January
2004

2003: a year of accomplishment

by Ralph Fertig



LEFT. Our annual Bike to Work Day event attracted 400 bicyclists to Downtown Santa Barbara. A countywide total of 1200 showed up at our 11 sites. CENTER. Here Bud Laurent (left), director of the Community Environmental Council, and the Bicycle Coalition's Ralph Fertig are at our Earth Day booth to announce raffle winners. RIGHT. The Bicycle Coalition brought community transportation expert Dan Burden to advise Old Town Goleta on bicyclist and pedestrian safety measures.

• Looking back, we are proud of a long list of Bicycle Coalition achievements during 2003. Events raised the visibility of bicycling within our county, and our advocacy efforts paid off with many projects being completed or moving ahead. For 2004, we're going to monitor progress of projects, and pursue opportunities to make bicycling for transportation and recreation better than ever. Here are examples of great things we did in 2003:
• Advocated new and extensive bike trails on the north shore of Cachuma Lake.
• Worked with Melinda Burns at the Santa Barbara News-Press to write a major front-page bicycling story.
• Helped Brazilian touring cyclist Fernando da Silva buy a new bike to replace his stolen one.
• Spoke out for all-weather paths in the Ellwood-Devereux open space in Goleta.
• Proposed safer bikeway facilities on El Colegio near UCSB's upcoming San Clemente housing.
• Sponsored a visit by Dan Burden to assess Old Town Goleta.
• Worked with UCSB's student bike committee to get improvements on the University campus.
• Gave a "bike facilities" tour of the South Coast for California planners attending an American Planning Association conference in Santa Barbara.
• Sold 55 helmets to kids and adults at our California Lemon Festival booth.
• Successfully fought to keep bicyclist access to San Antonio Creek Road near Tuckers Grove County Park.
• Successfully convinced Representatives Capps and Gallegly to put bike facility "Transportation Enhancements" back into a House transportation bill.
• Asked that the Atascadero Creek Bikepath be renamed "The Obern Trail" in honor of Bicycle Coalition members George and Vie Obern who were responsible for creating the bikepath.
• Asked for and received CREF funding for new planks on the Obern Trail bridge near Patterson Avenue.
• Hosted meetings on what services to offer in Santa Barbara's upcoming Bikestation.
• Supported the South Coast's "101 Implementation Plan" that will study alternatives as well as widening of Highway 101 between Milpas Street and the Ventura County line.
• Held our annual "Member Appreciation Barbecue" that brought 60 people together.
• Conducted our 7th annual bicyclist count for the City of Santa Barbara. We counted 3145 bicyclists at 25 intersections!
• Worked with COAST to get 1350 kids to bicycle on Bike to School Day.
• Put on another Bike Week full of events throughout Santa Barbara County.
• Asked that Isla Vista street barriers be retained, but the shrubbery trimmed for bicyclist safety.
• Had a booth, bike parking, raffle prizes of gift certificates at bike shops, and free check-ups at Earth Day
• Petitioned the National Park Service to provide a Coastal Trail between Goleta and Gaviota; unhappily, the NPS declined to be involved with saving our coast.
• Asked Joni Gray to put shoulders on Purisima Road north of Lompoc—the project is moving ahead.
• Spoke out for bicycle facilities in Goleta's upcoming General Plan.
• Tried to save an abandoned Santa Maria railroad bed for a trail, but we were rejected by the City Council.
• Worked with the Santa Barbara Airport to get new bike racks installed for 12 bikes.
• Talked to Portland's Community Cycling Center about starting a similar project here.
• Helped persuade the Goleta City Council to proceed with plans for the San Jose Creek bikepath and an Ellwood bike bridge.
• Helped get funding for school zone signs and solar-powered speed signs for use near schools.
• Encouraged Santa Barbara to proceed with plans for a bikepath along Shoreline Drive above Leadbetter Beach.
• Was that a great year, or what? Many of the challenges are continuing into 2004, so we'll be watching them carefully, alerting you when individual action is needed on your part, and taking action as a representative of the thousands of Santa Barbara County people who bicycle when a collective voice is needed. 2004? Bring it on!

New Year's Resolutions
Word from the President, by Wilson Hubbell

• Say hi whenever you pass another rider going up a hill.
• Carry an extra tube that you can donate to somebody with a flat tire and no spare.
• Ride sometime in weather that keeps other cyclists indoors.
• Spend $2 every time you go into a bike shop. Spend $5 if you ask a question and get good advice.
• Ride under a full moon in the summertime.
• Signal your approach to pedestrians, especially if they're old or very young.
• Remember that the sound of a bell is more pleasing than "on your left."
• When you see another rider approaching from the rear and trying to catch you, let it happen.
• Never let your chain squeak.
• Let others descend faster when you are not comfortable doing so.
• Remember that a humble bicycle on the road is more valuable than a titanium wunderbike languishing indoors.
• Know that fun is more important than fast.
• Let others know that cycling is good for the soul, good for the community and good for the world.

News-Press has major bicycling article

• Senior Writer Melinda Burns at the Santa Barbara News-Press has been exploring different approaches to "unlocking the gridlock" of transportation on our South Coast. She worked with several Bicycle Coalition members in preparing a major front-page article that was published on Sunday, December 14.
• Out thanks to Burns and Coalition members who helped: Robert Bernstein, Rob Dayton, Dru van Hengel, Kent Epperson and Ralph Fertig.
• Overall, the long article covered many aspects of bicycling. Among all the quotes used was one from District 1 Supervisor Naomi Schwartz: "Making biking more of a habit in our transportation routines is something we need to continue to foster."

Coalition election

• Our Bicycle Coalition election of officers and members of the board was slowed by a new process this year and by a change in structure of our organization. It was decided early in the year to create an advisory committee of individuals who work for a government body and felt some conflicts in interest when voting; they would not run for elected positions in the Bicycle Coalition. That made the work of our Election Committee more difficult. However, everything has been resolved, and we now have a group of individuals who we feel are very capable of carrying our mission forward.
• Voting will be held during our monthly meeting on February 3rd, 2004. All members in good standing at the time are eligible to vote. You can vote by either mailing in the ballot or a copy of it to SB Bicycle Coalition, PO Box 92047, Santa Barbara, CA 93190, or by coming in person to the meeting where blank ballots will be provided.
• Vote for one person for each of the following offices.
• President:
  Ralph Fertig
  other ____________
• Vice President:
  Chuck Anderson
  other ____________
• Treasurer:
  Gary Wissman
  other ____________
• Secretary:
  Drew Hunter
  other ____________
• Board of Directors. Choose five of the following:
  Dru van Hengel
  Mike Hecker
  Don Lubach
  Jim Marshall
  Nancy Mulholland
  other ____________

December Coalition meeting topics

• Our December 2nd Bicycle Coalition meeting had good discussions and actions, including these:
• June Pujo described the City's Transportation and Circulation Committee's function, and invited us to attend and participate.
• A Bike Week kick-off event was described.
• Matt Dobberteen, the County's newest alternative transportation person, described his responsibilities.
• Ralph Fertig described the importance of upcoming Lake Cachuma meetings.
• CREF grant applications of interest to bicyclists are for new bridge planks on the Obern Trail and for work on the San Jose Creek bikepath.
• A Coalition letter to the City of Goleta about plans for paths in the Ellwood-Devereux Open Space was proposed, modified, and approved.
• A Coalition letter about El Colegio/San Clemente UCSB projects was modified and approved.
• An upcoming article about bike commuting in the News-Press was described.

High school mountain bike clubs forming



This is part of a poster that promotes Northern California high school mountain bike competition for 2004.

• Bicycle Coalition board member and race promoter Mike Hecker is jumping into a new aspect of bicycling—promoting high school mountain biking groups within Santa Barbara County.
• Hecker was aware of high school racing in Northern California. Matthew Fritzinger, a cyclist and teacher at Berkeley High School started the NorCal High School Mountain Bike Racing League six years ago with four kids at his school. It now consists of more than 200 teenagers at 12 schools. Their mountain bike riding and racing program is open to public and private high school riders in Northern California.
• Nothing like that program exists in Central or Southern California. If the interest exists in Northern California, it's probably here as well. So when Jacob Siegel-Boettner, a student at San Marcos High School asked Hecker for guidance in starting a bike club, things started to happen. A program manual and advice from Fritzinger were obtained, and possibilities were considered. Hecker found out that Jim Aaron, a board member of the San Luis Obispo Bicycle Coalition, is organizing a similar program for SLO County kids there.
• What's needed to get the fledgling program launched in Santa Barbara County are teachers, parents and students who can help organize, sponsor, train, and otherwise support the kids. Hecker envisions a modest 2004 program starting this month, with regional high school competition championships at his Firestone Cross-Country Races on April 24-25.
• Want to help or learn more? Contact Hecker by phone at 966-1807 or by email at hecktone@cox.net. To see what's going on in Northern California, check out www.norcalhighracing.org.

Coalition urges new bike trails at Cachuma

Alternative 2.

Alternative 3.

• In 2002 when the idea of expanding recreational opportunities on land around Lake Cachuma was announced by the US Bureau of Reclamation, Bicycle Coalition members responded by speaking at meetings, sending letters to newspapers, and organizing a 216-name petition. We asked for a bike trail around the lake and more paved paths near camping.
• Since then, the Bureau worked with consultants URS Corporation to develop three preliminary alternative scenarios that they presented to the public at two "mid-course check-in" December meetings in Solvang and Goleta.
• They broke the land and lake into 23 "planning units" and for each unit and each of the alternatives, different functions were proposed. The entire plan is complex, but for bicyclists, it became simple once you figured it out. One thing was clear—there would be no access to land anywhere near Bradbury Dam or the water intake tunnel to the South Coast. So our beautiful vision of a bike trail around the lake was lost. Here is what the three alternatives mean to bicyclists:
• Alternative 1, no change. We can continue to bike around the current County campground and adjacent short trails.
• Alternative 2, an increase in access. It would allow limited use for people on foot, bicycles or horses by permit only to several disconnected areas on the north shore where cattle graze. Access might be only by boat, and an escort might be required.
• Alternative 3, more recreational use. A larger area would be accessible for equestrians, hikers, and bikers. If you could get across the Santa Ynez River, you could bike cross country on most of the north shore for miles. Cattle grazing would end, and camping would be permitted.
• A letter from the Bicycle Coalition was sent on December 23 to the Bureau of Reclamation, urging their acceptance of Alternative 3. It said in part:
• "We endorse Alternative 3 because it opens a sizable, contiguous section of the north shore of Cachuma Lake for non-motorized access by equestrians, hikers and bicyclists.
• The north shore trails in Alternative 3 comprise an extensive area and we expect that the more remote sections will—like remote areas of our national forests, parks and BLM lands—only attract the more dedicated individuals seeking healthy exercise and low-impact access to natural resources. Because the trails will be up-and-down cross-country, they will not attract the downhill bikers who sometimes conflict with other users on the trails above Santa Barbara.
• Crossing the Santa Ynez River to reach the Alternative 3 trails is a consideration. Perhaps a concrete crossing with a culvert underneath will provide access for most of the year. It could be fenced and closed during periods of rain when the river level is high and any trail use is undesirable. The crossing could be a project that is built later as funding becomes available.
• Development of non-motorized trails as proposed in Alternative 3 will serve to protect and maintain lake water quality, promote quiet, healthy activities, and offer educational opportunities for trail users."
• This is not the end. In mid 2004, a draft Environmental Impact Study (EIS) will be presented for public comment. That EIS will compare feasibility and costs of alternatives, and their effect on the existing natural resources. Funding of projects will likely be up to Santa Barbara County, the current partner for lake recreation. We'll be monitoring the process.

Bikeway programs awarded CREF money

• Three bicycle-related projects were awarded funding from Santa Barbara County's Coastal Resource Enhancement Fund (CREF) in December. The County established CREF in 1987 to mitigate impacts of offshore oil and gas development to the coastal environment, tourism, and recreation. This year, the Board of Supervisors voted to fund 16 projects for a total of $840,925. The three of interest to bicyclist are:
• Atascadero Creek Bikepath bridge decking, $5000. This is to replace the worn wood planks with recycled plastic ones on the bridge just east of Patterson Road. The additional $10,000 needed for the project has been secured separately, says the County's Wilson Hubbell.
• San Jose Creek bikeway, $45,000. This is for the portion of the project within the City of Goleta south of Hollister Avenue. Goleta's Steve Wagner says that the money will be applied to planning and a required environmental impact study. The entire bikeway will eventually run south from Cathedral Oaks and connect to the Obern Trail near Goleta Beach.
• Ellwood Mesa acquisition, $368,000. This land will eventually have enhanced trails for access by people on foot, bicycle and horseback. It's part of the 645-acre Ellwood-Devereux Open Space.

House version of transportation bill

• Reauthorization of the massive transportation act "TEA-21" of 1997 is the most important federal legislature for bicyclists. It provides millions of dollars for projects that benefit us and our community.
• Congress was unable to reach an agreement before TEA-21 expired, so they voted for an extension that runs out in February 2004. The Senate is working on a version of the bill (described in December Quick Release), and the House came up their own version in late November. So far, both are looking positive for bicycling. The House bill has these good features:
• It retains the "Transportation Enhancements" program that is the best source of project funding for bicyclists.
• If the bill is funded at the $375 billion requested, the Enhancements program will grow over the life of the bill. Funding would increase from $628 million in 2004 to $845 million in 2009.
• Other key programs are kept: Congestion Mitigation and Scenic Byways.
• A new Safe Routes to School program would be funded at $250 million a year.
• It rejected inclusion of anti-railbanking language that the Administration wanted. If included, it would have made future rails-to-trails conversions unlikely.
• Recreational Trails would be retained, but at $70 million instead of the $300 million of TEA-21.
• On the negative side, the House version has these features:
• It does not include "routine accommodation" language that the Federal Highway Administration recommended in 2000, directing states to accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians in highway projects.
• It does not include funding to continue the Bicycle and Pedestrian Information Clearinghouse.
• It does not offer bicyclists a commuter tax benefit.
• So where does this leave us? With a general positive but guarded feeling. The source of money to pay for it all is unresolved. As the Senate and House work out their differences, our action to preserve bicycling components may be required with short notice. We'll be watching.

Siple art

• We've been publishing Andy Singer cartoons for nearly two years, but have run out. So Quick Release editor Ralph Fertig contacted Greg Siple, the art director at Adventure Cycling, who has been creating whimsical cyclist doodles for years. He sent us two sheets of them for free use. And if we join the Adventure Cycling club affiliation program, we will get a continuing supply. Let us hear what you think of them.

Coalition Board views Bike Week 2004

• At their November 22 meeting, the Bicycle Coalition Board of Directors considered events for the upcoming Bike Week. It will take place in 2004 from May 15-23. In addition to the Children's Festival, Bike to Work and Bike to School Days, the Board enthusiastically supported two new events:
• Bike Week Kick-Off. This would be on Friday, May 14. Ralph Fertig showed a video of actor, touring cyclist, and Adventure Cycling columnist Willie Weir. Weir has biked around the world and put together five shows with music, slides and high-energy stories of what happened to him and his bike. Board members approved of bringing Weir as a major feature of an evening with dinner and awards and maybe other things. You can learn about Weir at his site: www.willieweir.com.
• Bicycle Coalition Century ride. This would be on Saturday, May 15. Mike Hecker came up with the idea of a bike ride that would benefit the Coalition. We would need members to help plan and stage the event. The Bike Week Kick-Off event the night before could be part of a weekend package. What we need first of all is a name for it. The SB Bicycle Club wants to keep "Santa Barbara Century" for themselves. Ours could be "Tour de Santa Barbara" or "South Coast Century." But can't you think of something more exciting? Send us your best suggestions.

---

Bicycles on MTD buses

• Around the South Coast, we see many bikes mounted on MTD buses, but how many are there? Rachel Grossman at the MTD says that last June, 5776 bike passengers were accommodated. That's just over 1% of all passengers on the buses.

---

Bikelane restriping makes biking safer



The new striping clearly shows motorists that they are crossing a bikelane when they turn right onto onto Alameda Padre Serra.

• One of the worst intersections for Santa Barbara bicyclists has been vastly improved. Before, we kept to the right in a Los Olivos Street bikelane as motorists turned right onto Alameda Padre Sierra. Now, thanks to efforts by Tully Clifford, Jonathan Maguire, and Dan Secord, the intersection has been restriped so right-turning motorists are aware they're crossing a bikelane.

Active members

• Please thank and support the following Bicycle Coalition business members:
• King Cycle Group, Shasta Lake
• Lightning Cycle Dynamics, Lompoc
• MarBorg Industries, Santa Barbara
• Nett & Champion Insurance, Santa Barbara
• Rincon Cycles, Carpinteria
• Tri Paradise Sports, Santa Barbara
• We welcome new member Matt Richards, and thank those who renewed their memberships: Dan Henry, Dave Beamer, Richard Lambert, Steve Mack, Amy Nett, Dottie McLaren, Arnie Schildhaus, Woody Wilde, Diane Krohn and Wayne Beckman.

Santa Barbara City safe routes to school project is funded

• Congratulations to the City of Santa Barbara. They just received $450,000 from the California Safe Routes to School program. The money will mostly help kids walking to the High School and Junior High, but because it will involve traffic calming measures, it will be safer for kids biking to school as well.

Coalition proposes bikepath rest stop



The two bikepaths join next to the bridge over the Maria Ygnacio Creek. A fine location for a rest area could be under the large sycamore tree just east of the bridge.

• We managed to honor early bikeway advocates Vie and George Obern by renaming the Atascadero Creek Bikeway as the "Obern Trail." But nobody will know what it means unless they're told. So the Bicycle Coalition's Ralph Fertig came up with the idea of having a rest area at the junction of the Obern Trail and Maria Ygnacio bikepath, just east of Patterson Avenue.
• Fertig envisions a stop overlooking the Maria Ygnacio Creek, with a bench, bike rack, map and sheltered sign telling about the Anza trek and the Obern story. People can enjoy views of the creek, mountains, fields, and both paths.
• That location is on the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail that commemorates the route followed by Anza in 1775-76 when he led soldiers and their families from Culiacan, Mexico to settle in what is now San Francisco. It's the place where the Anza group camped for the night on their way north.
• Funding for the area might come from next year's CREF budget. And, because the Anza Trail has been designated as one of 16 national Millennium Trails in the US, other funds may be available.