March
1994

Alternate transportation study offers last chance for input

• The Santa Barbara County sponsored study of alternative transportation modes along the Highway 101 corridor is open to suggestions up until March 18, 1994.
• Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Quade & Douglas, the consultant firm hired to do the study, conducted a public "scoping workshop" on February 17th. The three-hour workshop welcomed input from interested individuals about what they think would help alleviate motor vehicle traffic along 101. Although the study is officially limited to a ten-mile segment from Santa Barbara to Carpinteria, most people believe that the inter-linked nature of traffic throughout the South Coast, and beyond, means that the resulting recommendations will effect a much broader geographic area.
• The workshop was the first of three public gatherings sponsored by Parsons Brinckerhoff, but the only one that might have any effect on the study's direction. The other two fall at the very end of the extensive study, and are intended to present the conclusions.
• Regrettably, the public received little notice about the workshop, and only a hundred or so people showed up. Three members of the Bicycle Coalition's Planning Committee—Jean Thomson, Benjamin Sawyer, and Ralph Fertig—attended and pushed bicycling facilities as much as they could.
• There is one remaining opportunity to make yourself heard, however, and this may be your last chance to make a difference. The study is widely expected to have consequences far beyond the 10-mile corridor and 20-year window that it's targeted for. It's anticipated that the study will become a model for congestion-fighting measures throughout the county, and possibly beyond. The extent to which bicycling facilities are recommended may determine whether we get any funding, or are left in the dust as expensive alternatives like buses, light rail, or vanpooling get the attention, space, facilities, and promotion that we need.
• We know that 5% job commuters in the South Coast choose bicycling, that bicycle commuting use has tripled in the US over the past decade, and that if we're going to see a golden era of bicycling in Southern California, it's going to be here and it's going to be because we care enough to act now.
• What you must do is write to Michael Powers (see next article) and tell him what you think is needed. If you hesitate now, it will be too late.

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Express yourself

• Write your ideas about what measures will get people out of their cars and onto bicycles. What do we need? Be as radical as you wish. Suggestions include a Goleta-to-Carpinteria bicycle freeway along the Southern Pacific tracks (safeguarded by a fence), bike lockers at work or shopping, showers at work, bike racks on buses, carry-on bikes accepted by all rail systems, delivery of groceries to your home, employer rebates if you don't use their parking spaces, a $2/gallon gas tax, traffic signal sensors that really detect bikes, bike rentals at train stations, bike racks on vanpool vehicles, and so on. You get the idea. Send your comments to:
• Michael Powers
  Santa Barbara County Association of Governments
  222 East Anapamu Street, #11
  Santa Barbara, CA 93101
• Just be sure it arrives before March 18th!

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Bicycle Coalition to hold elections in April

• At the February 2nd general meeting of the Bicycle Coalition, it was decided that an election of officers would be held on Wednesday, April 6, and that nominations would be accepted at our next general meeting on March 2.
• Except for the election of Vice President Craig Jurkoic in May 1993 (to replace VP Jeff Wills who moved to San Diego), the other three current officers were elected in August 1992. Later this year, our new articles of incorporation will assure periodic elections, but until then, the officers elected this April will hold office.
• The change is in anticipation of the resignation of our President Trisha Davis. Davis has stated that she wanted to be assured that the Coalition had its incorporation and application for nonprofit status paperwork filed before leaving.
• So think about who would make good officers, and come to our next two meetings to help determine our future.

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Milpas Street alternative considered

• As Santa Barbara city groups contend with the five proposed plans for decreasing congestion at the Milpas/Montecito Street intersection, possible solutions hinge around bicyclist safety.
• A proposed roundabout has been identified as the best method to speed up traffic flow, but probably it's the most hazardous for bicyclists and pedestrians. Further, to put in the new bicycle lanes along Milpas, trees from both sides would have to be removed.
• A possible compromise is constructing a bike/pedestrian tunnel underneath Highway 101 at Cacique Street, connecting Milpas with Alisos Street. This must be in conjunction with the conversion of Alisos Street (parallel to Milpas) into a bicycle-friendly environment. The Bicycle Coalition Planning Committee has preliminarily endorsed the concept.

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Fast rail passenger service proposed

• On February 3, Southern Pacific Railroad presented their envisioned 120-mph rail service from LA to San Francisco. Using their existing track and possibly the Swedish X2000 "tilt train" cars, the $1 billion project could provide fast passenger service along the coastal route in 3-5 years.
• According to Southern Pacific spokesman Claude Everhart, any local light-rail service could be scheduled to fit between the through trains. Both, we expect, would include provisions for carry-on bicycles.

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CALPAW on June ballot; CALTEA seeks signatures

• Enough signatures have been gathered to place the California Parks & Wildlife Initiative (CALPAW) on the June 1994 ballot. The wide-reaching bond issue includes County funding of $2.25 million for segments of a bicycle/equestrian/hiking coastal trail between Gaviota and Goleta; and $15.75 million for other projects on a competitive basis. We believe that the measure is a rare opportunity to extend recreational bicycling along our scenic coast and elsewhere.
• The second proposed measure is more vital to the entire future of bicycling in the state. Sponsored by the Planning & Conservation League, the California Clean Air, Jobs and Transportation Efficiency Act (CALTEA) would place a permanent 4% tax on gasoline. It would mostly fund high-speed rail (including the Southern Pacific's recently proposed line), public transit, and earthquake measures.
• Most important however, 2% of the revenue—about $12 million annually—would go to bicycle and pedestrian projects. It's like a new Prop 116 fund that would increase as gas prices rise in the future.
• In order to be placed on the November ballot, 650,000 signatures need to be obtained by April. If you see a petition around town, sign it. For further details, contact Michael Bennett Cline, volunteer coordinator at 916-444-8726.

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Two new bicycling publications debut

• The appearance of two new publications underscores the rise of mountain biking and bicycle touring.
• Bike Magazine is a slick approach to the great moments of mountain biking. "We want to get away from treating mountain biking like a commodity used to sell machines. We want to recognize mountain biking for what it is: a sport that has transcended simple recreation to become its own diverse culture," says Managing Editor Rob Story. The stunning photos and the fresh format position Bike in a standard comparable to Outside magazine. Look for it at newsstands.
• The other publication is a newsletter, Bicycle Travel & Review, targeted to touring. Each 8-page issue describes rides, lodging, dining, history, and evaluations of travel locations. The emphasis is on a deep appreciation of the place, not the workout. For details, phone 310-546-7651.

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Santa Barbara City continues work on Circulation Element

• The City of Santa Barbara has a number of guiding documents, but the Circulation Element is probably the most important to bicyclists. The first Circulation Element was written in 1964, then amended in 1971 and 1979. Since then, various non-bicycling traffic studies have been completed and were rolled into a revised version that was adopted "on an interim basis" in 1988.
• In 1992, the City Council established a Circulation Element Update Task Force that has been working ever since in attempting to forge a new document.
• The process appears to be slowed by a difference in approach to traffic control and priority of various modes over others. Vancouver, for example, has stated that priority be given to pedestrians, bicyclists, public transit, delivery vehicles, and automobiles, in that order. The Santa Barbara document states that the desires of residents be accepted, and never prioritizes modes. So it ends up with conflicting situations. Stay tuned, more will happen.

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Goleta bikeway plan is studied by Coalition

• At a meeting of the Bicycle Coalition Planning Committee on February 14, a proposed bikeway plan for Goleta was studied. The preliminary plan will probably be modified before any public workshop is held.
• The most striking change is the great increase in proposed bikeways, especially "Class I" bike paths that are separate from motor traffic.
• Helping bicyclists safely travel from one side of Highway 101 to the other is a major problem, and is addressed with three solutions: a separate overpass, an underpass, and a Class I bikelane on the west side of an auto overpass.
• The plan will be brought to the Bicycle Coalition meeting on March 2 for viewing, so come to see it then.

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Lompoc workshop set

• On March 19, the City of Lompoc will host a scoping workshop on bicycling facilities within the city. If you have any ideas about where improvements can be made in bikepaths and bikelanes, try to attend. As of this writing, times and location haven't been set, so contact:
• Winston Rhodes
  736-1261 x273
• In a related Lompoc development, a community transport center is under consideration. A site at the airport has been rejected, but a downtown location near Ocean Avenue and H Street has been recommended by the City Council.
• The envisioned center would probably include facilities for bicyclists. If bicyclists are accommodated there, a rise in bike/bus, bike/vanpool, and bike/train combinations would be encouraged. Since air pollution is reduced mostly by decreasing the number of car trips, rather than their distance, pollution control funding could very well be used to encourage bicyclist access to the center.

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Athlete changes image of grandmothers
by Karin Roser

• Patsy Dorsey is not your typical grandmother. Most grandchildren do not have the pleasure of their grandmother visiting them on a bicycle, especially when she lives in Santa Barbara and they live in Lompoc. Patsy has not owned a car for two years and commutes everywhere on her bicycle. Her excursions to visit family are not limited to Lompoc—she also bicycles to Camarillo to spend time with her sister.
• Every day, Patsy commutes by bicycle to her job as a bookkeeper at Boeddeker Chevron. Each week, she averages about 150 miles commuting and 50-75 miles training. She prides herself on obeying all the rules of the road while on her bike.
• Patsy's four children and seven grandchildren (ages 2 years to 13 years) are very proud of her many accomplishments. She ran her first race in July 1983. It was a three-mile course in which she finished dead last. Although she was the last to cross the finish line, she felt like a winner. That same year, at age 38, she learned to swim and rode a bicycle for the very first time.
• When Patsy decided to do that first race, she admits that she was smoking too much, drinking too much wine, and getting no exercise. She went to see her doctor who told her to stop smoking and drinking, and to get some aerobic exercise. He cautioned her not to try running because she was too old. A year later she finished her first marathon.
• Patsy has finished over 100 marathons and several ultra marathons. In 1985, she started doing triathalons as well. Wanting to do more than participate, Patsy is giving back to the racing community. She originated and directs the Santa Barbara Nine Trails 35-mile run. For the past two years, she has been race director of the Santa Barbara half marathon and helps put on the Santa Barbara Triathalon.
• Patsy hopes to change the image of grandmothers. Her motto seems to be, "you're never too old to try new things." She wants everybody to know that you don't have to be in the front of the pack—the real reward is not winning, but participating.
• Editor's note: this is the first of a series of cameo articles written by Coalition members about local bicyclists. If you know a special bicyclist and wish to contribute, contact Ralph Fertig at 962-1479.

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Thousands of cyclists

• The biggest 100-mile bicycle ride in the West, the Solvang/Santa Maria Century, takes place March 5. Attracting 6000 bicyclists from all over the US, this 12th annual ride marks the start of the bicycling season. It has the same route, but two starting points for cyclists to choose: Solvang or Santa Maria.
• This year, two options have been added, a 50-mile road ride and a mountain bike ride on March 6 out of Lompoc. The events will be preceded with a Friday night dinner and followed with a post-ride barbecue, fair, and entertainment.

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Atascadero bikeway work to begin

• By the time you read this, construction improvements on the Atascadero Bikeway will have started, according to Marty Wilder, County Civil Engineer. Funded with Proposition 116 state money, the installation of lighting and surface overlay will necessitate closing the bikeway during the week.
• Although it will inconvenience users through April, the closure will stretch bike facility dollars further and allow the work to be finished sooner. On weekends, the path will be open as usual.

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Bicyclist advocacy course

• The Bicycle Federation of America (BFA) is sponsoring a two-day advocacy course in Los Angeles on Saturday & Sunday, March 19-20. Sessions cover organizational development, program activities, fund-raising & finances, lobbying, and promotion.
• The sessions are open to any interested individual. An emphasis is being placed on local issues.
• Space is limited to 20 people and the cost is $50 for course material and meeting expenses. Somebody from Santa Barbara should attend to take advantage of their expertise in a very vital subject. Contact BFA's Charlie Gandy at 512-476-7433.