January
2003

2003 starts with 3 Coalition reports



Jacob Seigel-Boettner making notes on bike parking at Scolari's market. Photos by Ralph Fertig & Jacob Seigel-Boettner.

• Before moving ahead to improve conditions for bicyclists, it helps to know just what needs improving. The Bicycle Coalition's Ralph Fertig took on by himself one such survey of posts in bikepaths after a cyclist crashed into one last November. A draft report was presented at the December Bicycle Coalition meeting, where changes were suggested along with a decision to put it online for further comments from anybody. See post story below.

• Two further topics arose when 14-year old Jacob Seigel-Boettner, a Santa Barbara Middle School student, offered us a week of community service. That resulted in six busy days of bicycling all over the South Coast assessing two different bicycling amenities: bike parking at large markets, and conditions of all the bikeway signs. You may recognize Jacob as one of nine bicyclists who recently completed a 5000-mile, 4-month tour across the United States, following the route that Lewis and Clark took two centuries ago. So simply biking all over the South Coast for six days was a snap for young Jacob.
• The bikeway signs were easy. Most were fine, but some were missing and others were turned the wrong way or defaced with stickers and graffiti. Those that could be cleaned or adjusted on the spot were fixed, and the others were noted. Jacob took digital photos and made notes that were subsequently passed on to the County's Wilson Hubbell and SB City's Dru van Hengel for action.
• The markets are more complicated. As Jacob reported, "... many of the markets in Santa Barbara [area] don't even have racks, and many of those that do are missing parts or are not installed properly." While the Bicycle Coalition wants markets to improve bike racks for customers, we have to know what to recommend and tell them what permits they need. We're dealing with three cities and the unincorporated County, each with different regulations. The City of Santa Barbara, for example, requires a building permit and Architectural Board of Review acceptance to install a rack on private property.
• So what was initially just a survey turns out to need a report to market owners that offers not only praise or criticism, but recommendations for them to follow.
• Research shows that others have published guidelines, so maybe it's time for us to work with local jurisdictions to craft a document of our own.

Coalition helps downtown Santa Barbara workers



Erika Lindemann at our Bicycle Coalition table that we shared with Traffic Solutions. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• The Bicycle Coalition offered bicycling information at the opening of Casa de Las Fuentes housing development in Santa Barbara on December 17. We were one of nine "community partners" invited by the city's Housing Authority. The concept behind the apartment complex is to provide reasonably-priced housing for workers in the Downtown area, so they can get to their jobs on foot or bicycle or bus. Renters are given priority and discounts if they have no automobile.
• Our thanks to Bicycle Coalition's Erika Lindemann and Ralph Fertig who represented us. As Congresswoman Lois Capps was being escorted around, Fertig introduced himself, and Capps, after pausing for a moment, responded, "Oh yes, bicycling to work, that makes sense." We couldn't agree more.

Good Things About Bikelanes
Word from the President, by Wilson Hubbell

• There has been some controversy among bikies regarding the value of bikelanes. Some would argue that bikelanes denigrate cyclists and are designed more to "keep bicyclists in their place" than to provide a homogenous roadway system where motorists and bicyclists interact as equal road users. Others feel that bikelanes are inadequate and separated bikepaths should be constructed everywhere to provide safer conditions for bicyclists.
• I like well designed bikelanes and believe that they do not denigrate cyclists any more than a freeway truck lane denigrates trucks or a high occupancy vehicle lane denigrates single occupancy motor vehicles. I also believe that trying to build acceptable Class I bikepaths to everywhere a cyclist might want to travel is unrealistic and infeasible. So what are some of the advantages of bikelanes versus bikepaths or nothing at all?
• Perhaps the first thing that a motorist learns is to Keep It Between The Lines. As such, a bikelane stripe will tend to keep motorists in "their" lane and further away from the edge of the roadway than would occur if no bikelane was there. (Note: Driving a motor vehicle in a bikelane is actually illegal in California except to enter or exit a traffic lane). Cyclists must also ride as far to the right of the roadway as practicable by law, except when there is a bikelane. Cyclists can legally ride anywhere they want in a bikelane -- and that usually means further out into the roadway than would be the case if the bikelane was not there.
• A well designed and properly located Class I bikepath can be a joy, but too many bikepaths are neither. Also, the installation and maintenance costs for a separated bikepath can be extraordinary and may directly compete for financing with other public facilities. Bikelanes, on the other hand, can be cheap to install and usually get maintained within the existing roadway budget at little or no extra cost. For example, the County of Santa Barbara was able to fit bikelanes onto much of Calle Real by narrowing the traffic lanes during regular maintenance of the roadway. The Cities of Carpinteria, Santa Barbara and Lompoc have accomplished the same on many of their streets. Basically, the additional costs for most bikelanes are in planning, design and paint -- that's it. So bikelanes proliferate because their effectiveness and low cost make them particularly attractive to City and County governments.
• There are many other advantages to well designed bikelanes that could fill up much more space than this column, but the biggest one seems to be that bikelanes tend to go where cyclists want to go while providing more clear riding space than would be available otherwise. Sounds good to me.

Evening meeting January 7th in Goleta

• Last October, we held an evening meeting in an effort to attract those who cannot make noon meetings in Santa Barbara. Because 30 people showed up, we're having another evening dinner/meeting on January 7th. This one will be held at Woody's BBQ, 5112 Hollister Avenue (in Magnolia Plaza), Goleta. No-host dinner at 6:00, meeting at 7:00. Come on out and meet fellow bicycle people.

Electric bikes for sale



Todd Wolfe with electric bikes at his Alternative Motors shop in Old Town Goleta. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• A new kind of bike shop has opened in Goleta. It's Alternative Motors, a place that specializes in electric-powered bicycles, scooters and cars. Owner and manager Todd Wolfe reports that most of his sales are electric bikes.
• Who would buy an electric bike? Only wimps, right? Not necessarily, says Wolfe. While many of his customers are older, others might be facing special circumstances, like living on the Mesa and being unsure about making it home after a bike ride around town. Wolfe's aunt, for example, lives in a retirement community and has for years enjoyed bike rides of 30-40 miles with friends. But because of an increasing knee weakness, she could no longer keep up with others until she bought a Merida electric-assist bike from Wolfe. So once again, she is able to bike with friends and know that the extra boost is there when she needs it.
• If you've never tried an electric bike, go see Wolfe and try one. It's guaranteed to bring a smile to your face when you feel the magic boost of power. Not that you'll buy one, but maybe somebody you know will. Alternative Motors is at 5860 Hollister Avenue.

Renewal of TEA-21 is 2003 challenge

• The massive Federal transportation act of 1997 called "TEA-21" is up for reauthorization this year. TEA-21 and its predecessor ISTEA have provided millions of dollars for bicycling projects that we've benefitted from. This year, however, because of our weak economy, highway interests are out to reclaim the 2% that alternatives like bicycling, bus and walking won for themselves twelve years ago.
• As the year progresses and a new reauthorization package works its way through Congress, you'll be hearing what's happening and what you can do to make a difference. This month, expect the administration to submit its budget proposal. The Federal Department of Transportation will then take that budget and develop a detailed proposal for Congress.
• The following eight months will be crucial in defining our future. To find our more about the issues, check out these sites:
• www.transact.org/platform.asp
• www.tea3.org
• www.antc.net

Cyclocross is here



Cyclocross racers hose off after a muddy, rainy—and therefore satisfying—race in Goleta. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Mike Hecker has brought Santa Barbara County a three-race series of cyclocross. Two races have already taken place in Solvang and Goleta, with a third scheduled on January 11 in Goleta again.
• Turnout for this new venture has been moderate, but Hecker hopes interest will grow as riders become more aware of the bicycling sport. Notable among participants in the December 21st race was former Santa Barbara resident Tom Harvey who came here on Amtrak, rode his bike from the Goleta train station, raced (he came in second), then biked back to the station for a train ride home to San Diego. If you want to catch cyclocross action, head to Goleta on the 11th, and congratulate Hecker on this new venture.

Coalition endorses Highway 101 changes



We asked for a bikepath along the railroad in Montecito as part of 101 corridor improvements. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• The Bicycle Coalition sent a letter to the Santa Barbara City Council, Caltrans, and the County regarding proposed changes to the Highway 101 South Coast Corridor between Milpas Street and Montecito. The changes will effect us for decades to come, so it's important to speak out.
• A response letter to Ralph Fertig came from Mayor Marty Blum, thanking us for our recommendations, and forwarding them to the City's transportation planners. She wrote, "I agree that your recommendations should be seriously considered and I appreciate you and the Coalition taking the time to provide me with your thoughts."
• Out of our 12 recommendations, the ones that most directly effect bicyclists are these:
• Cacique tunnel. Build the Cacique Street undercrossing of 101. Keep it to two lanes plus bike lanes, leave the center open to the sky, light it well, and landscape entries on both sides.
• Sycamore Creek bridge. Build a new bridge at Sycamore Creek and design it to not exclude a future bicycle/pedestrian path in the space underneath.
• Old Coast Highway sidewalk. Construct a sidewalk on the south side of the road to increase pedestrian and bicyclist safety.
• Hot Springs roundabout. Construct a roundabout at Old Coast Highway/Hot Springs Road/Coast Village Road.
• South-bound Cabrillo off ramps. Keep both the Los Patos and Hot Springs off ramps on 101 to reduce bicyclist and pedestrian conflicts at intersections.
• North-bound Cabrillo on-ramp. Redesign this to slow accelerating motorists who must weave with bicyclists heading under 101.
• Bike/ped tunnel at Cabrillo. Continue the Beachway bike path across Los Patos and into the new tunnel. Carefully consider the crossing of Los Patos and at the intersection between the 101 freeway lanes.
• Cabrillo/Los Patos intersection. Some traffic control is needed because of the short sight distances and numerous bicyclist and pedestrian crossings.
• Butterfly Lane tunnel. This popular 101 tunnel should be reconsidered with all users in mind. Consider modifying the steps into ramps, and landscaping entries.
• Union Pacific bikepath. Consider constructing a section of new bikepath along the railroad right-of-way between Milpas Street and Olive Mill Road, as included in the Santa Barbara County Regional Bikeway plan.
• The last item expands the area of consideration, however a bikepath along the railroad has been on master plans for years. As the 101 proposals exist now, Caltrans has to negotiate with the Union Pacific Railroad to acquire an easement for the project near Sycamore Creek; as long as they are negotiating, why not include a bikepath easement in the agenda?
• Because of public interest, Caltrans has extended the public comment period to January 15, 2003, and added new meetings:
• Montecito Union School, January 6, 6:00-9:00 PM. Formal presentation at 7:00 PM.
• Carpinteria City Hall, January 8, 2:00-8:00 PM. Informal Open house for 6 hours.
• Consider going to one of the meetings, or writing your comments on the project's draft environmental document to:
• Larry Newland, AICP, Branch Chief
  Caltrans Central Region Environmental Analysis
  50 Higuera Street
  San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-5415.

Bikes featured in new clean air calendar



What's more appropriate than Megan Morgan's bike drawing for the month of May?

• It's here, the third edition of "Kids Care for Clean Air" calendar. Again, it features neat drawings by children throughout Santa Barbara County, illustrating how to get around without polluting our air. Like by bicycle.
• The first prize winner, Joshua Ambrosio Chevez, won a bicycle donated by Bruce Davis at Hazard's Cyclesport for his entry. The contest was sponsored by Traffic Solutions and Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District. While copies last, you can get one free by phoning 961-8800.
• Our community benefits are twofold: kids get to think about traveling without polluting, and people who use the calendars for a year will see a new reminder each month.

December meeting topics

• Our December 3rd meeting was again very busy. Here are our major meeting topics:
• Our draft letter to Caltrans and others proposing our recommendations for changes to Highway 101 between Milpas and Hot Springs Road, was discussed and amended.
• Secretary Sandra Wintermoss has resigned.
• Coalition reports on bikepath posts, market bike racks, and South Coast signage condition were discussed and actions taken.
• Staff recommendations for CREF project funding were discussed. We will await the Supervisors to vote on December 10.
• Ralph Fertig will represent the Bicycle Coalition at the opening of Casa de Las Fuentes on December 17.
• We're waiting to hear about our proposal to host a California bicycling and walking conference here in 2003.
• Jamey Wagner described UCSB's request for BTA funds for four campus projects. The Coalition will write a letter of support.
• The Bicycle Coalition will appeal for donations this month.
• Our January meeting will again be in the evening, this time at Woody's in Goleta.

Andy Singer

Active members

• Please thank and support the following businesses that are Bicycle Coalition members:
• King Cycle Group, Shasta Lake
• MarBorg Industries, Santa Barbara
• Oasis Design, Santa Barbara
• Santa Barbara Infrared, Santa Barbara
• Rincon Cycles, Carpinteria
• Lightning Cycle Dynamics, Lompoc
• We're pleased to welcome new Bicycle Coalition members Amy Nett, Michael Champion, the American Lung Association, and Bill Forkner. Plus we're very grateful to the following who renewed their memberships: Dennis Coffman, Woody Wilde, Richard Lambert, Steve Morris, Ralph Fertig, Diane Krohn, Wayne Beckman, Arnie Schildhaus, and Dan Henry.

• A funny thing happened to Kent Epperson and his wife Soma Aloia on their way to San Luis Obispo. They got off the airplane in Santa Barbara, looked around the town, then crossed SLO off their list. For three years, Kent and Soma had been looking around the United States for a new community to move to. A community where people can get around without a car. They chose Santa Barbara.
• Born and raised in Colorado, Kent went to college at the University of Colorado Denver. He worked as a land use planner, and most recently, spent six years working as a transit planner and bicycle coordinator for the Regional Transportation District. While there, he worked with bikes on buses, bike parking, and a "bikestation" for the city of Denver.
• Like most kids, Kent found freedom in bicycling. That freedom and mobility carried through when offered a college graduation gift of a vacation in Europe. Kent, however, reasoned that the money would go much further in Asia than in Europe, and that the traditional lifestyles in Asia were disappearing much faster than those in Europe. So he spent two years bicycle touring in Asia.
• "What I learned," Kent noted, "was that you don't need lots of material things to live a good, satisfying life." He also developed a greater appreciation for the United States, our freedoms and our people. While traveling, the bicycle proved to be Kent's ticket to meet people and be invited into their homes, something that just doesn't happen to tourists zipping around in air-conditioned buses.
• Last October, Kent became the Program Administrator of Traffic Solutions, replacing Mindy Norris who has moved to Hawaii. We welcome Kent to our community and look forward to years of cooperative efforts.

Oakland Conference

• In spite of efforts from our team, the Bicycle Coalition lost its bid to bring a new California conference to Santa Barbara. Ralph Fertig, the local coordinator, found out from California Bicycle Coalition director Chris Morfas that Oakland beat us. The evaluation committee, Morfas said, felt that Oakland's ability to raise $30,000, substantially above our $6000 to date, was a crucial factor. Perhaps in 2005 we'll have another chance.

Post your post comments online

• The Bicycle Coalition's Ralph Fertig has put a study of posts in bikepaths in the South Coast of Santa Barbara County online, and needs your thoughts before finalizing it. At our December meeting, he presented a draft document, received comments about it, and has since added 11 posts that others identified. To see the document in PDF format and offer your comments, go to:
• www.sbbike.org/commute/posts/post-study.html
• Thanks to Wilson Hubbell, bicyclist safety is increasing already. Following recommendations in the study, Hubbell had County work crews relocate two posts near a bridge connecting sections of Nueces Drive, moving the posts back from both bridge entrances.
• The report itself consists of an introduction, photos of all bikepath posts, and recommendations for improvements. The recommendations state, "...the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition asks that local jurisdictions adopt the following three phase approach to keeping motorists off our bikepaths:
• 1. Install signs next to paths
  2. Install a separated path
  3. Use carefully-designed and located posts only as a last resort.
• By "carefully-designed and located posts," the report suggests:
• preferably flexible rather than solid
• if solid, removable for emergency and maintenance access
• bright color and reflectorized for visibility
• possibly with solar-powered LED lights
• in height, 36-45 inches tall
• The posts should be positioned:
• at least 5 feet apart
• either one or three across a trail, not two
• set back 10-30 feet from an intersection
• set back 5-10 feet from a bridge
• with diversion striping on the pavement
• with overhead lights nearby.

Our great members

• Eighteen Bicycle Coalition members came through with at least 34 published "letters to the editor" or op/ed pieces about bicycling issues in 2002. Coalition vice president Ralph Fertig keeps track of mentions of bicycling in South Coast newspapers and has noted a healthy increase in 2002 member writing.
• Our top writers are Robert Bernstein and Ralph Fertig, both of whom had seven pieces published. Next was Mike Hecker with four, then David Madajian and Doug Allard with two each. Finally, lots of us had one published. Congratulations to: Judy Keim, Curtis Ridling, Jean Thomson, Erika Lindemann, Jeff Stoutenborough, Dennis Thompson, Cecelia Brown, Vie Obern, Eva Inbar, Jamey Wagner, Gary Wissman, and Susan Carty.

Trail behavior

• "The Santa Barbara Mountain Bike Trail Volunteers have distributed about 300 bells in the last year, and we are still at it. We have volunteers staffing education stations at trailheads on East Camino Cielo. The volunteers distribute bells and talk to riders (and other trail users) about proper trail etiquette."
• — Chuck Anderson, Coalition Board member

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Coalition helps UCSB



Students bicycle through the Y intersection along the Coast Route on UCSB campus. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• The Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition sent a letter of support for funding four bicycle-related projects at the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) campus. The money will hopefully come from the state's Bicycle Transportation Account of $7.2 million. The projects are:
• Repair two sections of the Coast Route, one east of campus heading downhill toward Goleta Beach, the other near the west end.
• Study improvements at the dangerous "Y" intersection near the Student Affairs and Administration Services building.
• Purchase and install new bike racks.
• Fix the dangerous bikepath crossing of a roadway near the Faculty Club.
• With about 14,000 bicyclists riding on UCSB bikepaths each school day, safety is a great concern. We hope that as much as possible will be funded.

Rincon study funded

• On December 10, the Board of Supervisors funded a study of bikepath alternatives at Rincon Beach County Park. The $55,000 study will consider a trail between the Park and the City of Carpinteria. The Bicycle Coalition had written the Supervisors recommending the funding. Three routes are being studied:
• A trail along the south side of Highway 101.
• A trail along the Union Pacific Railroad.
• From the bluff top at the eastern end of Carpinteria Avenue, a switchback trail that descends to the railroad, then heads east to the Park.
• The Bicycle Coalition hopes to work with the study team in designing trails that will be attractive to both bicyclists and others.