March
1999

Bike racks being installed on MTD’s Nova buses

• After careful consideration and experimentation, the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) has moved forward and started installing two-bike bicycle racks on the front of its new fleet of 28 Nova low-floor buses.
• Over the past several months, the MTD Board of Directors has assiduously explored many options in order to accommodate "multi-modal" trips that are best made with combinations of bicycling and public transit. These trips are typically on the longer routes—numbers 12, 20 and 24—that carry passengers between Downtown Santa Barbara and destinations in Carpinteria, Goleta, and UCSB.
• Those three routes currently have older buses equipped with SportWorks' bike racks. But as those buses are being gradually retired from service and replaced with Nova buses, the question of bike racks quickly arose.
• We're very grateful to the MTD for their efforts. They have designed a special mounting method for attaching the SportWorks' racks onto the Nova buses so that they do not seriously impair the drivers' vision.
• Please convey your appreciation to the MTD Board for their efforts in supporting transportation in the South Coast area. Write to:
• Board of Directors
  Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District
  550 East Cota Street
  Santa Barbara, CA 93103
• And when you get the chance, plan a "multi-modal" trip and try them out

---

County Bicycle plan sent to Supervisors

• The County's new 1999 Bicycle Master Plan, described in the February Quick Release, is heading for likely approval by the Santa Barbara County Supervisors on February 23. Its publication will make the County eligible for applying for funding from the California Bicycle Transportation Account, a pot of money set aside exclusively for bicycle projects. Although the annual amount available statewide will increase to $5 million by 2004, contention for it will be strong.
• The Plan describes 74 bicycle projects that are projected for initiation through the year 2019. Their total value over those 20 years is estimated to be $38 million, although nearly 70% of the dollars are for projects supposed to be initiated by 2004. That's because the Supervisors have realized that bicycling can be a cost-effective means of reducing the escalating traffic congestion in urban areas of Santa Barbara County.
• Priorities for development of County bikeway projects have been based upon five criteria:
• Mitigation or elimination of hazardous situations.
• Completion of bikeway networks.
• Establishment of new commuter bikeway systems that link residential, employment, shopping, and educational destinations.
• Improvements for connections to other modes of transportation.
• Upgrade of existing facilities.
• Thanks to the Bicycle Coalition members and County staff who put this fine document together.

---

SBCAG to consider transportation projects

• It was incorrectly reported in the February Quick Release that the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) would make decisions on February 18 about funding upcoming projects. Instead, they will take up the subject over the next three months.
• The good news is that the County Board of Supervisors voted on January 26th to retain the two top-ranked bicycling projects in the top positions. Thanks go to Bicycle Coalition members who spoke out there. The projects are the $2.7-million Ellwood bridge over Highway 101 and the $1.9-million San Jose Creek bikepath, both in Goleta.
• Another County project, a bikepath in Orcutt, brought out several supporters from the North County who hoped to raise it to a higher priority.
• As for the City of Santa Barbara's Mission Street undercrossing of Highway 101 project, it was unhappily ranked low on the City's priority list and therefore may fail in this funding cycle.
• Because requests from the many jurisdictions and groups within Santa Barbara County will considerably exceed available funds, SBCAG directors will have to make difficult decisions about just what projects to support and which ones to exclude. This may or may not follow the individual jurisdictions' priorities wherein projects are ranked by desirability before submission to SBCAG.

---

Jerry Lorden retires as SBCAG director

• After 20 years as the only executive director of the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG), Jerry Lorden announced his retirement last fall. The very articulate, knowledgeable and resourceful Lorden was honored with accolades at the February 18 SBCAG Director's meeting, and then at a later well-attended farewell party.
• A successor to Lorden has not yet been announced, although the Directors have been considering applicants.
• The 12-member SBCAG Board of Directors is important to bicyclists because they have power to determine the future of most transportation projects within our County. SBCAG consists of the five County Supervisors plus seven representatives from the seven cities within the County. The role of the executive director and SBCAG staff is considerable because they carry out the directives of the SBCAG Board. Sometimes those directives are explicit, but other times they allow latitude for interpretation.
• There is a second area, one where we can make a difference—the public comment period when SBCAG is considering actions. In any event, we look forward to working with the new SBCAG executive director.

---

Hazard’s shop gets national recognition



The old Hazard's Cyclery shop with waiting staff photographed in 1920.

• The February 1999 issue of Mountain Bike Action honored the 85-year-old Hazard's Cyclery shop in Santa Barbara. The 1914 shop, one of the oldest in the country, was opened by "Hap" Hazard. The shop has moved several times over its history, but always stayed within a few Downtown blocks.
• The shop today, owned by Bruce Davis, has old bikes and photos that recall past times. One story from the past recounts the time when they were pouring a concrete slab and ran out of rebar, so collected old Schwinn bike frames and parts to reinforced the concrete. Davis says that they offer a good line of bikes, but they also support the community by servicing the City's Bike Patrol fleet, sponsoring trail work and local bike clubs, plus offering bicycle safety education to fourth graders. Go visit them any time at 735 Chapala Street in Santa Barbara.

---

Bikeway signs

• Correction: In past Quick Release issues it was reported that 500 bikeway signs were installed throughout southern Santa Barbara County. Although the original document specified 497 signs, it turns out that because of budget constraints, only 324 were put up—184 signs in the County, 132 in the City and 8 at UCSB.
• City transportation planner Rob Dayton states, however, that they are looking for opportunities to put in more signs (and possibly on-street bikeway logo stencils) to make the program increasingly effective. We totally agree because the signs have been widely observed and very well received within our community.

---

Bike Expo at UCSB

• Graduate student and campus bicycling activist Jim Dalton reports that the University of California, Santa Barbara's first Bike Expo is scheduled for April 15th. Dalton has been actively making contacts and arranging entertainment for the 11:00 AM. to 2:00 PM event. Several bicycling manufacturers have expressed their intent to participate. Planning is also progressing for free give-aways that—according to Dalton—will all be well received by those in attendance. Want to hear more about the Bike Expo or help? Contact Dalton by email jdalton@eos.crseo.ucsb.edu or by phone at 961-9660.

---

Bicycle Coalition appears “In the Spotlight”

• In case you missed the Monday, Jan 18th issue of the Santa Barbara News-Press, our Bicycle Coalition was featured in a weekly section on local non-profit organizations, "In the Spotlight!"
• It lists our mission, major activities, membership requirements, meeting schedule, publication, and contact info. Unfortunately, they got our zip code wrong in the address, so we don't know whether mail with the right PO box number but wrong zip will reach us.
• The day after we were featured, Ralph Fertig received an email from Dr. Gary Unruh. Two issues of Quick Release were sent and Unruh became a member. Anyway, the publicity is most welcome. Cheers for us!

---

Dru van Hengel promotes bicycling
by Benjamin Sawyer

• With the creation of the Mobility Coordinator position for the City of Santa Barbara, bicycling as a core mode of transportation in this area got a huge boost. Called for in the 1998 revision of the City's Bicycle Master Plan as a way to coordinate and enhance bicycling opportunities, this position has recently been filled with the hiring of Dru van Hengel. It is safe to say that local people interested in bicycling as real transportation are truly pleased.
• Dru brings to this position many attributes, to say the least. Several local bicycle advocates have already productively worked with Dru in the creation of the new Bicycle Master Plan. As a temporary traffic technician, Dru worked with the revision committee, bringing the many (and sometimes confusing) written elements together. "I worked with the committee, was guided by its vision, and helped it along. They had done so much background work already," she said. Dru grew up in North Tarrytown, New York and received her BA degree from Dartmouth College. She has MA and Ph.D degrees from UC Irvine. Her doctorate (1996) is in social ecology, which she does her best to explain as "the impacts of the environment on health and behavior." This led to the study of freeway impacts on local neighborhoods; in particular her dissertation focused on the impacts of the Century Freeway in its passage through impoverished and affluent areas of Los Angeles. On top of this, Dru is an Olympic team member in flatwater kayaking. She competed in the 1996 Games, has competed each summer since in the World Championships, and hopes to race in Sydney in the 2000 Games. She is married to Joshua Patlak, a personal fitness trainer and consultant.
• Dru has a vision as Santa Barbara's first Mobility Coordinator. While she makes it clear that enhancing pedestrian opportunities and traffic calming are also part of her new job, she wants to bring about a cooperative effort among people who desire changes in how people transport themselves. She says, "the quality of life in Santa Barbara can improve. We are looking for changes where at least a small percentage of people choose ways other than the automobile to get around."
• "My job is to make streets livable, places where people want to be, not just pass through in their cars." Welcome, Dru!
• Note—you can reach van Hengel at the Santa Barbara City's Transportation division; phone her at 564-5544 or use email at dvanhengel@ci.santa-barbara.ca.us.

---

Velodrome still on hold

• The 120-acre Santa Barbara Shores Park, purchased by the County in 1991, has been struggling with the intention to develop a small part of the Park into active recreation areas. Due to strong support that goes back to 1992, current plans include a velodrome cycling race track.
• All plans have been delayed, however, by sensitive habitats, soil contamination, and recently by the Coastal Commission's directive that a new road into the proposed private Monarch Point housing development must run through the public Parkland. At any time, however, when Monarch Point is resolved, Park plans will again start to move ahead.
• We applaud bicycling in all its forms and hope that local public support will be high enough to bring the only velodrome between Los Angeles and San Jose into our area.

---

Our booth at Earth Day

• For the eighth year in a row, the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition will be sponsoring a booth at Earth Day festivities. It will take place on Sunday, April 18, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at De la Guerra Plaza in downtown Santa Barbara.
• We're delighted that the Bicycle Coalition's Alan Bergquist has again agreed to coordinate our participation. We need bicycle mechanics to offer free checkup services, people to staff our table and answer questions, and other helpers too. We've noted that year after year, people remember our booth and look forward to visiting with us. It's a relaxed and fun day with wonderful, appreciative participants. Even if you can't help, bike by and check out the scene.
• If you have ideas or want to know more, contact Bergquist by phone at 967-0801 or by email at abquist101@aol.com.

---

New Coalition members

• We welcome these new members to our Bicycle Coalition. Please feel free to contact any Coalition Board members to express your thoughts.
• Robert Cohen
• Renee deJong
• Dru van Hengel
• Kelley Roberts
• Eric Schott
• Gary Unruh

---

Hit-and-run driver heads to trial in April

• This April 8, Steven Dunn will go to trial following his confession that he deliberately ran down bicyclist Richard Erskine last year. Dunn phoned the California Highway Patrol on December 20 to admit that he was the hit-and-run driver they were looking for.
• Dunn said that he was so provoked by his vandalized car that he angrily drove out to find the responsible people. Spotting Erskine instead, Dunn simply ran him down. Then he stopped and prepared to back up over the prone figure, but was interrupted by an approaching car. Dunn knew that Erskine was not responsible for his car damage, but was determined to vent his anger on somebody. Erskine, an instructor at Santa Barbara City College, suffered a broken leg and internal injuries.
• Because Dunn was already on probation for an earlier 1996 misdemeanor assault with a deadly weapon, he remains in custody. The new charges are a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon and a felony count of hit and run. We will let you hear the outcome.