June
2003

Coalition's Bike Week celebrates bicycling



A lawn gently sloping toward the Lagoon and Pacific Ocean serves as a late-afternoon site for UCSB's Bike to Work Day celebration. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Raul Infante rushed to claim the bicycle he had just won. "I've never won anything in my life," he shouted, grinning at his new good fortune. Infante had just won a Raleigh bike donated by VeloPro Cyclery, the top prize at UCSB's Bike to Work Day event that attracted nearly 200 University staff and faculty.
• In Goleta the day before, 222 kids biked to Kellogg Elementary School for the first Bike to School Day ever held there. Because the turnout was generated solely by a flyer sent home four days before, they were astounded that nearly five times the number of students who normally bike showed up on bicycles that overflowed all the available racks and fences. A significant neighborhood benefit, observed Kellogg PTA co-president Stefanie Muench: "there was no traffic, with only a few cars dropping off students in the parking lot."
• As this issue of Quick Release goes to press, the number of participants at Bike Week events are still coming in. However, with three more Bike to Work Day locations this year (Java Station, Daily Grind, and Thanks A Latte Cafe) and eight new Bike to School Day locations (La Colina Junior, Santa Barbara Middle, Santa Barbara High, Hope, La Cumbre Middle, Hollister, Ellwood, and Kellogg), the overall numbers will certainly show that we're reaching new adults and kids about the benefits of bicycling.
• Our thanks go to many individuals, but especially to Erika Lindemann, Gary Wissman, Jamey Wagner, and Dru van Hengel for their hard work. Without their dedicated efforts, the 100 volunteers who helped with all the events, and our generous sponsors, Bike Week wouldn't have been the stellar, high-profile event that we all saw and enjoyed.

Santa Barbara wins national bicycling recognition

• The day before our Bike Week began, the League of American Bicyclists, a national bicycling advocacy group, designated 14 American cities as "Bicycle-Friendly" and Santa Barbara is one of them. The League had established four categories, plus "honorable mention" and we're among the top eight for the entire United States.
• Credit goes to Dru van Hengel, mobility coordinator for the City and Bicycle Coalition Board member, for all the work she did filling out the detailed application forms. And it certainly reflects favorably on all the work that the Bicycle Coalition has done to make Santa Barbara a better place to bicycle.
• The League considered many factors before granting Bicycle-Friendly Community status. Reviewers examined the traffic engineering facilities, bicycling promotion efforts, enforcement of traffic laws on motorists and cyclists, traffic safety education, and bicycle facility planning processes.
• The top category winners are Corvallis and Palo Alto. Santa Barbara shares the next category with Denver, Fort Collins, Missoula, Stanford University, and Tempe.
• In a League statement, executive director Elissa Margolin said, "The League is very pleased to honor these remarkable American communities, where people benefit every day from reduced traffic, better air quality, and improved public health. These benefits translate to increased quality of life, higher property values, and heightened community spirit."
• Other cities are invited to submit applications for League designation. So how about it, all you other cities in our County? Details for applying are at www.bicyclefriendlycommunity.org.

Encouraging others
Word from the President by Wilson Hubbell

• Coalition members frequently hear comments like "I don't know how you can ride a bike 25 miles — I could never do that". Although it is a big-time ego boost to have others think of us as superhuman, we know most people can ride 25 miles and much more with proper equipment, minimal preparation and instruction.
• Rather than just absorbing adulation from our non-cycling friends and relations, we need to spread the word that cycling is something nearly everyone can enjoy—and you don't need to be Lance Armstrong to do it. We should encourage others and tell them that nerves of steel and years of training are not necessary to commute, or even tour, by bicycle.
• For the sake of bicycling as a sport and transportation mode, the general populace must come to know that they too have what it takes to join us. We are, after all, mere mortals who happened to discover one of the greatest means of recreation and mobility in history. Share that knowledge with others and encourage them to participate with us!

Bike Week flags

• They flew over State Street in Santa Barbara during Bike Week. Now you can buy one because the manufacturer made an overrun. Our 4'x6' Bike Week Flag has a white bicyclist logo on a terra cotta color background. It's heavy nylon with two grommets at the top for hanging. It's a deal at $30 plus tax and postage. Want one? Write a check 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. Tell us where to ship it and please include a phone number.

“Where's the bikelane?”

• On Tuesday, May 20, the City of Santa Barbara's Planning Commissioners set a precedent: they bicycled to view a site that was coming up for discussion at their next meeting. Commissioners Grant House and Jonathan Maguire, avid proponents of appropriate transportation, proposed biking because it was Bike Week, the site was nearby, and it was a mode of responsible travel that the Commission is always espousing. Dru van Hengel, mobility coordinator for the City, provided the City's new Breezer town bikes for the Commissioners to use.
• The trip went well, however on the return trip on Gutierrez Street, the Commission Chair Bill Mahan shouted out, "where's the bikelane?" Nothing like a direct experience to heighten awareness. The trip was considered such a success that bicycling may be a standard means of visiting future nearby sites.

Students bike to school



Students arriving at Kellogg School on Bike to School Day. Photo by Stefanie Muench.

• A leap in participation from six to 13 schools in the Bike to School Day event on May 20th has resulted in a similar leap in children bicycling, estimated at 1300 students! Kellogg Elementary School topped everybody with its 222 students. A wonderful job of organizing the individual school coordinators was done by Jessica Scheeter and Dru van Hengel.
• In addition, a few hundred students were given bicycle safety instructions by registered League of American Bicyclists Licensed Instructors (LCIs) Ryan Kahn, Eva Inbar, Bob Zimels and Ken Yamamoto. And finally, at the La Cumbre Health and Fitness Fair, Joshua Patlak helped fit bicycle helmets on kids.
• The challenge is to keep the students interested in continuing to bicycle. In early June, there will be a celebration of the Bike to School Day success for all involved, and consideration of how to improve participation — both in schools and students — in 2004. We also want to determine ways of continuing the momentum into everyday bicycling.

IV barriers to stay



This is the overgrown barrier at the west end of Pardall Road at Camino Pescadero. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• At our May 6th Bicycle Coalition meeting, County planner Jamie Goldstein described the possible removal of two motorist barriers in Isla Vista.
• The existing barriers, installed in 1971 as traffic control measures at Camino Pescadero/Pardall and Camino Pescadero/Del Playa intersections, block motorists from east-west travel while allowing bicyclists and pedestrians to pass freely. After discussion, we voted to send a letter opposing their removal to the County's Traffic Engineering Committee (TEC) that would make recommendations at their next meeting. On May 14th, the TEC met and unanimously voted to retain the two Isla Vista barriers. Representing bicyclists on the TEC is our treasurer, Gary Wissman, who spoke for retaining them. Coalition officers Wilson Hubbell and Ralph Fertig likewise recommended keeping them, but pruning the shrubbery.
• The topic was discussed by TEC at the request of the Isla Vista Planning Area Committee (IV PAC) that was considering removing the barriers along with other changes in Isla Vista. At the TEC meeting, it was reported that our letter and nine others had been received by the County, and they all favored keeping the barriers.
• UCSB physics professor Harry Nelson expressed the situation well, "My own view is that the current draft of the IV Master Plan is rather thin on amenities for bicyclists; the real problems with the current bike barriers is not their existence, but their poor maintenance and antiquated 1970s design. Trees and shrubs have been allowed to grow to the point where oncoming cars cannot see the bicyclists, and the bike passageways have paving full of potholes and tree roots."
• It was finally decided that the barriers should be kept, and the County Public Works Department will work with the IV PAC to improve the barrier at Pardall. So, thanks to the Bicycle Coalition's action and others' agreement, bicycling in Isla Vista wins again.

Coalition attracts bicyclists to Earth Day



Earth Day bicyclists scan for space at our bike parking and bike check-up area on Anapamu Street. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• The Bicycle Coalition has been participating in Santa Barbara's Earth Day festivals since 1992, and loving the people who attend. This year, we made a good decision to separate our standard information booth from our bike parking and bike check-up area. The reason was that most people only went to the central booth area, and missed us when we were on the periphery.
• Our booth was in an "alternative transportation" area that we shared with Traffic Solutions, The Coalition for Sustainable Transportation (COAST), the Air Pollution Control District, and Santa Barbara Car Free.
• Overall, we gave away 101 Bicycle Coalition brochures, 77 copies of Quick Release, 112 bumper stickers, plus uncounted maps, reflective stars, and Bike Week flyers. We passed out 2.3 times as many items at our booth due to greater traffic.
• New this year was a raffle of six $30 gift certificates for accessories at six Downtown Santa Barbara bike shops. We had 136 bicyclists submit entries, and the winners were all delighted.
• Our bike parking area was frequently maxed out with 50+ bikes parked there. Lots of bikes were additionally locked to every tree and pole all around the Courthouse. For future years, maybe we could park more than 50 if we had different racks.
• Our success in getting our message for better and safer bicycling was due to the help of many people. We especially thank Geoff Grow who did bike checkups, and coordinators Pierre Delong and Ralph Fertig. Helping staff both our areas were Wilson Hubbell, Doris Phinney, Owen Patmor, Bob Swinney, Bob Cooper, Jonathan Maguire, Gary Wissman, Ann Lawler, and Bob Burgess.

Andy Singer

27% Americans bike

• A survey by the US Department of Transportation tells us that 27% American adults bicycled in a given summer month last year. The average trip was 3.9 miles, typically for exercise.

May meeting topics

• Our May 6th meeting ran two hours and included 20 topics, some of which were these:

• Ralph Fertig reported that our split Earth Day presence was a successful strategy in reaching more people.
• Mike Hecker reported that participation in his Firestone Cross-Country races increased to 440 racers this year.
• A Nominating Committee of 5 members was established to nominate officers and board members for our upcoming election.
• An Advisory Committee consisting of professional government staff was established, although no members were included.
• A report by Jamie Goldstein on the possible removal of car barriers in Isla Vista was followed by a vote to oppose their removal.
• A date of Sunday, August 10 was set for our Member Appreciation BBQ at Goleta Beach.
• Jamey Wagner reported that UCSB will buy bike lockers and start an "in-car metering" system for 1600 non-car commuters to use if they need parking.
• Ralph Fertig passed out a draft version of his bicycling section of the forthcoming Transportation Platform of the South Coast Livable Communities Project.
• At an upcoming meeting, Caltrans will release their Study on the Ortega Hill bikepath from Montecito to Summerland.
• The Bicycle Coalition voted to support UCSB's application for funding a car-sharing program.

High school survey indicates student needs

• During our Bike to School Day, Coalition VP Ralph Fertig asked bicycle students at Santa Barbara High School what would encourage their schoolmates to bike to school. The adjacent graph shows the results. Some things like bike racks are school improvements. And others—like more bikelanes on streets, or signal detectors that work for bicyclists—are the responsibility of the City.
• Not many high school students bicycle to school, but those who did commented that they bike every day. None of them seemed to even consider alternative means. Fertig also had them indicate on a map where their homes were. The result was an average bicycle commute distance of 2.9 miles, less than the average Santa Barbara bike commute to work of 4.7 miles.
• What can we do? How about that mountain biking club? Or a bike maintenance workshop?

Speak softly and ride a 5 wheeled trike
by Jamey Wagner



David Lawson on his WizWheelz trike, pauses at Goleta Beach on his way to work at UCSB. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• When I first began working at UCSB I was regularly passed on the bikepath by a person riding a red recumbent tricycle with a full-fairing, that was obviously home made. I imagined that the fairing boosted the speed of the trike to well above 20 mph. I began talking with the "trike guy" David Lawson when he would slow down enough to let me have a conversation. David works as the Senior Artist in the Anthropology Graphic Lab (AGL). He provides technical support for hardware, software and graphics for faculty, staff and students and especially enjoys working with maps.
• Adorning one small bulletin boards are pictures of David with his trikes. Many can be seen on David's website www.impulse.net/~dms/trike.html.
• David keeps the faired trike inside the inner sanctum of the AGL. When I first saw the trike up-close it had a large windshield and yards of thick plastic sheeting supported by aluminum ribs. David reports that he began recumbent "triking" when his chiropractor told him that the hunched over position of bike riding was aggravating his neck and that he should give up cycling. When David started trying out recumbent bikes (which are reportedly easier on the neck) he found he truly liked trikes. David is now a poster child for WizWheelz trikes and has done over 12,000 trike miles in 6 years. He is so zealous about trikes that he has converted four others at UCSB to the "Wiz Wheeled" way of getting around and plans to soon get a tandem trike.
• When WizWheelz sent one of their new trikes out to David before a trade show, I got to try it for the ride home. I died going up the Modoc hill. Psychologically having my feet higher than my seat, when hill climbing, threw me for a loop.
• I asked David about his ability to go so fast (up to 30 mph on the flats) on a machine I could barely move. He reported that 1) he picks his battles and 2) he is like a greyhound when he sees other riders in the distance and does his darndest to catch them.
• A couple of years back David pealed off the plastic fairing and added a trailer to his trike. Basically converting his sports car into a minivan. The trike's trailer is fitted with a boom box, spare tubes, a change of clothes and enough blinking lights to land a plane by.
• When asked about the Bicycle Coalition, David praised the forward thinking folks who have done so much to create bike-friendly infrastructure improvements throughout the county. Counter to an autogeddon civilization that prioritizes cars as the dominant life form, bicycle infrastructure serves as an "invaluable support to sanity" that David and his biking family all cherish.

Bike ride assistance

• The Better World Club has a new assistance program when you break down on a bike ride. For $40 a year, you and your bike get carried up to 30 miles. They also have car insurance, roadside help, travel planning, and a newsletter Kicking Asphalt. Go to www.betterworldclub.com.
• Tom Magliozzi, co-host of Car Talk says, "We're signing up immediately. We had no idea that part of our AAA dues were being spent on lobbyists who oppose just about everything having to do with public transportation."

Firestone XC race attracts more bikers
by Erika Lindemann



Pro racers, here starting off at a fast pace, were among 440 bikers. Photo by Scott Wilkinson.

• Sunday, April 27 was a wonderful day up in Santa Ynez. Mike Hecker and his dedicated group of core volunteers (including his dedicated family, Drew Hunter, Ed Brown, Kim Lyons, Sam Masson, Chuck Anderson, Chris Orr and many more) deserve a big congratulations for the most successful Firestone Walker Cross Country race yet. You can't find many races where you are treated to a delicious barbecue, salad, bread and your choice of a soda or Firestone Walker beer. Participants were also given a free T-shirt and a raffle ticket to the most incredible raffle I have yet witnessed. The race course was also a lot of fun, especially considering that Hecker and his volunteers have built that course over the past four years to now be a full 12 miles of great cross country riding.
• At the start/finish staging area, Hecker hung two of our red Bicycle Coalition flags, which were very prominent and looked beautiful blowing in the wind. We had a table with free bike maps and Trail Daze/Bike Week information that generated some interest for those upcoming events.
• Also, there were three helmets and an LED blinkie left at the end of the raffle which were donated by Hecker and Ride SB for our Bike to Work Day drawing. Drew Hunter also donated a $75 gift certificate he had from Hazards, for this purpose. They deserve our gratitude and appreciation for their commitment to our Bike Week efforts. Hecker and Hunter were also instrumental in securing our two new Bike to Work Day sites at Java Station and The Daily Grind. To top it all off, the race also made a cash donation to the Santa Barbara Bicycle Club and the Santa Barbara Mountain Trail Volunteers.
• So whether you chose to go to Earth Day or to the Firestone Walker Cross Country race, our message of promoting bicycles for everyday transportation and safe, courteous recreational use was definitely out there.

Ortega Hill bikepath moves closer to reality



This is the formal bikepath entry in Summerland. Rendering from Caltrans.

• Caltrans has published an Initial Study of the proposed Ortega Hill bikepath that connects Summerland with Montecito, plus an "auxiliary lane" added to Highway 101 along the same stretch.
• As a result of the Study, Caltrans proposes its "intent to adopt a mitigated negative declaration," meaning that there are no harmful consequences of the project that will not be compensated for in one way or another.
• The path itself will be 12 feet wide and raised a few feet above the 101 roadway. A 5-foot chain-link fence will separate the path from the roadway. If included, there could be 35 pole-mounted, high-pressure sodium lights rising 15 feet above the path, mounted on the uphill side.
• Caltrans' Rob Miller said that the $3.1 million funding had been set aside over a decade ago by Caltrans and SBCAG. A public comment period will end May 30, and baring any unforeseen complications, the project could start construction in early 2004. Any time now, however, the State may delay the funds to meet its own budget problems. We'll know in the next few months.

Active members

• Please thank and support the following businesses that are Bicycle Coalition members:
• King Cycle Group, Shasta Lake
• MarBorg Industries, Santa Barbara
• Santa Barbara Infrared, Santa Barbara
• Nett & Champion Insurance, Santa Barbara
• Tri Paradise Sports, Santa Barbara
• Rincon Cycles, Carpinteria
• Lightning Cycle Dynamics, Lompoc
• We're pleased to welcome new Bicycle Coalition members Jamey Wagner, Michael Kwan, Gary & Michelle Rosenfeld, and Lynn Pearl.
• Plus we're very grateful to the following who renewed their memberships: Patricia & Dennis Forster, Bob Burgess, Cheryl Everett, David Lawson, Vie & George Obern, Richard Fortune, Mary Byrd & John Fisher, Tom Towle, Connie Styrwoll, and Kathy Blake.

Hermosillo calming



Motorists now slow down and stay in their new lanes on Hermosillo Road. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Neighbors on Hermosillo Road in Montecito were fed up with speeding motorists, so they did something about it. They worked with Salud Carbajal, Supervisor Naomi Schwartz's assistant, and the County's Public Works staff to slow traffic past their homes by installing two landscaped islands and striped bikelanes. Bike traffic doesn't warrant bikelanes on Hermosillo, but the lanes seem to truly slow motorists, and increase safety for us all.