February
2000

Published bicycling articles increase for eighth year in a row

• Bicycling mentions in Santa Barbara County's major South Coast newspapers have increased for eight consecutive years!
• Since 1992, Coalition vice president Ralph Fertig has copied articles and letters and photographs that mention or depict bicycling in any way. He scans the Santa Barbara News-Press, Santa Barbara Independent, Valley Voice, and Coastal View for bicycling issues. At the end of each year, he tallies those in which bicycling or bicycles are a significant—not an incidental—part.
• "Each year," Fertig comments, "I fear that we've reached a plateau and will see a decline. But to my annual delight, the numbers published have once again gone up."
• For 1999, the total was 396, more than one a day. That represents a sevenfold increase since 1992 when the annual total was 57! No matter how you interpret it, awareness of bicycling is increasing.

• This shows how newspaper mentions of bicycling are distributed over the four quarters of an average year.
• There are not many objective measures of how we're doing in terms of promoting bicycling for transportation and recreation. There's this printed media count and the Bicycle Coalition's cyclist count at Santa Barbara City intersections each June. They are both fine resources. Then there's the US Census study done on travel to work each 10 years, and the Traffic Solutions voluntary count of workers' commute habits each year. But they both have limitations: one is voluntary and neither one counts non-commute trips that are estimated to be 75%-80% of all trips people make. And those non-commute trips may best lend themselves to bicycling.
• What we need are three additional things:
• North County studies that measure bicycling trends.
• Mobility studies that tally all "trips," whether it's a drive to Lake Cachuma, a block-long walk to a lunch deli, or a bike ride to a synagogue.
• Perception studies that show what people think about different transportation modes.
• In the meantime, we have the printed media statistics. They likely reflect an increasing awareness due to the ongoing efforts by members of the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition. We continue to speak out for a more livable community and have struck a chord that has resonated throughout our area. The heightened awareness that we have ignited seems to be taking on a life of its own, carried by local editors, politicians, photographers, government staff, residents and yes, even business owners. We're obviously doing just fine!

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Livable Streets Coalition is organized

• On January 10, a new advocacy group was formed—the Livable Streets Coalition of Santa Barbara County. Bicycle Coalition member Eva Inbar hosted the first meeting that determined a name for the group, set up an email list service, and outlined an agenda.
• The Livable Streets Coalition is looking at a range of policy issues related to streets, such as speed limits, traffic calming, law enforcement, sidewalks, crosswalks, traffic signals, and safe routes to schools. They want safe streets to better accommodate all users—pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists—for whatever mode of travel they choose.
• Of immediate consideration is possible expansion of the scope of the County's new "speed zone committee" that was formed by Supervisors Gail Marshall and Susan Rose to study traffic on Cathedral Oaks Road in Goleta. The consensus of the new Coalition is that problems of traffic speed, density and lawlessness in many residential areas warrant broad study and wide ranging action.
• To join the Livable Streets Coalition's free email list, send an email message to: lsc-subscribe@topica.com. Leave the subject line and body of the message blank. Questions can also be sent directly to Inbar at inbare@earthlink.net or 964-0472.

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Wide outside lanes in Lompoc

• California Route 1 passes down H Street in the commercial center of Lompoc. It's part of Caltrans Pacific Coast Bike Route running the length of the state. Bicycling through or going to any of the destinations is hazardous because the car lanes take up all the room.
• The upcoming resurfacing of the street, however, recently presented an opportunity to make the lane widths safer for bicyclists. But Caltrans had already prepared drawings that would stripe them the same. Alarms were raised two months ago and requests went to Caltrans District office: they came from the Bicycle Coalition, the Lompoc Chamber of Commerce, Lompoc Valley Bicycle Club, Caltrans' Regional Planner for Santa Barbara County Pat Mickelson, and the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments' executive director William Derrick.
• The curb-to-curb width was too narrow for full-width bike lanes along the side, but a wider outside lane was possible. Caltrans reconsidered and agreed in mid-January to narrow the inner lanes so the outside lanes will be wider!
• Congratulations and thanks to all who helped make Lompoc better for bicycling.

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SB Bicycle Project closes its doors

• The Santa Barbara Bicycle Project, the local earn-a-bike program for kids, was closed on January 18. The Bike Project was supported by Girls Inc of Greater Santa Barbara since 1996. Steve Cotton, Bike Project Coordinator, says that the program was growing, but that Girls Inc has been unable to obtain a grant to continue funding.

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Bike Week report

• The monthly Bike Week 2000 meeting January 11 was standing room only as plans and ideas tumbled forth from participants. Santa Barbara City's Dru van Hengel and Bike Week coordinator Jonathan Humfrey are doing an excellent job organizing things. Everybody was delighted with Judith Geiger's Bike Week 2000 logo design that will appear on posters and T-shirts.
• Upcoming Bike Week ideas include bike races, a movie day, blessing of the bikes, a bike art exhibit, Bike to School events, "title" sponsorship of Bike to Work Day, BMX demonstrations, and bike check-ups.

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Chris Carmichael workshops

• Chris Carmichael, professional cyclist and trainer, will be offering two local events in February: an eight-day training camp in Buellton starting February 5, and a one-day seminar at UCSB on February 13. Carmichael is most recently known as the trainer for Lance Armstrong, working with Armstrong from after his cancer surgery to winning the 1999 Tour de France. Carmichael has developed his "Carmichael Training System" that synchronizes and customizes a cyclist's training for heart, lungs, muscles, and mind.
• There are still a few slots available for Buellton, the only California camp that Carmichael is offering. Get details at 719-635-0645 or check out www.ridefast.com. For the UCSB seminar, cost is $100 (there are group discounts) and details are available from Kelly Clancy at 966-3309.

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Coastal Trail progress



This shows the Bacara Resort entry road that will have bike lanes as part of the Coastal Trail. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• The idea of a Coastal Trail from Gaviota to Goleta has been around so long and progress on it so slow, that we tend to miss what's happening. Here's an update on the sections between Goleta and Refugio State Beach, thanks to Claude Garciacelay from the County Parks Department.
• Bacara Resort. Starting at the end of Hollister Avenue in Ellwood, there is new road construction. It runs from Sandpiper Golf Course to the western end of the 400-room Resort property and will have bike lanes on the side for cyclists.
• Ellwood Pier parcel. The fate of this parcel is unknown, but there is an old oil field/platform access road that goes east-to-west across the entire parcel, crossing Eagle Canyon. The old bridge is gone.
• ARCO property. ARCO has proposed a golf course here, although it is currently stymied by an endangered species habitat. If the course goes in, easements are required for the Coastal Trail, but the sensitive habitat may still be a difficulty.
• Naples. This is entirely up in the air with the possible acceptance at any time of a "memorandum of understanding" between the owners and the County. If it goes through, the entire 222 acres south of Highway 101 will be available for sale to a government agency or land trust that would presumably accept a trail.
• Dos Pueblos Ranch. This is an active private ranch.
• El Capitan Ranch. Here, there is a new 1.2-mile trail segment under construction on the north side of Highway 101. It will connect directly into the 0.5-mile section already finished. The trail is connected to roads that lead into and through El Capitan State Beach.
• El Capitan State Beach. The final section is the popular finished trail that runs along the bluffs to Refugio State Beach.
• Where does this leave us? With finished sections, planned sections, and conjecture. Progress nonetheless has happened. The County's Planning and Development Department just hired a consultant to study Coastal Trail routes between Ellwood and El Capitan Ranch by identifying old easements, land segments for acquisition, and easements that might be a condition of development.
• Possibly the most exciting possibility is turning the entire Gaviota coast into a national park. Our Congresswoman Lois Capps has lobbied for protection. The House recently appropriated $75,000 for a Department of the Interior study of the natural, historic, and recreational resources between Point Sal and Coal Oil Point. The Senate has yet to consider it, but if favorable, it could propel Coastal Trail to completion within our lifetimes. A dream to be sure, but a great and worthy one.

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Deputies to get mountain bikes

• Mark Linehan, developer of the huge Camino Real Marketplace in Goleta, signed a rent-free lease with the County to establish a Sheriff substation at his shopping center. Linehan will install computers, phone lines and donate two mountain bikes for the deputies to use. This will be the second new substation with deputies on bikes within a year. Earlier, one was established in Old Town Goleta.

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Homage to Vie Obern
by Eva Inbar



Vie Obern—bicyclist, equestrian, effective trails advocate, Santa Barbara treasure. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• What a difference one person can make. Meet Vivian "Vie" Obern, someone who can dream big and then get right down to earth to make that dream a reality. She came to Santa Barbara in 1947 as a young woman, and she has left her mark on it. She has served in so many distinguished positions and won so many awards that these alone would fill an entire page. The civic spirit that she and her husband George Obern have shown is truly extraordinary.
• Vie is both an equestrian and a bicyclist. Now well into her seventies, she still rides. When she realized back in the sixties that many of her favorite trails were being lost to urbanization, she founded the Santa Barbara County Trails Council, an organization she still heads today. It was her idea that all the creeks in Santa Barbara should have trails on them for transportation and enjoyment. Atascadero Creek would be the first to get such a trail, thereby linking Santa Barbara and UCSB.
• When Governor Ronald Reagan appointed her to the California Recreational Trails Committee in 1971, she was able to secure the funds for the project. In 1975, she and George on a tandem broke through the banner at Goleta Beach, inaugurating the first leg of the bikeway. She had to do this several more times as more increments were finished.
• At the time, Vie was viciously attacked by some opponents of the bikeway. Today, it is a universal success, enjoyed by young and old and Santa Barbara's busiest bicycle commuter route, just like Vie envisioned. Among her many accomplishments, she considers the Atascadero bike path her greatest success.
• Not one to slow down any time soon, Vie still has big dreams. The San Jose Creek bike path, also her brainchild, is now about to be built, more than 30 years after Vie first proposed it. At present, she is working on a bikeway along the Gaviota coast, a project of great scope and difficulty.
• We are proud to have Vie working with us and will remember her always as we ride on "her" bike path along beautiful Atascadero Creek.

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State Parks Bond Act will help trails

• Proposition 12, the State Parks Bond Act will be on the March 7 California ballot. If passed, the act will provide $500 million to the California Parks Department and another $500 million for local park projects.
• Bicyclists will be interested to know that trail projects, paved and unpaved, are eligible for funding. It might go to land acquisition, trail maintenance, or new trail construction. When the time comes for projects, we can pursue the best for bicycling.
• The last Park Bond Act, Proposition 70, was passed twelve years ago in 1988, and that money has long since been invested in creating and preserving our parkland. Since then, our parks have been neglected, funds have been cut, and the rangers overworked.
• With the California population growing by 18 million by 2020, preserving our remaining open space is more critical than ever. Be sure to vote March 7th!

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101 / 154 detour

• You may know that major road construction is going on at the intersection of Highways 101 and 154 north of Buellton. With narrow lanes, concrete barricades, and no roadway shoulders, bicyclists have no safe place to ride. The California Highway Patrol has banned bicycling there during construction.
• Both Caltrans and the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) sought convenient cyclist detours, but private property and high cost precluded them. The only feasible detour uses Foxen Canyon and Alisos Canyon Roads; unfortunately, it adds about 7 miles and a healthy measure of climbing.
• Jim Kemp at SBCAG, an avid cyclist himself, remarked on their considerations in reluctantly designating the long detour:
• The closure is temporary. By spring, a better detour using new interchange ramps will exist.
• Bike counts on this stretch of 101 are low, especially in winter.
• Most cyclists use 101 there for recreation and training, so they can pick alternate routes.
• Most touring riders will be over on Highway 1, not on 101.
• For sure, it's inconvenient, but the project will ultimately result in a vast improvement in safety for all