October
1999

Bicycle Coalition joins competition for CREF funds

• On September 13, the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition submitted a proposal for funding from the County's Coastal Resource Enhancement Fund (CREF). Our proposal was one of four that contained bicycling-related projects out of 34 requests for money. It's hard to assess our chances, but there is about $700,000 available, and nearly $2 million in requests were submitted. The four bicycling proposals, with the requested CREF funding in parenthesis, are the following:
• Bicycling the Coast: Santa Barbara County ($11,700), by the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition. This will produce a full-color brochure about bicycling for tourists and residents alike. The material will be added to our web site and more created—maps, suggested bike trips, bicycling events, and related web links. Finally, these will both be promoted in bicyclist-oriented publications, local Visitor Bureau and Chamber of Commerce channels, coastal recreational businesses, and through methods forthcoming from the "Take a Vacation from Your Car" program. You can view or download our proposal from www.sbbike.org/CREF.pdf. It's an Adobe Acrobat Reader PDF document, so you may have to download Adobe's free Reader first.
• Summerland Bikelanes & Sidewalks ($60,000), by County Public Works. The money requested is for a study of the Lillie Avenue area in Summerland. It will consider parking, side- walks, bikelanes, planting, and the Evans Avenue intersection. This area, part of the favorite east-west cycling route, needs better lane definition and traffic calming. This project will hopefully identify needs and move closer to construction.
• Shoreline Drive Park Expansion Project ($130,000), by Santa Barbara City. This project will narrow Shoreline Drive from four lanes to two between Loma Alta and La Marina Drive. It will keep the uphill bikelane, remove the downhill one, widen the sidewalk into a multi-purpose path, and increase parking.
• Isla Vista Coastal Access, Parking andCirculation ($100,000), by County Public Works. This money is a small portion needed to install new sidewalks, stripe bikelanes, start street sweeping, and construct a new parking lot on donated University property.

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“Take it Outside Tour” with Willie and Joe



Willie Weir, left, and Joe Kurmaskie, want to stamp your passport.

• Mark your calendars for an unforgettable time. This October 17 and 18, adventure bicyclists Willie Weir and Joe Kurmaskie are being brought to Santa Barbara by the Adventure Cycling Association and the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition. The intrepid bicyclists and storytellers will keep you laughing and inspire you to quit whatever it is you're doing and hit the road.
• Coalition vice president Ralph Fertig was delighted by Weir's performance during the League of American Bicyclists' Sonoma rally last July. So when he heard that Weir and Kurmaskie were traveling the Pacific coast on a "Take it Outside Tour," he immediately begged them to include Santa Barbara. They agreed.
• "Lots of touring cyclists pedal through our area, but few, if any, are as articulate, accomplished, and personable as these guys," says Fertig. "Their insightful stories aside, they promote cycling as the best ticket to penetrate a culture, open up people, and learn about our planet's diversity wherever they pedal."
• Come to their Tour and hear how they were treed by geese in New Hampshire, robbed by bandits in Albania, mistaken for celebrity in Utah, jailed by villagers in India, or covered with sewage in Georgia. Feed your adventuresome spirit by spending time with Kurmaskie, columnist for Bicycling Magazine and author of Metal Cowboy: Tales From the Road Less Pedaled, and Weir, author of Spokesongs: Bicycle Adventures on Three Continents, and columnist for Adventure Cyclist Magazine.
• Need more motivation? Check out Weir's web site www.pineleaf.com, Kurmaskie's site www.metalcowboy.com, and read the glowing book reviews posted at www.amazon.com.
• October 17, Santa Barbara Public Library, 40 E. Anapamu St, Santa Barbara 3:00 P.M.
• October 18, UCSB, to be determined

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New signal on Patterson

• A new stop light has been installed at the intersection of Patterson Avenue and University Drive in Goleta. This is a vital step to improve bicyclist safety because it's located where the North Goleta Bike Route crosses the wide, high-traffic, high-speed Patterson Avenue. The intersection has been especially troubling for schoolchildren and other bicyclists who choose the North Goleta Route because of its quiet residential character.
• Our gratitude goes out to two individuals who have been especially instrumental in pursuing safer conditions at that intersection: County alternative transportation coordinator Wilson Hubbell, and Bicycle Coalition treasurer Gary Wissman, who serves us on the County's Traffic Engineering Committee.

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Ceremony lauds Dan Henry



Dan Henry, at left, and Wilson Hubbell celebrate the bikeway opening.Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• On Saturday morning, September 11, a crowd of 40 bicycling enthusiasts inaugurated the Dan Henry Bike Route in the Santa Ynez Valley. Legendary cyclist and Solvang resident Dan Henry personally snipped the ribbon to open the new bikelanes in Los Olivos. This now completes lanes that run all the way from Los Olivos to Highway 246, five miles to the south.
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• Speakers lauding Henry's lifelong achievements included County Supervisor Gail Marshall, Air Pollution Control District officer Douglas Allard, and County alternative transportation coordinator Wilson Hubbell. At 87 years of age, Henry continues to enjoy cycling on a tandem bike with his wife. He was instrumental in obtaining funds for the roadway expansion so bike lanes could be striped, not only here, but elsewhere throughout the Valley. Our sincere thanks and congratulations...now let's go ride!

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Bike repair workshop

• The University of California, Santa Barbara, is offering a class in Bicycle Repair as part of its fall Living Arts Classes. Beginning October 13, the Wednesday night sessions will be taught by Associated Student Bike Shop manager Willi Hart. Call 893-3738 for information.

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Rincon Cycles wins award

• The City of Carpinteria recently named Rincon Cycles an Outstanding Business Partner. The shop owner and manager—and Bicycle Coalition member—Dennis Coffman was recognized for his community activities. These include support for our Bike to Work Day, the Carpinteria Triathlon, the Boy Scouts (bike maintenance), the Braille Institute (as a tandem partner and bike mechanic), and several other groups as well. Congratulations, Dennis!

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Safe Routes to School bill needs your help

• AB1475 , the "Safe Routes to School" bill, has made it all the way through the California legislature essentially intact, and now sits on the governor's desk for his signature or veto by October 10. There are rumors of opposition within his administration, and there is fear that it will be lost at this crucial point.
• AB1475 will provide about $17 million a year within California to improve child safety near schools by building sidewalks, calming traffic, and installing bikeways. Individual communities will propose their own local projects for funding. Please write or fax your feelings to Governor Davis. Address letters to:
• The Honorable Gray Davis
  State Capitol Building
  Sacramento, CA 95814
• and mail them to his address or fax them to him at 916-448-4120.

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Bicycling up 5% in City of Santa Barbara

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• Thanks to the work of local volunteers, we have bicyclist counts for a group of intersections within the City of Santa Barbara for the third June in a row. This gives us a good picture of what is happening where, and the results are exciting !
• An analysis of the data that compares 1999 against an average of the 1997 and 1998 counts for the same 13 inter-sections shows the following:
• the total number of bicyclists is up 5%
• the proportion wearing helmets is the same 26%
• the proportion biking illegally on our sidewalks is down from 17% to 14%.
• The adjacent graph shows the change in total bicyclists from 1997 to 1999. Whether the jump in numbers is a long-term trend, we'll hopefully ascertain next year.
• In comparing the counts year to year there is a pronounced variation. Although the overall increase in 1999 is 5%, individual intersection changes ranged from an increase of 133% to a 42% decrease. For example, Shoreline Drive (at Loma Alta) had 65 more riders, a 130% increase; San Andres (at Canon Perdido) had 32 more, a 91% increase; and Coast Village (at Hot Springs) had 28 fewer, a 35% drop. The point is that we need large counts like we're doing to compensate for the fluctuations. These year-to-year fluctuations are conceivably caused by weather, nearby construction, roadway configurations, road surface condition, cleanliness, and local events.
• Our thanks go out to all the volunteers who had fun watching traffic and counting bicyclists: Alan Bergquist, Bob Burgess, C.D. Coffey, Pierre Delong, Christina Doctors, Debbie Hughey, Ann Lawler, David Nesbitt, Dru van Hengel, and Gary Wissman.

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Chris King’s trail work

• Goleta manufacturer of high-end bike components, King Cycle Group, was praised in the July 15 issue of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News for successfully sponsoring local trail repair events. Founder and Bicycle Coalition member Chris King takes an active role in these "Trail Daze" events that attract over 100 participants. The benefit is better trails, community recognition, and a shared ownership among volunteers.
• What's the secret? "You make it a fun event," replies King. Participants in the all-Saturday events are cyclists, equestrians, and hikers. They get not only breakfast, lunch, and a barbecue dinner, but about $10,000 worth of donated goods.
• The impetus behind Trail Daze was trail use conflict in the early 1990s. The next Trail Daze in Santa Barbara County will take place this October 23 to work on the Snyder Trail (known as Knapp's Castle trail). Want to help? Look for an application at a local bike shop or call 683-0950. Also look at www.chrisking.com/home.html.

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Rideshare Week is for bicyclists too

• The traditional name is "Rideshare Week," but the intent of the Traffic Solution's annual event is to encourage employees to leave their cars at home. We bicyclists already know the personal benefits of fitness and fun, but our community benefits from everybody who chooses an alterna-tive to drive-alone motoring.
• This year's Rideshare Week occurs October 4-8. Traffic Solutions has lined up a group of prizes to be given away to encourage participation. This includes a personal kayak lesson from our own kayaking athlete Dru van Hengel. Other prizes are resort hotel stays, dinners, a case of wine, gym memberships, and lots more.
• To participate, fill out a pledge card. You may have already received one from your employer. If not, phone C.D. Coffey at 568-3293 for one. Good luck and keep on biking.

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Ventura County activities

• It might be the county east of us, but what they do often effects us. One promising venture that a cluster of Ventura County bicyclists are pursuing is a countywide bicycle advocacy group. Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition VP Ralph Fertig was invited to talk to them on September 9, and he reports that progress is definitely being made.
• In other news, a new trail segment will be inaugurated on October 9 with a bike ride and walk. It's the Ventura River Trail, a 6-mile multi-use trail that connects the Omar Rains Trail at the Ventura City beach with the Ojai Valley Trail. Eventually, it will all be connected to a forthcoming 32-mile trail that will link Ventura with Santa Clarita on a right of way purchased from the Southern Pacific Railroad. Registration for the inaugural bike ride opens at 8:45 A.M. at West-park Community Center (450 Harrison Avenue, Ventura). Win a T-shirt and other prizes. Phone 658-4726 for further details.

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Notes from the September Bicycle Coalition meeting
by Sandra Wintermoss

• In attendence: Ralph Fertig, Wilson Hubbell, C.D. Coffey, Dru van Hengel, Pierre Delong, Dennis Whelan, Shoba Kalwani, Vie Obern, James Wagner, Gary Wissman, Mindy Norris, Sandra Wintermoss
• Dennis: there is a new TDM coordinator at UCSB, James Wagner, who is joining us at our meeting today.
• Coffey: Traffic Solutions will be in Santa Maria September 15th at the Marian Medical Center. We can distribute Coalition materials. We are preparing for Rideshare Week. Dru donated a kayak lesson on behalf of the Bicycle Coalition. Gary: our video press kit went out August 30th. City and County TV channels are showing it in September.
• Ralph: we got our second order for a video today. I will try to find somebody to handle orders.
• Dru: the next Bike Week 2000 meeting is September 14th. We have developed a schedule of the preparations, but need volunteers for the tasks.
• Robert: our next Board meeting is September 15th.
• Wilson: Hollister Avenue redesign bid opening is in a week, work will begin in 40 days. The bike logo is part of the striping plan, the traffic lanes will be 10.5 feet and the parking will be striped at 7 feet.
• Robert: the Fairview overcrossing problem is the north side. Maybe a cantilevered bike path could be hung off the side of the bridge, or put 101 below grade. We need to think long term.
• Wilson: Ellwood bike/ped crossing. Hannah Beth Jackson is trying to get state TEA-21 money to come up funding for the project, maybe $500,000 for land acquisition and design.
• Gary: Measure D Task Force is forming, and they want me.
• —Robert: the next 10 years of Measure D to be decided by this task force.
• Vie: we are working with the National Park Service to publicize the Atascadero Bikeway as the de Anza Trail.
• Gary: Goleta Old Town design is underway. Projects are being considered together—Highway 217 reworking, the Hollister corridor, the San Jose Creek Bikeway. We need Coalition input in the design.
• —Robert: There was a public meeting on Hollister bikelanes using wrong figures. We need to revisit this.
• —Gary: this is a done package deal that we cannot change or oppose now.
• —Robert: as off street parking becomes available?
• —Wilson: then maybe we can remove parking and restripe. We have the best possible deal right now.
• —Dennis: cyclists will be able to ride on the new 217, but not directly into campus. The new San Jose Creek bikeway will provide the connection.
• Ralph: we're applying for CREF funding. I want to promote Santa Barbara County for more cycling.
• —Gary: since a bicycling thing is appropriate for us to do, go for it—with CREF support.
• —Dru: I think it's a great opportunity to support our Coalition goals.
• —Wilson: CREF is for coastal projects. We need something county-wide for projects like this.