April
1997

Bikeway inclusion possible in Regional Transportation Improvement Plan



A bicyclist contends with car-filled lanes on Santa Barbara's Mission Street, identified as the most troublesome South Coast bikeway. Widening and installing bikelanes is an RTIP project. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Every two years, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) recommends projects for the Regional Transportation Improvement Plan (RTIP). Usually, Caltrans has a big list of heavy-duty paving projects that more than fill the RTIP. This may be changing.
• For the 1998 RTIP, Caltrans, the Metropolitan Transit District, the County, and five cities within the County have collectively submitted 43 projects worth $134 million for construction in the years 2004-2005. It won't be known for a while how much money is available, but it is expected to be in the $30-$60 million range. Out of the 43 submitted projects, six fully or partially involve bikeway construction, for a total of over $18 million:
• San Jose Creek bikepath from Calle Real to Hollister Ave, Goleta
• San Jose Creek bikepath from Hollister Ave to Atascadero Creek bikeway, Goleta
• US 101/Mission Street undercrossing widening & striping bikelanes, Santa Barbara
• US 101/Bailard Ave, widen bridge & add bikelanes, Carpinteria
• Stripe bikelanes on Alisal Road south of Santa Ynez River, Solvang
• Construct Class I/II bikelanes on Highway 246 from Nykobing west to the Solvang boundary.
• Projects must relieve traffic congestion and qualify for California Flexible Congestion Relief Funds. The SBCAG staff is preparing a preliminary assessment of projects to determine simply whether they comply. Their report will be considered by SBCAG directors when they meet April 17. The directors may delete projects before their September 1st deadline, so it's important to write or phone to urge them to include bikeway projects:
• Directors of the Association of Governments
  222 East Anapamu Street
  Santa Barbara, CA 93101
• The contention may be especially strong this year. Last October 17, director Ken Nelson of Caltrans District 5 commented that, "we can't keep pouring concrete and widening roads." He said that Caltrans is a partner with SBCAG, that SBCAG should take the lead in transportation planning, and that "Caltrans will implement what you want us to."
• Then on January 30, when a state-accelerated schedule of projects was called for, Caltrans entered with a series of Highway 101 sound walls and widening projects, most of which were rejected by SBCAG in 1996. The Santa Barbara City Council was incensed. Caltrans further observed that they had prepared the required—and expensive—project study reports (PSRs) for their proposed projects, but they would not prepare them for any others' proposed projects, even those for state highways.
• This resulted in a flurry of activity and the additional 34 projects proposed by the County, the cities, and MTD. Who pays for the PSRs is yet to be decided.
• This all raises questions about our state Department of Transportation's concern for bicycling. Nelson admitted last year that they are great in providing roads for motor vehicles, but do not have the expertise to design for alternative modes of travel. Since District 5 lost its bicycle coordinator Scott Eades in 1995 for lack of funds, no effort to our knowledge has been made to replace him. When will that happen?

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Goleta committee favors bikelanes for Old Town

• On March 6, the Goleta Project Area Committee (PAC) voted unanimously to include space for bicyclists on Hollister Avenue in old Town Goleta. This is not a final determination, since PAC recommendations have to pass by the County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors. But it is a major victory for bicyclists who spoke out at meetings in February and March.
• Thanks go to Bicycle Coalition members Gary Wissman, Robert Bernstein, Jean Thomson, Dr. Don Lubach and David Madajian for speaking on March 6.
• The PAC voted on various amenities for Hollister. Three received unanimous votes: bicycling space, bus stops, and trash containers. Bike racks followed closely with 9 votes out of 10. By contrast, on-street parking got only six votes and wide sidewalks, five.
• A letter from Supervisor Gail Marshall to Ralph Fertig said, "Fortunately, the PAC meeting earlier this month did account for the increasing number of bicycle commuters along Hollister Avenue and the long term benefits of a bicycle friendly business corridor for Old Town. I hope the PAC will continue to address these decisions in a thoughtful and rational manner although it is important for the community to step forward to make its position clear."

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Earth Day on April 20

• The Bicycle Coalition will have a booth at the annual Santa Barbara Earth Day celebration. This year, Alan Bergquist will be coordinating things for us. If you're interested in helping with set-up, break-down, or staffing our table during the day, call Alan at 967-0801, or sign up at our April 2 general meeting.
• This year, about 2500 people will attend. It's a delightful way to spend the day because everybody who comes by is so sympathetic with bicycling. We're very grateful to the Community Environmental Council for offering us free space. Stop by and visit us if you're downtown.

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Arroyo Quemado bridge construction begun

• The March 1997 issue of Quick Release had an article about the $3 million seismic retrofit of the narrow Highway 101 bridge over Arroyo Quemado west of Refugio State Beach. We had hoped that the construction would be halted, the money saved, and plans accelerated for the replacement bridge that will free up the old bridge for bicyclists, hikers, and equestrians. It turns out that construction has already begun.
• What makes the situation ironic is that Caltrans is about to construct a cantilevered wooden bridge off the side of the 1918 Arroyo Quemado bridge during closure for construction, then removing it afterwards. This provides safety for three months, but then puts us back on the 11-foot lane that we have to share with 70 MPH trucks, buses, and cars.
• At least the temporary cantilever will be there when the 3400 California AIDS Ride participants bicycle down the Coast. And perhaps we will learn how to design a future cantilever that will last longer than 90 days.

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Help with trail maintenance day April 26

• Join off-road bikers and other trail users on Saturday, April 26 to clear the Matias Potrero Trail in Los Padres National Forest. This is National Trail Day and it's sponsored by Cielo Velo Bicycle Club and the Forest Service.
• Use it to build a bridge to the 21st Century, where all groups share public trails in harmony and are treated as equals by the land agencies.
• Show up at 8:30 a.m. at the Los Prietos Ranger Station on Paradise Road. Bring a lunch and water. Wear long pants, boots, your bike helmet and work gloves. The Forest Service will provide tools. For details, phone 967-3481.

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Poll supports Federal funds for bikeways

• A recent poll was conducted by Bikes Belong, the political group funded by bicycle manufacturers, publishers, and advocacy groups that are pursuing a bicyclist-friendly renewal of ISTEA, the Federal transportation act that will expire this fall. The poll asked a cross section of voters whether they support using one percent of federal gasoline tax money for alternative projects like bike trails, bike lanes, and sidewalks.
• The response was that 64% said yes.
• Referring to the poll and a two-day summit between Bikes Belong and over 30 congressional members, Trek's John Burke noted, "The American public's support for cyclists and other users of these alternative projects is in very real danger today of being overwhelmed by the powerful lobbyists for highway builders and the oil industry who want to go back to the days when they got every penny of federal money for transportation."

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Coalition membership

• We thank those who have renewed their Coalition memberships for 1997 and welcome the support of Hugh McGuire from Goleta who has joined us for the first time.

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1996 bike sales down 10%

• Figures from industry group Bicycle Product Suppliers Association show that the number of US bicycles sold by bike shops in 1996 declined by 10% from a high in 1995. However, because the average bike cost more, the dollar decline was only 6%.
• The decline occurred mostly in mountain bikes, which constituted 57% of all bike sales. Road bikes, children's bikes, and other categories showed an increase. Industry spokesperson Bill Austin conjectured that the drop is a trend: "Baby boomers are putting more money in 401K plans; they are savings for their kids' education; families are worried about their children's safety when riding bikes." It was noted, however, that most of the country had a very rainy spring, and that sales in the second half of 1996 picked up.

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Club adopts local bikeway



Doris Phinney, Wilson Hubbell, and Owen Patmor clean debris from the bikepath along Highway 217 near Goleta Beach. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• If you want to feel good about helping fellow cyclists, join members of the Goleta Valley Cycling Club (GVCC) each month to help clean up bikepath debris and weeds. Armed with brooms, shovels and shears, eleven club members spent two hours or so on March 16 to clean up most of the Atascadero bikepath between Santa Barbara and UCSB. Most passing bicyclists shouted thanks.
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• "It's open to everybody," offered cleanup coordinator Hildy Hoffman, "we welcome volunteers." Right now, it's a big job because the weeds and shrubs are growing so fast. The County's alternative transportation coordinator Wilson Hubbell supplied brooms, gloves and trash bags for workers. Next time, he hopes to have a power tool for attacking the weeds.
• It's an idea that may catch on. Just after signs went up announcing that the GVCC had adopted the route, a member of another bike club phoned Hubbell to ask if there were other paths that needed work. The answer is, "yes." Call Hubbell at 568-3046 for details.
• If you want to help with the next cleanup, it's on April 20, 9:00 a.m. Call Hoffman evenings at 964-0802.

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Bike to Work update

• Bike to Work 97 events are taking shape at seven locations around the County, but money for T-shirts is not coming in as fast it did last year, reports coordinator Gary Wissman. The expanded events will go ahead this May 20, there may just not be enough T-shirts for all participants.
• Volunteers are needed for events in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, Goleta, Solvang, Lompoc, and Santa Maria. Phone Wissman at 964-4607 for details or to volunteer.

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Curtis Ridling bikes for vacations and transportation
by Benjamin Sawyer



Curtis Ridling in his touring mode, meeting people in Small Town America.

• The early days of UCSB's current campus, a former Marine Corps base, saw students riding three speeds and cruisers around the sparse campus. Nightly rides to the Dining Commons were the habit in those quiet times. One wonders how many seeds those experiences planted in students that grew into a lifelong love of cycling. For Bicycle Coalition member and 1958 UCSB graduate Curtis Ridling, that was the starting point. He says, "It never went away. Even those dumb rides over San Marcos Pass on three speeds were part of it."
• Now it's 1997 and Curtis has been a teacher in the Santa Barbara school system for 32 years, currently teaching economics and government at San Marcos High. During his career, he has consistently commuted to work on his bike, missing only days when he had meetings elsewhere.
• His devotion to cycling as transportation extended to the home Curtis and his wife Phyllis bought in Mission Canyon. "We made conscious choices about where to live. It had to be where I could bike to work. Most people don't consider this in choice of housing. It's just a question of whether it's a priority." His 4.4-mile ride to school takes 14-15 minutes, and he consistently matches cars on State Street for speed.
• Curtis's connection to the bicycle does not end when he parks it at school. Without haranguing the auto culture embraced by most students, he brings up the values of cycling and the social/environmental costs of the automobile as appropriate in his teaching. "I keep throwing it out there," he says. "I try to get the kids to see something they don't see right now." Even so, the picture at San Marcos is not rosy. Whereas in the past there were 75-100 bikes parked in the racks, now it's 15. Acknowledging that interest in cars is high, Curtis cannot pinpoint reasons for the decline in bicycle ridership.
• Back in 1959, Curtis joined me on a three-month summer trip on bicycle around the western United States. This provided a seed for the other part of his world of cycling. Propelled at first by fond memories of this first expedition, for many summers now Curtis has taken smaller versions through other US regions. "It started as a nostalgia thing, then suddenly I was hooked. The first one was from Seattle down the Coast. It was so much fun," he says. "It started with looking at the passing scenery, but now it's much more observing and connecting with people. I deliberately don't plan my trips." Basically, he picks an area and just goes.
• Last summer Curtis toured Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina. This summer he'll fly to Halifax and ride the quiet Nova Scotia roads, drawn by the unhurried ambience.
• The core of Curtis's appreciation for his choice of transportation can be stated, "I now appreciate the plain efficiency of a bike, and the simple way it moves you around the landscape."

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Bicyclists save $7500/year

• Would you like to earn some extra money and have fun while doing it? Just bicycle instead of buying that new car.
• According to the research firm IntelliChoice, the real cost of buying and operating an average new 1997 car over five years is $37,500. You can save over $7500 a year if you bicycle instead! Think about what you can do with it.

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Firestone proposes increased bike funding

• Assemblyman Brooks Firestone has introduced California Assembly bill AB 1020 that would increase available funding in the Bicycle Lane Account from $360,000 to $5 million annually. The account funding level hasn't changed in two decades, and each year $2-to-$5 million in projects are submitted. The City of Santa Barbara won $90,000 funding in 1992 for Shoreline Drive bikelanes, but otherwise the meager statewide funding runs about a penny a person a year. We'll be following the bill.
• In other news, Firestone agreed to propose funding (through state PVEA money) for the remaining amount for the Westside Santa Barbara bikeway. At a meeting on February 28, Coalition members Donn Longstreet and Ralph Fertig emphasized the needs of Westside residents.
• At that same meeting, the upcoming Pro Bike/Pro Walk 98 conference was discussed. Firestone agreed to join the Local Host Committee and said that he would encourage California transportation employees to participate.
• Be sure to thank Assemblyman Firestone when you have the chance.