May
2004

Bike Week expands its boundaries

• A week just isn't enough to hold all the great bicycling activities that are taking place this May. Officially, Bike Week runs from May 15-May 23, however there are exciting bicycling events starting with Earth Day in April and running to June. See our list of Bike Week activities below, and check with our web site for updates.
• Traffic Solutions is taking the lead on bike commute activities, including Bike to Work Day on May 19. Lots of changes are being made. The lunchtime Goleta event has been replaced by several morning stations located around the Goleta Valley. The previously free Bike Week T-shirts are now Bike to Work shirts that can be purchased at the Bike to Work morning events.
• In order to reach more commuters, Traffic Solutions is sponsoring a 2004 Bike to Work Corporate Commuter Challenge to encourage employees to bike to work as a fun, healthy, and environmentally-benign activity. It will recognize bicycle friendly employers in Santa Barbara County and encourage employers to provide biking employees with facilities and resources. Contact Erika Lindemann for details at 961-8919.
• The Bicycle Coalition is sponsoring its Bike Week flags in Downtown Santa Barbara for two weeks starting May 11. We're also creating a new Bike Week Celebration event (see below).
• Bike to School Day, May 18, is being organized on a school-by-school basis and coordinated by Jessica Scheeter. It is hoped that this year more than 13 schools and more than 1350 kids—the 2003 numbers—will participate.

• Don't miss the bicycling event of the year, the Bike Week Celebration. It's Friday, May 14th, 7:00 PM, at the Chase Palm Park Center, 236 East Cabrillo Boulevard, Santa Barbara. You'll enjoy a great dinner, award ceremony, and a "Magic Carpet" series of stories by actor, cycling tourist, and world-class entertainer Willie Weir. Learn about Willie at his site www.willieweir.com. And watch for an invitation in the mail to the Celebration, or find out all about it here. Don't miss this stellar event.

Bike to Work Day 2004, May 19, 7:00-9:00 AM

Obern Trail dedicated



At the ribbon cutting, the County's Susan Rose (left) and Wilson Hubbell laud accomplishments of Vie and George Obern (right). Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• About 30 people came to the dedication of the "Obern Trail" on April 1st. The 7-mile trail is now designated with 19 signs that honor Vie and George Obern for their ongoing trail efforts over several decades. The Santa Barbara News-Press had a good article that including a photo of the Bicycle Coalition's Chuck Anderson and Mountain Bike Trail Volunteer Chris Orr on their bikes at the ceremony.
• Supervisor Susan Rose said, "These are two of the most remarkable people I've met. When they decide to do something, it happens. I'm so proud to have them in my district." The Oberns were also honored with proclamations from California Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson and US Representative Lois Capps, for their years of trail and pathway work.

A letter to my neighbors

Word from the Board, by Don Lubach

• We may or may not have met. I've been on the UCSB campus since 1982 and currently work at Counseling and Career Services. I am writing because our lives are similar in two ways. We work at UCSB and we share the same zip code—93111.
• Bike-to-Work Day is nearly upon us and I thought I'd do more than just attending and eating food this year. I decided to invite all of my neighbors to take part in the events including a morning gathering on the bike trail on May 17th, and the morning UCSB Bike-to-Work Day event on May 19th in front of Cheadle Hall.
• I am especially interested in inviting those who are not already commuting by bike. It's a pleasurable ride that has so many benefits I can't help but share the joy of the commute.
• I'd be happy to help you get your bike into the Associated Students' Bike Shop to be fixed up and running like new before the events next month. If you don't own a bike, I can loan you one.
• Biking to work is not just for the spandex-clad racer. I putter along wearing a necktie, sipping on a cup of coffee, and listening to NPR with an earphone. Bike commuters I know come in all shapes and sizes and quickly find a way to work out the details of where to store their bike, how to carry a lunch, and so forth.
• I admit that my primary motivation for biking to work is financial: I never pay for a parking pass, and I save a ton of money that I'd be spending on gas and wear-and-tear on the family sedan. I park my unspent parking money in my retirement plan that has expanded into the thousands. Spikes in gas prices have no affect on my driving life because I rarely drive.
• My dream is that a bunch of you, my neighbors, will contact and join me along the trail. For those of you already riding, we'll finally get to meet as I'm sure you've been zooming past the slow coffee-guy every day. For those who have never made the short ride on the magic trail along the seashore, I can't wait to share it with you.

Coalition peddles bicycling at Earth Day



Earth Day mechanics Bill Davidson, foreground, and Geoff Grow, in back, work on bicycles. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Earth Day came to Santa Barbara on April 18, and the Bicycle Coalition once again participated in it because we feel that treading lightly on our green planet is vitally important for sustainable life.
• The weather was perfect and the gusty wind that had been forecast never materialized. We were thankful for the calm because it was the first use of our two new canopies that sheltered the bike mechanics, and visions of the canopies being uplifted to the County Courthouse clock tower were unrealized.
• Like last year, we were in two areas: our bike parking and adjacent free bike checkup area on Anapamu Street; and our regular information booth in an alternative transportation section of the Courthouse lawn.
• Our appreciation to Geoff Grow and Pierre Delong for organizing the bike mechanics Tarkas Campbell, Chris Kelley, and Bill Davidson who serviced 75 bicycles. Special thanks to our hero Grow who not only declined payment for wrenching, but also donated an additional $200 to us.
• Our bike parking area was full most of the day, with overflow bikes locked to all trees, railings and posts within a block.
• A big project this year was promoting the Santa Ynez River Trail between Buellton and Lake Cachuma campground. We got 126 people to sign our petition asking the Supervisors and City Councils for Solvang and Buellton to support the project.
• We raffled off $200 worth of bike shop gift certificates to those who biked to Earth day. Six winners out of the 72 entries included two Bicycle Coalition members—Owen Patmor and Richard Lambert.
• Our appreciation goes to all others who helped us make Earth Day another success: Bob Cooper, Don Lubach, Gary Wissman, Bob Burgess, Jim Marshall, Jonathan Madajian, Bob Swinney, Ralph Fertig, and Wilson Hubbell.
• This year bicycling was a more apparent part of Earth Day. In addition to people bicycling to the event, Santa Barbara Car Free raffled off a folding Dahon bicycle from among those who came by foot, bike or bus. And Earth Day sponsor Community Environmental Council had its own raffle of an electric Merida bike, an Incline bike, and a cruiser bike. You gotta love it!

Bike Week 2004 Events

• Bike Week, May 14-23, is brought to you by us all. It's a week of activities by and for us smart people who bicycle. Our Bike Week flags will be flying on State Street in Downtown Santa Barbara. Bike to Work T-shirts will be available for purchase this year from Traffic Solutions. Here's a list of major Bike Week events for your bicycling pleasure:
• May 14, Bike Week Celebration, sponsored by the Bicycle Coalition. World cycling tourist Willie Weir will be featured at this dinner event. Go here for details.
• May 15, Children's Festival, sponsored by the Family Service Agency. This fun day of activities will take place in Alameda Park in Downtown Santa Barbara, from 10:00-4:00. The Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition will be there to promote safe bicycling by kids to schools and elsewhere.
• May 16, Sedgewick Ranch Mountain Bike Ride, sponsored by Goleta Valley Cycling Club. This rare opportunity to mountain bike at the beautiful Sedgewick Ranch near Los Olivos is a benefit ride for Planned Parenthood. Space is limited, a reservation is required, the cost is $50. For info and a reservation, phone Laura, 687-2588 or email her NewmanLaura@PRAIntl.com.
• May 16, Two Classic Bike Films, sponsored by HopeDance. Return of the Scorcher and Critical Mass, classic bicycle films by Ted White, will be shown in one evening. Friendship Manor, 6647 El Colegio in Isla Vista, at 8:00 PM. Tickets must be bought beforehand at Isla Vista Food Coop, 6575 Seville Road. Further details from Art at 968-1965.
• May 18, Bike to School Day, sponsored by COAST and others. Events are being arranged at individual South Coast schools. Bike rodeos and bicycle safety instruction will be offered at participating schools prior to Bike Week. Contact coordinator Jessica Sheeter at 962-7960.
• May 19, Bike to Work Day, sponsored by Traffic Solutions and others. There will be thirteen morning events at locations throughout Santa Barbara County. Additional business sites are being sought.
• May 21, The Triplets of Belleville, sponsored by UCSB Arts & Lectures. This is the first bicycling movie nominated for an Oscar since Breaking Away. It's a French animation film about a woman who trains her grandson for the Tour de France, only to have him kidnapped. 7:30 and 9:30 PM, Campbell Hall, UCSB.
• May 22, Beginners Bike Ride, sponsored by the Goleta Valley Cycling Club. Nobody will be left behind on this easy loop through UCSB, the Obern Trail, Maria Ignacia Trail, and north Goleta. Starts 9:00 AM at Anna's Bakery, 7018 Marketplace Drive, with coffee and pastry, then to bike when everybody's ready. Led by Doris and Owen, phone 968-3143.
• May 22, Tour de Cure, sponsored by the American Diabetes Society. This well-supported ride is your choice of scenic tours out of Carpinteria, ending with a barbecue. From the Carpinteria State Beach, you can do a 12-mile family ride, or a 30-mile, 60-mile, or 100-mile road ride. Register online at http://tour.diabetes.org or phone 1-888-342-2383 for details.

Santa Ynez River Trail workshops



This view of the Santa Ynez River from Highway 154 shows the old bridge. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• The Bicycle Coalition has been busy gathering signatures on a petition and writing letters in the hope of garnering support for the proposed Santa Ynez River Trail. The actual trail is years off at best. The immediate danger, however, is having it dropped from Santa Ynez Valley Community Plan documents after two County meetings this April 29 and May 6. That's why it's important to keep it on the plans now, and that's what we've been working for. So far, we have collected several hundred signatures and written letters to the Solvang and Buellton City Councils, asking for their endorsements.
• Bicycle Coalition representatives will be presenting the petition and speaking at the meetings in favor of the trail. It's very important to have others there to speak out as well for the trail. We expect that ranchers and landowners along the River will be trying to remove the trail from the Community Plan. If you can attend one or another of the meetings, please do so:
• Thursdays, April 29 and May 6, 6:30 PM Solvang Veteran's Memorial Building 1745 Mission Drive, Solvang.

April Coalition meeting topics

• Our April 6th Bicycle Coalition meeting was another evening event that attracted 10 people to Madam Lu's Chinese Restaurant to enjoy dinner together and discuss these issues:
• Dedication of the Obern Trail that took place on April 1st, with subsequent News-Press coverage, was considered great bicycling promotion.
• Ralph Fertig described preparations for Earth Day. The question of where to keep canopies that we were considering buying was answered when Mike Hecker agreed to store them for us.
• Erika Lindemann described Traffic Solutions activities that promote Bike to Work Day and bike commuting in general.
• Ralph Fertig passed around our petition to support a Santa Ynez River Trail between Buellton and Lake Cachuma. More signatures will be gathered at South Coast bike shops, Earth Day, and the Firestone races. Corey Evans at Dr. J's Bicycle Shop is similarly covering the North County.
• Ralph Fertig is working with the Sustainability Project to create 3 bike rides that people can take to see building and garden sites that are part of the Parade of Green Buildings on May 1st.
• Ralph Fertig described the participation of Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum in a National Mayors Ride when a relay team promoting national bicycle greenways passes through town on June 3rd.
• Mike Hecker talked about his upcoming Firestone Mountain Bike Weekend of rides and races on April 24-25th. The Bicycle Coalition was offered free space for a booth, which we accepted. Hecker also said that, after a 25-year absence, he is bringing back the Solvang Criterium on May 8th.
• Ralph Fertig described the first 2 of 3 massive environmental impact reports that detail negative effects and mitigations of the Ellwood-Devereux housing projects and open space management plans.
• Erika Lindemann said that Traffic Solutions is coordinating with the Marion Medical Center in Santa Maria for their first Bicycle Day on April 17th.
• Ralph Fertig read a response from UCSB to the Bicycle Coalition�s comments about the University's San Clemente housing project. Problems in the earlier draft that endangered bicyclists would be corrected in newer designs, we were told.

New Obern Trail lights



New solar lights make cyclists safer after dark. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Thanks to a grant from the California Bicycle Transportation Fund, the Obern Trail has received its third set of lights. The lights still do not continue all seven miles to Goleta County Beach, but they are getting really close.
• These are solar-powered, low-pressure sodium lights that do not disturb wildlife in the area, but give cyclists and other Obern Trail users a clear view of the path during evening hours. To save money, they are mounted higher and further apart than earlier ones. Thanks to the County's Wilson Hubbell for obtaining the funding.

Students vote for bikes

• Students at UCSB recently voted for an assessment of $3 per student/quarter through summer of 2007 to pay for a new campus bikepath. The path, costing an estimated $500,000, will provide a missing link in the bikepath network.
• The initiative was sponsored by the Associated Students BIKES committee headed by Edward France. The 120-yard path will serve not only students traveling between Chemistry and Engineering, but also other bicyclists coming from the Obern Trail and wishing to connect to the UCen, the "Pardall Corridor" bikepath, and Isla Vista.
• Initial work could begin this summer with moving a trailer and landscaping, but the actual path may wait until 2005. At the same time, students voted to continue supporting the Associated Students' Bike Shop with a $0.75/student quarter fee.

“TEA-3” progresses

• Reauthorization of the massive, 6-year Federal "TEA-3" transportation act is moving ahead. On April 2, the House passed a $275 billion bill that does a good job of retaining essential bicycle project funding, and adds $1 billion for a new national Safe Routes to School program. The Transportation Enhancements, CMAQ, and Recreational Trails programs that provide bicycling facility funds were all continued.
• The Senate had already passed a $318 billion version on February 12. That version includes a $70 million Safe Routes to School program, plus a new Alternative Transportation in National Parks Program, funded at $150 million, that will help biking and walking projects in our parks.
• The next step is a Senate-House conference committee that will negotiate differences between the House and Senate bills. Likely, differences won�t be resolved before the second temporary extension of the old transportation act expires on April 30, so a third extension will be needed. However, it looks like the bill will go to the president in May, for his threatened veto or signing. You can follow it at the America Bikes national advocacy site www.americabikes.org.

Transportation platform is finished

• The South Coast Livable Communities' Transportation Platform is finished. It was a year-long collaborative effort that included work by Bicycle Coalition members Eva Inbar, Grant House, Alex Pujo, and Ralph Fertig. The entire 14-page document is available in Adobe PDF format on our web site here.
• The bicycling section says, "Bicycling is not for every person or trip, but it's fine for half of most people's trips—those under five miles—and ideal for longer trips that combine bicycling with bus, vanpool and train. Access to better bicycling conditions will level the playing field of transportation, provide social equity, and conserve our resources."
• It has six recommended policies that we hope South Coast jurisdictions will follow:
• Trip conditions: Provide and maintain bike paths or lanes that offer a network of convenient connections to popular destinations.
• Destination accommodations: Provide appropriate short-term and long-term facilities at destinations for people who bicycle. This includes bike racks, bike lockers, dedicated storerooms, and showers for workers.
• Education: Offer a formal bicycling education program for both children and adults who bicycle. It will provide the knowledge and confidence required for years of safe bicycling and self-sufficient transportation.
• Laws and ordinances: Enforce laws that pertain to safe bicycling. Educate motorists and bicyclists about the applicability of the California Vehicle Code and local ordinances.
• Promotion: Craft community bicycle master plans and circulation elements that promote bicycling as a normal, healthy, responsible, and convenient means of travel. Provide funding to implement these plans and ensure that they become part of all development and capital improvement projects.
• Mobility data: Monitor on a periodic basis how frequently people use modes of travel. Track mode, date, distance and purpose for each trip.
• It's finally summarized with this, "Bicycling provides healthy travel at low public and personal cost, along with unchallenged energy efficiency. Bicycling can move us closer to a healthier, more livable, more sustainable, more human community."

UCSB responds to Coalition concerns

• The preliminary plans for San Clemente student housing and El Colegio Road improvements in Isla Vista and UCSB raised questions about bicyclist safety. So the Bicycle Coalition commented on the draft document with five concerns:
• the bicyclist crossing on Stadium Road
• the entrance angle for bicyclists returning to El Colegio after circumventing the roundabouts
• bicyclists riding in pedestrian crosswalks
• path distances outside roundabouts
• bikelane termination west of Los Carneros Road.
• The University's response essentially said that the drawings were architectural renderings rather than engineering drawings, and our concerns will be addressed and incorporated in the next generation of drawings. They expect to use "appropriate design measures" and hope that the Bicycle Coalition will cooperate with them in reviewing the upcoming designs. As for the bikelane ending west of Los Carneros, it depends on future County designs for El Colegio that must consider wetland buffers. The bikelanes will likely either join the bikepath, or continue as a bikelane.

Active members

• Please thank and support the following Bicycle Coalition business members:
• Hazard's Cyclesport, Santa Barbara
• Lightning Cycle Dynamics, Lompoc
• MarBorg Industries, Santa Barbara
• Rincon Cycles, Carpinteria
• We welcome new members Jamie & Amy Goldstein, and Nicole Callahan. And we thank those who renewed their memberships: George & Vie Obern, Wilson Hubbell, Bob Burgess, Dennis Coffman, Grant House, Alex & June Pujo, Nicola Gordon, Eva Inbar, David & Mary Lawson, Burt Romotsky, and David & Teresa Bothman.

Bike "Parade" May 1st

• This May 1st, the Bicycle Coalition is teaming up with the Sustainability Project to offer three tours that take people by bicycle to sites on the Parade of Green Buildings. You can view and print out the three tours online in PDF format at our site here.
• One tour to Goleta and one in Downtown and Mesa areas of Santa Barbara will be guided tours. The 28-mile ride to Montecito and Carpinteria is by far the most challenging because of steep climbs and descents.
• The Sustainability Project has included ten gardens, six residences, and six buildings on this year's list. A ticket to the tour and a Friday night speech on sustainable practices costs $10. We're pleased that the co-chair of the Parade Karen Feeney not only biked to Earth Day, but she had her bicycle worked on by our mechanics. Look for more details about the Parade at: http://sustainabilityproject.org

Bike to School Day preparation

• Last year on Bike to School Day, 1350 kids bicycled to 13 South Coast schools, way above the normal numbers. We hope that this year will be even more successful. At an April 19th meeting, coordinator Jessica Scheeter described what others did to make their school event so attractive to kids and parents.
• A bike/walk safety committee recently visited Monte Vista School with a safety assembly and a "rodeo" that teaches bike handling skills. It was well received, and others have requested it. If you're a student, teacher, or parent, and want to hold a Bike to School Day event at your school—or find what others are planning—contact Scheeter at 962-7960.

Oak Park neighbors urge safety



The free right turn off of State Street often endangers bicyclists who are heading straight. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• The Oak Park area of Santa Barbara is the subject of the second neighborhood mobility planning effort, following a year after the Saint Francis neighborhood. Oak Park community meetings started in January, however an important 3-day workshop with renowned consultant Dan Burden recently took place on April 16-18th.
• Safety for pedestrians and bicyclists was a major concern by participants on April 16 when they broke into groups and marked up maps with desired changes. A major complaint by all groups was the State/De la Vina intersection with its free-flowing, high-speed right turn lane that presents a real danger to bicyclists going straight ahead.
• Other areas to improve included trees and walkability in the De la Vina business area; emphasizing the beauty of Mission Creek as it flows through the community; altering the two-lane, one-way streets De la Vina and Chapala; narrowing pedestrian crossings at many intersections; improving safety at the Junêpero bike/ped bridge; replacing the signal with a roundabout at State and Alamar; and somehow improving bicycling on Mission Street.
• On April 17, neighbors walked around the area with Dan Burden and City staff to observe situations and make suggestions, and on April 18, a summary session was held. For details, look at the City's site: www.ci.santa-barbara.ca.us/oakparktrafficmanagement.
• The goal of the weekend was to create an Oak Park neighborhood mobility plan that neighbors will now use to build a neighborhood consensus.