December
1998

Earth Force offers bicycling program for local youth

• At the Pro Bike/Pro Walk 98 conference in Santa Barbara last September, Earth Force launched its Get Out Spoke'n campaign. It's a two-year national program that young people will use to reduce air pollution and traffic congestion by making communities safer and easier for bicycling. Within the US, at least 100,000 young people and 4,000 educators and adult leaders will become involved.
• Santa Barbara Middle School was involved early on with a trial program. The students participated in a workshop involving Eastside-Westside bicycle access that was filmed for the Nickelodeon TV channel.
• The program is an excellent means for the Bicycle Coalition, local bike clubs, school classes, youth groups, scouts, and similar organizations in Santa Barbara County to involve tomorrow's bicyclists in planning better and safer conditions. Using Earth Force guidelines, teachers and adult leaders can help the kids identify a problem, collect information, network with other groups, and empower them with the knowledge to make a difference in their communities.
• Get Out Spoke'n campaign goals
• Urge local governments to adopt pro-bike policies, create bike advisory committees with youth representation, and plan ways to make their communities more bike friendly.
• Make schools bike friendly. Encourage local schools to create policies that permit and encourage students to ride their bikes to school and provide secure parking for bicycles.
• Develop public awareness. Make local citizens aware of existing bike plans and needs, and rally the public to help make the community more bike friendly.
• Increase safety for bike riders and security for bikes. Get organizations to conduct safety clinics and bike theft prevention clinics. Encourage communities to implement cops on bikes programs.
• Survey, plan and map bike routes that serve youth transportation needs in the community.
• Mobilize a show of support for biking. Organize bike-to-school rides during National Bike Month and have your school adopt a proclamation to endorse every May as Bike to School month.

Get Out Spoke'n 32-page Facilitator's Guide.

• How to get more info
• The Earth Force web site has information and a discussion group at www.earthforce.org. You can email them getoutspoken@earthforce.org or phone Andrea Kavanagh at 703-519-6864.
• The Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition has no formal partnership with Earth Force, but we will offer all the support we can. The Bicycle Coalition's Ralph Fertig helped Earth Force in San Diego last January establish basic program goals. He has just-published packages of literature from Earth Force about the Get Out Spoke'n campaign. They have produced a Facilitator's Guide and a Campaign Guide. Contact Fertig at 962-1479 or at rhfertig@sb.net for literature, or come to our December Coalition meeting.
• What would help us all is a volunteer contact to serve as outreach coordinator to the various local youth organizations. How would you like to help local kids become better community bicycling activists?

---

Bicycling on local TV

• At the urging of Rob Dayton, local TV channel 18 is creating a show about the City's new Bicycle Master Plan. It will include footage of Dayton, Dru van Hengel, Ralph Fertig, and others who are involved. It will likely be shown on:
• Tuesday, December 1st
  Channel 18, 5:30 p.m.
• Check with listings to confirm date and time.

---

Fertig and Burgess win Local Hero awards

• Although the "Local Heroes" November 25 issue of the Santa Barbara Independent has not yet been published as this goes to press, reliable sources tell us that two local bicycling advocates—Bob Burgess and Ralph Fertig—will be included.
• This is the first time that these prestigious community awards will go to bicycle advocates. Congratulations to Bicycle Coalition members Burgess and Fertig for what they have contributed, thanks to those who nominated them, and to the Independent for recognizing that bicycling issues are a vital part of livable communities! More details next month.

---

Lompoc cuts bike patrol

• Two years after establishing a 4-person bicycle patrol, the City of Lompoc slashed a number of programs, including the Bicycle Patrol Program. The cuts were attributed to the defeat of a utility tax measure L-98 that lost in recent voting. City programs were reduced in several departments, but the police division was especially hard hit.
• Because there was no reduction of police personnel, and bike patrols are generally more cost-effective than motorized units, it should be questioned whether the selected changes were really inspired by fiscal considerations or were intended to punish Lompoc voters by removing a popular program.

---

Narrow streets are safer

• A new study relating residential street topology to the frequency of accidents reveals that street width and curvature are strongly correlated with injury accidents. As streets widen, accidents per mile per year increase exponentially. The safest street width is 24 feet curb to curb, considerably narrower than most current design standards of 36 feet. Call Swift and Associates, 303-772-7052, for more information on their study.
• — Gloria Ohland and Ron Milam
  — Surface Transportation Policy Project

---

Hollister Avenue lane dimensions determined

• After many requests from local bicyclists, the County has decided to repave Hollister Avenue in Old Town Goleta and restripe the travel lanes. Space is tight, but the configuration will consist of 7' for parking, an 8' space where bicyclists will ride, and an adjacent travel lane 10' wide.
• After conferring with bicyclists and transportation engineers, Wilson Hubbell, county alternative transportation coordinator, decided to place bicyclist logos within the 8' space. There wasn't enough for an official striped-in bike lane, but the logos will tell everybody that cyclists are legitimate users of our roadways. Thanks to all who contributed.
• Try it out after it's done and give us your opinion. The same treatment might be used in the upcoming Summerland plan if you like it.

---

Making Cities Livable

• The Sustainability Project organized the international conference "Making Cities Livable" in Santa Barbara, November 16-20. Three free evening workshops were very well attended.
• While transportation played a minor role among the many issues, use of bicycling and other non-motorized travel continued to be advocated. Mayor Dietmar Hahlweg from Erlangen, Germany was applauded when he described how he flew to LA, took the train to Santa Barbara, then rented a bicycle for local travel.
• Suburban sprawl was considered the main destructive force for cities. Discussions emphasized keeping of urban growth boundaries with greenway "fingers" providing access to the outside, and of using mixed-use urban "infill" to keep cities vital and safe.

---

Rose on bikeways

• County supervisor-elect Susan Rose was questioned on several issues in the Santa Barbara News-Press before the November election. When asked what must be done to ease Second District traffic, she replied:
• "Even with all planned improvements, many major intersections will soon be unacceptably congested, according to a recent county report. We must make alternatives, such as mass transit, bikeways, carpooling and telecommuting, more desirable and convenient. We can't continue to pave our way out of this problem."
• We certainly share her perception and look forward to working with Rose as closely as possible on transportation and safety issues.

---

Speak up to get dangerous potholes fixed

• All bicyclists have encountered bad road conditions, jarred themselves on potholes, maybe had pinch flats from sharp edges, or even gone down from deteriorating roadway conditions. No fun at all. But because we're self-sufficient individuals, we tend to grumble, dust off our pride and keep on cranking.
• Martin Conoley of Santa Barbara had a better idea when he encountered horrid conditions on East Carrillo Street while bicycling there. Depressions and cracks in the concrete had sunk 3"-4" in some places. Conoley noted, "With cars parked at the curb, weaving through these cracks and yet avoiding being struck by a passing vehicle passing was a challenge."
• Conoley contacted John Schoof at the City Public Works Department. A short time later, he reported, "Riding to work on my bicycle last week, I was overjoyed to see a public works crew working on that road surface. I'm happy to report that patches of new asphalt have been laid over the major depressions in the concrete, making the roadway passable for two wheeled vehicles."
• It just takes a moment to contact the person listed on the rear of Quick Release. Often maintenance workers don't know that a place needs work until somebody tells them. Even though they travel around, they might be looking the other way when they pass your pothole.
• One final thought. If the problem is fixed, be sure to thank the person you contacted. If they were truly responsive, publicize it in a local paper or to elected officials. That way, everybody feels good and we all get smoother riding.

---

Bikeway signs installed

• Hopefully, you've seen some of the 497 bikeway signs installed over the past few weeks throughout the South Coast area. What do you think?
• The routes that are marked—designated by names such as "Coast Route"—are shown on the Santa Barbara County Bike Map. We need your help to make sure that all necessary signs are in place to allow navigation along a route by signs along. Try riding some sections and see if it works for you. Some signs might be on the wrong posts, some might be missing at a crucial intersection. If you find a problem, contact one of the following, depending on where it occurs:
• Wilson Hubbell, Santa Barbara County
  phone 568-3046
  email hubbell@co.santa-barbara.ca.us
• Rob Dayton, Santa Barbara City
  phone 564-5390
  email rdayton@ci.santa-barbara.ca.us

---

Bike to Work ’99

• On November 11, the first meeting of the Bicycle Coalition's Bike to Work '99 events committee took place. The main result was a contract with Central Coast Productions (CCP) that was finalized by Coalition directors a week later. It designates Jonathan Humfrey and CCP as coordinators for 1999; they worked hard on our 1998 events and we're very pleased to have them back.
• The next meeting may occur in December, but with the holiday season upon us, things may just wait until January. Contact Humfrey any time at ccprod@silcom.com or by phone at 688-9507. We look forward to having a super event throughout the county to end the millennium! Start thinking about how you can help get more people in your area to bicycle.

---

Millennium Trails Program—can we benefit?

• Even though it's getting late to plan year 2000 projects, the US Department of Transportation recently unveiled a program called Millennium Trails. It's part of the White House Millennium Program designed to "celebrate, recognize and be a catalyst for creating trails to honor the past and imagine the future as part of America's legacy for the year 2000." The trails will include early routes of our ancestors, new urban greenways, and itineraries that tell the story of our nation. More than 2000 projects in three categories will be included:
• Community Trails 2000, 2000 local trail projects
• Millennium Legacy Trails, 52 trails nominated by the 50 States, DC and Puerto Rico
• National Millennium Trails, 12 flagship projects which symbolize America's legacy.
• Perhaps the obvious Santa Barbara County trail is the Anza Trail that commemorates the 1776 trek led by Juan Bautista de Anza that passed through here. Guidelines for the millennium project designation are still being developed by the DOT, but they can be existing, partially developed, or proposed new trails. Those selected will be "promoted and celebrated" throughout the year 2000. A national web site will be created with information about all the trails.
• There will be no direct funding benefit from being recognized as a millennium trail, but the visibility will enhance project funding opportunities from federal TEA-21 or other sources. If you think that we could use Millennium Trails locally, for the Anza Trail or otherwise, look at the Millennium Trails web site: www.dot.gov/mtp.
• Contact Jeff Olson, RA Program Director at 202-366-4045 or email him at Trails2k@aol.com.

---

SB City bicyclist count shows little change

• Thanks to volunteers from the Bicycle Coalition, a count of bicyclists passing 18 given intersections within the City of Santa Barbara was made on midweek days, 4:00-6:00 PM between June 9-18, 1998. The results show that 2001 bicyclists were counted, about one a minute on the average. The busiest intersection was State and Canon Perdido Streets, where 417 cyclists passed. That's one every 14 seconds!
• Similar counts were made by volunteers on October 1996 and June 1997 at 21 intersections in the City. Seventeen intersections were the same as 1998, so numbers can be compared for those 17 locations. The totals for '96, '97 and '98 are 1852, 1797, and 1792 bicyclists, showing less than a 3% year-to-year variation.
• Although the overall totals are virtually identical, variations from one location to another showed dramatic changes. Much of the difference is likely due to chance (and road closure in at least one situation), but note the two intersections with the largest increases:
• State Street (at Los Positas) + 58%
  State Street (at Canon Perdido ) + 65%
• It's likely that the big jump at State and Los Positas (50 extra bicyclists) is attributable to the new bike lanes striped there earlier this year. The increase at Canon Perdido (32 extra bicyclists) may or may not be due to the new Canon Perdido bike lanes which end two blocks away from State.
• One new location was the subject of measurement this year, the Beachway at Stearns Wharf. As expected, there were lots of bicyclists, 209 of them, a number nearly double the average location elsewhere. It will be interesting to see what happens over time here too.
• Counts this year were made at the same times for helmet use, sidewalk riding, and wrong-way riding. During the similar June 1997 count, volunteers counted helmet and sidewalk use, so that a comparison for 17 identical intersections between the two years can be made:
• Wore helmets 24% (1997), 27% (1998)
  Rode on sidewalk 23% (1997), 18% (1998)
  Rode wrong way — (1997), 6% (1998)
• The differences are small, but it seems that more bicyclists are using helmets and fewer are riding—illegally, it should be noted—on Santa Barbara sidewalks. The trends are encouraging.
• Our gratitude goes out to the volunteers who helped to obtain this important data: Bob Burgess, Lee Carter, Ralph Fertig, Ann Hagemann, Wilson Hubbell, Nancy Hull, Ann Lawler, Abe Leider, Will Leong, Pat Maurice, Owen Patmor, Risa Rice, Benjamin Sawyer, and Jonathan Southard.

---

RAIN supports our web site

• The Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition is grateful to the nonprofit Regional Alliance for Information Networking (RAIN) for sponsorship of our web site. Look at what they are offering the online community, stop by their offices at 1129 State Street, Santa Barbara, phone them at 899-4695, and please support them.

---

Kudos for web site

• "Exceptional job on the SBBC web site. A wealth of information and very well organized. Nice job on all of the photos. I will be attending the Pro Bike/Pro Walk conference in September and have enjoyed surfing your site. It has got to be one of the best I've seen for such an event. You obviously know your city well. See you in Santa Barbara. Had to say 'Thanks'."
• — Chris Kluth, Bicycle & Pedestrian Program, Austin, Texas

---

Notes from the November 1998 Bicycle Coalition meeting
by Sandra Wintermoss

• In attendance: Robert Bernstein, Bob Burgess, Ralph Fertig, Alan Bergquist, Dave Beamer, Rob Dayton, Pierre DeLong, Benjamin Sawyer, Owen Patmor, Shoba Kalwani, Vie Obern, Jonathan Humfrey, Jeff Lundgren, and Sandra Wintermoss.
• Ralph: County needs help to mark sign places on the Atascadero Bikeway; Pierre volunteered.
• Ralph: There's $600,000 in a nationwide fund from bicycling-related businesses to help TEA-21 money go to bike projects; the CBC suggests that California ask for $100,000. The Coalition might get $2000-3000 if we propose how to spend it.
• — Benjamin: We could hire someone to influence legislation. Let's have a Board meeting soon.
• Ralph: I'm working with Mary Byrd from the APCD on Take a Vacation from Your Car program to get tourists to bike, walk & bus. They want projects (like maps) and costs related to them.
• — Rob: the City's stance is that this is a good program but it's not a priority for funds.
• Ralph: County Planning is considering Fairview Avenue bikelane changes. The GTIP say the bikepath is west of the creek, so hard to access.
• — Rob: The path is good for a recreational path, but bikelanes are a transportation facility.
• — Jeff: The County is working on the design.
• Jeff: I'm working on a new Bicycle Transportation Plan so we're eligible for state Bicycle Transportation Account funds. It's a 20-25 page compendium of existing plans. Bob, Ralph, Benjamin, Rob & Dru volunteered to review it.
• Alan: We're mailing January Quick Release to local bike clubs to raise our profile with them.
• — Rob: The November Quick Release article & SB News-Press about proposed Shoreline Drive changes were misleading. It's not a traffic calming or safety issue, but a chance to add park space along the Ocean. There are two proposed options.
• — Rob showed blueprints & there was a general discussion of how they might work for bicyclists.
• — Robert: What about east of the Wharf?
• — Rob: it will be considered next year; the City Council has made it a priority.
• Rob: Dru & I reviewed the Coalition's bike video. It's basically good, but needs changing. Perhaps the Coalition should ask the City for more money.
• — Ralph: Video producer David Cowan will be back next week. We'll plan a meeting shortly.
• Jonathan: It's time to start Bike to Work Ø99. Letters to sponsors have to be out in December. We need a meeting in November to hammer out a contract. I have ideas about publicity & coordination with bike shops & media.
• — Robert: I suggest group rides to the event. -- Jonathan: Maybe I can bring in a grant writer.
• Rob: SB City's Bicycle Master Plan is going to SBCAG for likely approval on November 19th.