June
2001

Bike Week successfully promoted bicycling



State Street was blocked off in Downtown Santa Barbara for over 500 bicyclists who celebrated biking to work on May 23, under 125 waving bike-logo flags. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• The voices of 150 bicyclists at UCSB's Bike to Work Day rang out, "Bells are ringing, hearts are singing songs of bikes and two-wheeled modes" to the tune of Beethoven's Ode to Joy*. The singing was an inspiration by UCSB's Jamey Wagner, an idea that characterized the spirit of our Bike Week.
• Bike Week was an over-all success! The participant numbers in Bike to Work Day were up by 8% over last year. The Bike Expo worked very well in promoting our Safe Routes to School projects and resulted in 40 kids writing "Why I love to Bike to School" or drawing a logo for the Safe Routes to School contest. Bike to School Day did well: Eva Inbar reported, for example, that 97 schoolchildren biked to Vieja Valley Elementary School that day.
• The nicest addition to Bike Week, perhaps, was the installation of 125 bike-logo flags in Downtown Santa Barbara. The flags were a clear statement about bicycling. And that's exactly what our Bike Week was about.
• * You can buy a CD of delightful songs from Song Cycles, a Toronto singing bike group. Check out www.web.net/~detour/songcycles.

---

Buy a Bike Week flag

• Our 4'x6' Bike Week Flag has a white bicyclist logo on a red background. It's heavy nylon with two grommets at the top for hanging. Price is $30 plus tax & postage. Can't live without one? Make a check out to Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition for $35.33 per flag (or $33.00 if it's going to a non-California address), mail to Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition, PO Box 92047, Santa Barbara, CA 93190-2047. Tell us where to ship it and include a phone number just in case we need to reach you. Or you can print out the PDF-format Bike Flag Order Form.

---

Thank you!

• The Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition offers our gratitude not only to members of the Bike Week Committee, but also to the 96 individuals, organizations, and government groups who made Bike Week 2001 a splendid success:
• Air Free, Albertson's, Alias Wavefront, American Silkscreen, Bartlett, Pringle & Wolf, Best Western Pepper Tree Inn, BFI, Bike Barn, Bob Sundberg, Brian Fahnestock, Brian Halvorson, Cat Eye Company, Chumash Casino, City of Carpinteria, City of Lompoc, City of Santa Barbara, City of Santa Barbara Streets Crew, City of Santa Maria, Clif Bar, Coastal View News, DAKO Corporation, Delta Cycle, Domino's Pizza, Dr. J's Bicychiatry, Drusilla van Hengel, E-CAPS, Emer'gen-C, Evian Natural Spring Water, Family Service Agency, Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Fox Hollow Coffee, Goleta Valley Athletic Club, Goleta Valley Cycling Club, GRC International, Green Hills Software, Guayaki Yerba Mate, Hazard's Cyclesport, Hendry Telephone Products, Jack's Famous Bagels, Jamey Wagner, Jonathan Humfrey, Kelly Bike, KIK Tire, KJEE, Kryptonite, KTYD, Lompoc Record, Lynn Mathis, Main Street Cycles, Maps.com, Marian Medical Center, Megan Miley Graphic Design, Mindy Norris, Mollo & Son's Bicycle Works, Muddy Waters, New Frontiers Natural Foods, Pacific Travellers Supply, Pedal Power Bicycles, PTA Safety Committee, QAD Incorporated, Rick Fulmer, Robert Bernstein, Santa Barbara City College, Santa Barbara County, Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District, Santa Barbara Independent, Santa Barbara Inn, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara News-Press, Santa Maria Sun, Santa Maria Times, Santa Ynez Valley News, SG Production, smartFUEL, Solvang Recreation, Soujourner Cafe, South Side Coffee Company, Starbucks Coffee, Stratford Coffee House & Cafe, T&G Barrow, The Gas Company, Traffic Solutions, Tri-County Produce, UCSB, UCSB Associated Students, UCSB Bookstore, UCSB Faculty Club, UCSB Transportation Alternatives Program, UCSB UCen Dining Services, Unicycle.com, Valley Voice, VeloPro Cyclery, Wendy P. McCaw Foundation, World Concerts, Wyatt Technology, and Yardi Systems.

---

Lompoc update



Lompoc Public Works Director Marlene Demery, left, watches the bridge ribbon cutting by Engineer Dace Morgan, Mayor Dick DeWees, and former councilwoman Mary Leach. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• A number of changes that effect bicyclists have happened in Lompoc in the last two months. They basically improve conditions, and more is on the way:
• H Street Bike bridge. The new cantilevered bicyclist/pedestrian bridge on Highway 1/H Street over the Santa Ynez River was dedicated on May 7. A sizable crowd attended the ceremony, including a number of bicyclists who had first run on the open 750-foot span.
• The bridge was designed primarily to serve the 5000-student Allan Hancock College north of the River, although the connecting bikepath is still over a year from completion. For cyclists not attending Allan Hancock, it's very hard to access the new span if they're heading north, and also quite awkward for south-bound cyclists. Basically, though, it's an overall improvement.
• Ocean Avenue shoulder. County Public Works has repaved the missing shoulder pavement on Ocean Avenue near the entrance to Vandenberg AFB, resulting in smooth cycling to the Pacific.
• San Miguleto Road condition. County Public Works has swept the aging bikelane on San Miguleto Road, and promised to seal the surface within a year.
• Mud on Ocean Avenue. Nothing has been done about the farmers tracking mud and rocks onto the Ocean Avenue bikelane. One cyclists crashed last year from slippery mud, and others had flat tires from sharp rocks. According to Lompoc businessman Tim Brummer, Big E farm is the major offender. The California Highway Patrol has warned them, but conditions continue the same. Lompoc cyclists sent a video and petition to California Senator Jack O'Connell, and are considering filing a small claim suit.
• Overall though, things are looking better, projects are in the pipeline, and cyclists are attentive and active.

---

Bicyclists Strengthen Trail Community
by Chuck Anderson



Chris King Trail Daze attracted 103 volunteers to maintain Santa Barbara County trails. Photo by Ray Ford.

• On May 11-13th, the Santa Barbara Mountain Bike Trail Volunteers, the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), Chris King Precision Components, and numerous other sponsors hosted a precedent-setting trail clinic for local land managers and trail volunteers. The clinic promoted sustainable trail design and maintenance, and fostered closer ties between various trail users and land managers.
• The three-day event featured members of IMBA's Trail Care Crew #2, professional trail builders who travel the country working with volunteers and land managers on trail issues. For two days, the IMBA crew illustrated sustainable trail design and maintenance techniques with a slide presentation. It was followed by an open discussion on applying those design principles to our local trails.
• Thirteen representatives from the US Forest Service, County Parks and City Parks attended Friday's clinic. This was the first time representatives from all three agencies gathered to discuss trails. In another first, 25 local trail volunteers from all user groups gathered Saturday for a similar presentation.
• The trail clinic ended Sunday with 103 volunteers participating in King Trail Daze sponsored by Chris King Precision Components. Volunteers from all user groups worked side by side refurbishing the North Tunnel and Matias Potrero trails. At the end of the day, everyone enjoyed a BBQ and prize raffle.
• The trail clinic is part of the Santa Barbara Mountain Bike Trail Volunteers' continuing effort to build a strong unified trail community and to ensure well-maintained trails for everyone's enjoyment. People interested in the Trail Volunteers are encouraged to contact Chuck Anderson at sbmtv@home.com or 565-7511.

---

Earth Day 2001



Even though they had to climb stairs to get to our Earth Day booth, healthy bicyclists had no trouble coming to see what was happening. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• For some reason, it's always sunny and balmy on Earth Day in Santa Barbara. This year's event was no exception. The Bicycle Coalition had a booth for the tenth year in a row, thanks to coordination by Pierre Delong. This year, Earth Day was held at the County Courthouse, where it expanded into and across Anapamu Street. Our booth was highly visable, but beyond walk-by attendees, up a few steps at the entrance to the County's Planning and Public Works building.
• Although getting bike mechanic help for tuneups fell through this year, it should be a goal for 2002 because it generates both good will and activity. Our thanks to Delong and other volunteers who helped chat with those who came by: Chuck Anderson, Ralph Fertig, Wilson Hubbell, Gary Wissman, and several others.

---

Bicycle Coalition election on June 5

• Nominations were made on May 1 for the Bicycle Coalitions' nine positions on the Board of Directors: four officers and five others who serve on the Board. Bicycle Coalition members are eligible for voting either in person at our regular June 5 meeting or by mailing in the ballot below to the Coalition (PO Box 92047, Santa Barbara, CA 93190). Copies of the ballot will be available at the meeting if you need one.
• BALLOT Vote for one person for each of the following offices:
• President: Robert Bernstein or Wilson Hubbell or (other)
• Vice President: Ralph Fertig or (other)
• Treasurer: Gary Wissman or (other)
• Secretary: Sandra Wintermoss or (other)
• Choose five of the following for Board of Directors: Dru van Hengel, Pierre Delong, Charles Coffey, Wilson Hubbell, Chuck Anderson, Drew Hunter, Ann Lawler, or (other)

---

Goleta bike rack freed



The bike rack is now fully accessible from both sides. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• As reported in the May Quick Release, the bike rack at the Goleta Community Center building was poorly positioned. Thanks to Eva Inbar's intervention, Randy Rosness, Director of the Goleta Valley Community Center, rearranged things so the rack now has full access. Even better, Rosness placed another rack in the rear of the building and agreed to provide space for bike lockers 100 feet away from the Center's bus stop for bus commuters. Additional thanks to Robert Bernstein and Jamey Wagner for their help.

---

Who’s Drew Hunter?

• Drew Hunter, current president of the Santa Barbara Bicycle Club and manager of the Zerowait Junior Bike Team, is running for a position on our Board of Directors. Formerly a Colorado resident and ski and kayak instructor, Hunter moved to Santa Barbara six years ago for a job. His employer was responsible for building the Atlanta Olympic velodrome bike racing track. Hunter's interest in the Coalition is to promote bicycling interests among young people.

---

Cycling cleans our air

• We're aware that cars pollute the air we all have to breath, but how much of a difference do bicyclists make? We asked our local Air Pollution Control District to calculate, on the average, how much pollution was reduced by just our Bike to Work Day 2000 bicyclists. Vijaya Jammalamadaka ran it by their computer models, and she determined that we saved:
• 804 pounds CO (carbon monoxide)
• 79 pounds ROG (reactive organic gasses)
• 66 pounds NOx (nitrogen oxides)
• These last two are the ozone precursors we worry about.
• The last rigorous count of bicycle commuters in Santa Barbara County was in 1990 when 6000 bike commuters to work were counted by the US Government. That means that five times the above amounts of pollutants are saved by workers each day. Add to that the thousands of UCSB students and other thousands who bicycle to school, to shop, to eat, and so forth—and we're talking tons of pollutants that we would otherwise be choking on.
• Our bicycling not only makes us more fit, it increases the health of all members of our community. What better gift can we give?

---

Moving to Goleta

• Offices for the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG), Traffic Solutions, and local Caltrans Planning moved to Goleta from Downtown Santa Barbara on June 1. They are sharing space with the Air Pollution Control District for 18 months until new offices are built. They have a common mail address:
• PO Box 8208, Goleta, CA 93118-8208
• And their new phone numbers are these:
• SBCAG, 961-8900
• Pat Mickelson (Caltrans), 968-5779
• Mindy Norris (TS), 961-8917
• C D Coffey (TS), 961-8919
• Shannon McEttrick (TS), 961-8918

---

California AIDS Ride

• Next to the Solvang Century, the biggest bicycling event in our County is the 3000-person California AIDS Ride. Team Santa Barbara consists of local riders on the San Francisco-to-Los Angeles ride. They'll come into Santa Barbara County June 7 on Highway 1, camp for the night at River Park in Lompoc, then continue on Highways 1 and 101 through Santa Barbara on June 8. Cheer them as they pass by.