April
1996

Bicycle Coalition proposes major bike conference in Santa Barbara

• "Pro Bike/Pro Walk 98 in Santa Barbara." How does that sound? To the Bicycle Coalition's organizational committee trying to attract this major biennial conference to Santa Barbara County, it sounds absolutely perfect.
• The "Pro Bike" conference, sponsored by the Bicycle Federation of America (BFA), is the big US bicycling advocacy conference that is held every two years. Two years ago, one was held in Portland, Oregon. It attracted 425 participants, including six individuals from Santa Barbara County, to 5 days of sessions. All who attended returned energized with ideas, contacts and an appreciation that people all over the world are contending with similar problems—and enjoying similar successes—that we are.
• The committee's proposal is contained in a large three-ring binder full of reasons why the conference should be here. It includes a description of our good bike & walking environment, a proclamation from the County Supervisors, letters of support, a description of the committee, photographs of the area, recent issues of Quick Release, Web sites, and newspaper clippings. Also included are samples of SB Roasting Company coffee, SB Biscotti, Bike to Work Day mugs and poster, some avocados, three promotional videos, and numerous flyers, maps and regional literature.
• There has never been a Pro Bike conference in California, and since there are more bicyclists here than any other state, it's about time! We believe that Santa Barbara has an excellent chance of winning it.
• The conference will be attended by 700 people who advocate more livable communities with better bicycling and walking conditions. It will showcase all the good things that we've accomplished on the South Coast. It will attract the sharpest minds in the continent to our area. Perhaps most important, it will enable lots of local people to get involved. It has the potential to realign local transportation priorities.
• To quote the Bicycle Federation of America, "The biennial conference is an international gathering of bicycle and pedestrian program specialists and advocates who are working to improve conditions for bicycling and walking. Conference delegates include federal, state and local agency staff; engineers; planners; transportation officials; educators; and advocates who range from executives of international organizations to lay people with an interest in improving the quality of life in their community."
• Thanks to the following individuals for their energy and work in preparing the proposal: Ralph Fertig, Gary Wissman, Wilson Hubbell, Suzanne Baird, Lori Risque, Benjamin Sawyer, Bob Burgess, Ann Lawler, and Marilyn Mendes. We'll keep you posted.

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Bike lockers newly installed in Goleta



Lockers for four bikes are now available for anybody on Hollister Avenue near Storke Road. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Just behind the MTD bus shelter on Hollister Avenue near Storke Road sit bike lockers for anybody to use. They are unused lockers recently brought down from the North County. Use is free, but it requires a coin deposit for the key. The location next to the bus stop was selected to encourage transit users to bike to the stop.

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Volunteers needed for Earth Day, April 21st

• For the past several years, the Bicycle Coalition has had a table at the Santa Barbara Earth Day celebration, and we've decided to again this year. The Earth Day site this year is on State and Anapamu Streets, one block either side of the intersection. Earth Day coordinator Carol Hawkes has reserved a prime location for us at the intersection.
• Last year, we shared our booth with Cielo Velo and Goleta Valley Cycling Club, and this year at least Cielo Velo will be returning with us.
• What we need are a few volunteers to staff the booth and help with setup and breakdown. Jean Thomson has agreed to manage the event which will run from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Volunteers will be needed to answer questions about bicycling, tell people what we're doing, hand out literature, and encourage them to bike to work on Bike to Work Day May 16.
• Thomson will be signing up volunteers at our April 3 meeting, but you can phone her at 683-3105. Volunteers have discovered that Earth Day is a rewarding place to spend the day, chatting with the concerned people who stop by.
• For general Earth Day information, call Hawkes at 966-2086.

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PVEA may fund Westside Santa Barbara bikepath

• The Federal TEA funding proposed for the Westside Santa Barbara bikeway was shifted to help purchase the Wilcox property in Santa Barbara, but hope for the bikeway has been revived.
• According to aide Leon Page, State Assemblyman Brooks Firestone has submitted a spot bill, AB 2702, that would use state Petroleum Violation Escrow Account (PVEA) funds to pay for the long-overdue bikeway. The legislative process will start soon and take months, but this is the most promising possibility in sight.

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Ojai Bicycle Coalition off to strong start

• Founded last year, the Ojai Bicycle Coalition is moving ahead with plans to make Ojai better for cycling and walking. The main force is Suza Francina, a fine writer who has regular articles about transportation in the Ojai & Ventura Voice.
• In cooperation with the city of Ojai, they sponsored Bike Week in January and they plan a Bike to Work Day in May. Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition members Lori Risque, Ralph Fertig and Robert Bernstein have been exchanging ideas and literature with Francina. We wish them great success and hope to establish firmer ties.

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Bike ride returns

• Santa Barbara County's Victim/Witness Assistance Program has announced that it will again sponsor a ride against drinking and driving. The last ride, May 1994, attracted 500 bicyclists. Its intent is to heighten awareness of drinking/driving issues.
• A planning committee is being organized and will meet the first week of April. The Bicycle Coalition will consider its role at our April 3 meeting. If you're interested in working for this worthy event, contact Marla Rubin at 568-2408.

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Land use meeting in SF

• The nonprofit Local Government Commission is sponsoring the third annual conference, Putting Our Communities Back on Their Feet, on April 26-27 in San Francisco. The focus is how pedestrian- and transit-oriented land use planning can foster livable communities. This year, the highlight is on key steps and new collaborations that can rebuild communities in tight fiscal times.
• Bicycling is not mentioned in their promotional flyer, although the Bicycle Federation of America is a co-sponsor. Phone 916-448-1198.

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Santa Barbara Bike Project update

• The pilot bicycle rehabilitation and ride program, called the Santa Barbara Bike Project, continues to meet weekly to forge program details. The Girls Incorporated warehouse on Gutierrez Street has been cleared out. A yard sale of extra items raised over a hundred dollars for the project.
• On Saturday, March 16, a pilot ride to Montecito attracted more leaders than kids, but it was better that way than too many children. Everybody ended up not only learning something, but also having a nice ride and sampling fine pastries at Xanadu Bakery.
• There has been a strong indication from the Santa Barbara Foundation that a grant for over $20,000 will be offered late this spring. This money will go to fund equipment, bike tools, and personnel.
• We do need bicycles, bike parts, and tools. Look in your workshop for unused components. If you find any, call Michael Figueroa at Girls Inc 963-4017 or Steve Morris, 965-7979.

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Solvang Century brings praise and success

• Turning around from two years' contention over law enforcement, the Solvang/Santa Maria Century ride has been restored to the pleasant and successful ride that it had been for years. Considered to be the cycling season's kickoff ride in the West, the March 9th event attracted 4700 riders according to sponsor SCOR.
• This year, in an attempt to reduce bicyclist congestion in Solvang, a third start/finish location was added in Lompoc. Wilson Hubbell, Santa Barbara County alternative transportation coordinator, tried it out: "It was a good place to start and finish because the Lompoc riders seemed to be non-competitive and there were no parking hassles. The only downside was riding west on Santa Rosa Road in mid-afternoon with 80 miles already under your wheels." The Lompoc area is notorious for challenging winds off the Ocean most afternoons.
• Lieutenant Dale Schade at the County Sheriff's station in Solvang has been credited with smoothing public-cyclist relations. The Solvang Visitor's Bureau has continued to be supportive of the event that brings $1 million into their community.
• Only one bicyclist had an accident according to the Highway Patrol. One accident is an extremely low statistic considering that 300,000-to-400,000 miles were pedaled that day.
• With road bike sales projected to increase their market share by 5% this year, and the Solvang Century back on track, perhaps we can anticipate smoother road rides in the future.

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Bike to Work Day coming May 16th



This year's great Bike to Work Day poster was designed by Megan Miley.

• With our annual Bike to Work Day rapidly approaching this May 16, preparation is moving briskly. At the March 21 meeting, chair Lori Risque announced that we had collected $4500 so far toward the $8000 cost of T-shirts that we will print and give away free. The major contributors to date are County Health Care Services, Santa Barbara County, Naked Juice, Domino's Pizza, and Stratacom.
• Three major events are scheduled as follows:
• Santa Barbara, De la Guerra Plaza, 7:30-8:30 a.m.
• Goleta, Goleta Valley Athletic Club, 12:00-1:00 p.m.
• Goleta, Goleta Beach Park (for UCSB faculty & staff), 5:00 p.m.
• A wonderful design donated by Megan Miley was voted by the committee to be our 1996 official design for T-shirts and posters. Miley works for the Air Pollution Control District.
• Elsewhere in the County, Tim Brummer in Lompoc is working to arrange a special Bike to Work event there. Call him at 736-0700 if you want to help.
• We haven't had much action in Santa Maria and Carpinteria yet, but are hoping a few concerned bicyclists will leap to organize things there too.
• The next committee meeting is April 2, noon at the Association of Governments. Everybody is welcome. To make this a repeat of the splendid bicyclist event that it was last year, we're going to need more help. Come to the meeting or call Risque at 568-3293 to volunteer and offer your ideas.

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Coalition Membership

• The Bicycle Coalition's 1996 membership drive has brought in the following new members who help make bicycling safer and better for us all: Rob Dayton and Pat Maurice.
• Please consider becoming a member so we can continue to send Quick Release to you and do more for bicycling in our community.

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Public approves bicycle and pedestrian bridge site

• A public meeting was held March 21 by Supervisor Bill Wallace to air concerns and evaluate alternate locations for a proposed Goleta bike/pedestrian overcrossing of Highway 101 and the Southern Pacific Railroad. The result was a concensus.
• According to Wilson Hubbell, the meeting attracted 35 individuals who agreed that a crossing between Pacific Oaks Road on the south and Calaveras Avenue on the north is the most desirable of the four locations. Funding for the project is contingent upon developer fees from the proposed Camino Real Marketplace.
• From here, preliminary drawings will be made and another public forum will be held. This freeway crossing is the first of those included in the Goleta Transportation Improvement Plan.

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MTD bike rack service to start on May 1st

• According to Karin Doerschlag at the Metropolitan Transit District (MTD), their bus system will innauguarate bus bike rack service on May 1st. Promotional flyers that describe the service will be available by mid-April.
• The new two-bike Sportworks racks were funded with Motor Vehicle Emission Reduction Project money that the MTD was awarded in June 1995. Funding comes from an annual $4 fee per Santa Barbara County motor vehicle; it's administered by the Air Pollution Control District.
• The racks are being bolted to the front of the buses. They will be on three bus routes:
• Route 12, express from Santa Barbara to downtown Goleta and UCSB.
• Route 20, service from Santa Barbara through Montecito and Summerland to Carpinteria.
• Route 24, express from Santa Barbara to UCSB via Ward Memorial Drive.
• The MTD will join Santa Maria Area Transit (SMAT) in serving bike and transit users with racks within our County. SMAT attached racks to all their buses early this year. We're expecting that the racks will be as successful in attracting riders here as they have been in other cities around the country. If you have questions about the upcoming service, look for the new flyers or phone Doerschlag at 963-3364.

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Notes from March 6 Bicycle Coalition meeting
by Robert Bernstein

• In attendance: Gary Wissman, Robert Bernstein, Lori Risque, Greg Nielsen, Ralph Fertig, Carol Hawkes, Dennis Whelan, Alan Bergquist, Arnie Schildhaus, Pat Maurice, Bob Burgess, Chris Sherman, and Benjamin Sawyer.
• Ralph: ProBike 98 application task force was established to bring September 1998 advocacy group conference to Santa Barbara. Application deadline is April 2; task force will meet March 13.
• — Bank of America is offering one-time $2500 grants. Maybe we could use it for safety videos.
• Gary: Reported on Goleta Transportation Improvement Plan (GTIP) reprioritization. Some people want to build a new bridge at Winchester Canyon Road and Highway 101, and make it a high priority. It seems unimportant to us.
• Lori: Bike to Work Day. We're waiting to hear from Big Dogs about paying for T-shirts. We have $2,000 from County Health Care services for T-shirts that will say "Share the Road with Bicyclists" on half of the back. The event will be promoted with Cox Cable and Santa Barbara water bill mailings. We're working on raffle prizes.
• Carol: Earth Day is Sunday April 21, from 10:00-5:00 in the 1100 Block of State Street & on Anapamu Street. Earth Day branched off from the Community Environmental Council in 1991, but is now back with the CEC. The Bicycle Coalition could again promote Bike to Work Day.
• — Lori is unsure if Traffic Solutions will be there.
• — Pat Maurice will check with Hazard's bike shop about bike tune-ups.
• Arnie/Pat: Bike Rehabilitation and Trip Program will have a public meeting & orientation Monday 3/11 at 7:00 p.m. at Girls, Inc. A big kickoff meeting may be in mid-April. The warehouse site is on Gutierrez Street right off Milpas. Steve Morris has a $2,500 grant from Health Care Services for safety education.
• Ralph: Wilson has asked for volunteers for an April bike count on the Maria Ignacio bikepath. It would take a 2-hour time segments on a weekday; all users would be counted by category.
• Rob: The South Coast Bikeway Signage plan is running into red tape; no signed contract yet. They are still planning a meeting in early April for public to discuss bike routes.
• Ralph: Highway 101 Task Force is having a series of eight weekly meetings at Louise Lowry Davis Center at 7:00 p.m. alternate Wednesday nights. Task Force member Alex Pujo felt that much of the $70 million can go for alternative transportation, but we need a wish list. Ortega Hill is the biggest problem for bicyclists.
• Gary/Ralph: Bicycle Coalition's Web Site at http://www.rain.org/~bicycle/sbbc.htm has an increasing content. Check it out.
• Chris: Police Bike Patrol on Santa Barbara's West Side has been a good success. The police bikes are aging & they don't have money for new ones.
• Ralph: Assemblyman Firestone may get Petroleum Violation Fund money for Pershing Park bikeway.