist that quantify their effect. It's very easy to know in advance, for example, what bus conversion from diesel to liquid natural gas means in exact reduction of pollutants. But what's the effect of putting in a new bicycle path? It's hard to know.
• Even if pro-bicycle projects are ranked high, the supervisors are elected officials, and can ignore the APCD suggestions. So the best thing to do now is to write to your supervisor, urging him or her to include the Lompoc bike lockers in the final funding.

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The earthquake and modes of transportation

• On January 19, USA Today headlines proclaimed, "Land of the automobile finds itself in a huge mess." The megacity made possible by the automobile is being held hostage by its collapsed freeways.
• On a typical pre-quake day, 6.6 million drivers spent an average 69 minutes in their cars; 20% spent two hours. The Highway Patrol said that a commute from Antelope Valley to downtown now takes six hours.
• In all the news stories, nobody mentioned the bicycle as sustainable transportation. They talked about the Metrolink experiencing an eightfold increase on the Santa Clarita line, about telecommuting, and staggered work hours. They talked about how California will simply tax us all to rebuild the gangling LA support system, and how soon the freeways would be fixed so everything will be normal again.
• Silently and unnoticed, bicyclists went on errands, to work, or to school as usual, detouring around debris and scooting past blocks of drivers. We can only hope that the bicyclists smiled to themselves because they could cope with a downsized world. And maybe, just maybe some of those simmering drivers would have time to picture that bicycle sitting in their garages—and realize that it could do the same for them.