November
2004

Coalition seeks funding for Trail Stop



Rendering by Jeffrey Stoutenborough.

• Biking to the County's Energy Division at 4:20 PM on October 1st, Coalition president Ralph Fertig delivered eight copies of an application for CREF funding for our proposed "Obern/de Anza Trail Stop." No reason to rush, he still had 40 spare minutes before the deadline.
• We especially thank Bicycle Coalition member and architect and Jeff Stoutenborough for donating a week of his time to design the project for us. It's a beautiful yet functional rest and information area for all trail users. Jeff kept plugging away toward the funding deadline for a week in spite of encroaching illness.
• The cost estimate came from Allen Associates, a local contractor known for environmentally-responsible building practices and advocacy, notable with the Sustainability Project. We are grateful to owner Dennis Allen for volunteering his profit as a donation to the Bicycle Coalition.
• The cost estimate came in at nearly $35,000. For this year's funding cycle, there is about $300,000 in Coastal Resource Enhancement Fund (CREF) money available for non-acquisition projects like ours.
• Right now, all applications are in the hands of the County's Energy Division staff who are writing evaluations of them. On November 22, Fertig will give a presentation to the County Supervisors asking them to fund our project. In early December, the Supervisors will vote on the allocation.
• Although we had five letters of support, you as an individual can still write or email or speak out in favor of the Trail Stop on November 22. Your thoughts on the project should go to:
• Supervisor Susan Rose, phone 568-2191
  105 East Anapamu Street
  Santa Barbara, CA 93101
  email srose@co.santa-barbara.ca.us
• Although we hope to see this project funded by CREF and constructed next spring, the County's Wilson Hubbell cautioned that sometimes these projects take additional funding sources. You can view a copy of the application online, in Adobe PDF format (it's a 360 KB file) at: www.sbbike.org/docs/CREF.pdf.
• This project will be a first for us in terms of lasting physical amenities for bicyclists and other trail users. Perhaps a bronze plaque at the site can recognize our noble efforts.

More people cycling



Riders for the MS Bike Tour and Fest register and prepare to pedal for the charity on October 16th. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Two October rides in Santa Barbara County saw growth in the number of participants. The People Powered Ride, a century ride out of Los Olivos, saw the numbers of registrants increase 42% over 2003, up to 460 cyclists. Most surprising was the number of day-of-ride registrations that were up by 85% over 2003.
• A week later, the Multiple Sclerosis Bike Tour and Fest took place in Santa Barbara. It had an 8% increase in riders over 2003, with a total ridership over 1200 cyclists.
• Whether these increases reflect the "Lance Armstrong effect," better marketing, active life-style increases, vacations nearer home, or other things, it's your guess. But cycling is on the rise!

New Board member Mark McClure
by Don Lubach



Bicycle Coalition Board member McClure. Photo by Don Lubach.

• Mark McClure is our newest board member. An avid cyclist during his UCSB days, Mark's cycling was put on hold as he worked in large, cycle-unfriendly cities around the world, including three years in super-congested Hong Kong and a year in shoulderless Gaborone, Botswana. Instead of cycling, he logged nearly 100 skydives, ran with the Hash House Harriers and became a diving instructor.
• Upon returning to Santa Barbara in 2000, he rediscovered cycling, and especially loaded touring. He currently rides a Cannondale touring bike as his daily ride. His mountain bike, he says, "doesn't get out of the garage much."
• Mark's cycle advocacy interests lie in improving the touring climate in Santa Barbara County, as well as improving the commuting environment because, as he says, "Although I like touring, the reality is that I do a lot more commuting miles than touring miles."
• "I really like riding out to western Goleta and up Old San Marcos Road," he adds. "I've put 2000 miles on my bike so far this year."
• Mark can often be spotted with his wife and toddler boy along the Obern Trail on their way to Goleta Beach or out for some exercise. Mark joins many of us in our dream to see a bike path along the railroad throughway and also a class-one path all the way up the coast to Gaviota point. We welcome Mark to the board and look forward to his contributions.

High school mountain biking

• Last spring Mike Hecker added a High School Mountain Bike Race to his Firestone MTB weekend. Teenagers from three schools—San Marcos, Dos Pueblos, and Santa Barbara High—competed. Recently, following an enquiry from Betsy Amato in Atascadero about a regional league, Hecker decided to expand the league's scope beyond our County—it's now the "Central Coast High School Mountain Bike League."
• What is needed is participation from more schools. To form a high school team, you need to:
• Find a local mentor and school teacher-cyclist to form a "club team."
• Identify students who are interested in mountain biking.
• Form a "NORBA High School Club Team" for $50, and obtain NORBA insurance to covers training rides and biking "events" for $150.
• Locate a nearby place to hold event races for only high school students.
• For more information, contact Hecker at 966-1807 or hecktone@cox.net.

Greg Siple

Half a Lemon Festival is better than none

• The Sunday half of the California Lemon Festival in Goleta got rained out on October 17th, but except for our display banner being blown over by approaching storm winds, we remained dry and unscathed on Saturday.
• During our one day we managed to place 40 bike helmets on kids' heads and gave out flashing LED safety lights. Those lights came from a contribution to the Bicycle Coalition from the Goleta Valley Cycling Club, and the low-cost helmets were from the County's Emergency Medical Services program.
• Our thanks go to Gary Wissman who organized the event and to those who staffed our booth: Bob Cooper, Woody Wilde, Wilson Hubbell, Kaye Corbett, and Mark McClure.

Bicycle tourism in SB County?



This bike/ped bridge in Victoria BC connects sections of the Galloping Goose Trail over a busy roadway. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• At the October 19th meeting of the Santa Barbara Car Free group, Bicycle Coalition president Ralph Fertig talked about the possibilities of increasing bicycle tourism within our county. The Car Free group's aim is to get tourists and residents to enjoy our area by bike, bus, foot, train, kayak—any means but by car.
• While at the Pro Walk/Pro Bike 2004 conference in Victoria BC last September, Fertig was struck with the active promotion of bicycle tourism on Vancouver Island. They have miles of trails, multiple web sites, and active partnerships among small inns, hotels, restaurants, bike rentals, and trailside businesses.
• According to surveys, cycling tourists are more affluent, spend more, stay longer, and return more frequently than other tourists. This makes them a very desirable group to attract to our area.
• We know that the more bicyclists on our streets, the safer is it on the average for us all. Further, local businesses are more likely to back development of new facilities—like the Coastal Trail between Goleta and Gaviota, for example—if it helps bolster our regional economy. The north and south parts of our county can provide complementary cycling vacations.
• So the question might be how (or whether) the Bicycle Coalition could help create a bike tourism partnership locally?

Bike Education News



Even if you're comfortable biking with traffic, you will probably learn to be more confident. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Street Skills for Cyclists class
• Scared of drivers hitting you from behind? Unsure what the best way to make a left turn in traffic is? Worried by close SUVs as you bike through round-abouts? If these and other fears keep you from biking around town as freely as you would like, take our Street Skills for Cyclists class.
• The Street Skills class will help you look at any street or intersection and know the best place to ride. You'll gain confidence to ride where you want. Our class includes:
• Your legal rights and responsibilities
• Common causes of crashes
• How to foresee and avoid accidents
• How to be visible
• What the best lane position is for you
• Emergency on-bike maneuvers
• An optional 2 hours of on-road bicycling.
• The class will take place on Saturday, November 6th from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. An optional 2-hour follow-up will be offered on November 7th, from 10:00 AM to noon, for those desiring on-road bicycling in real traffic. Cost is $30 for both days. It's open to anybody at least 16 years old.
• The class will be taught by Erika Lindemann, a League of American Bicyclists Cycling Instructor. Registration is required, details online at www.sbbike.org.
• Logo and name contest
• We need both a name and logo for our new Bike Education program. The name "BikeEd," belongs to the League of American Bicyclists, so we would like to have something more local that still reflects the League's vision of "more people on bikes safely, more often."
• Please submit your ideas. If your entry wins, you will receive a $50 Bicycle Bob's gift certificate. There will be two $50 prizes, one for the name and one for the logo.
• Please submit your entries to Nancy Mulholland either by mail to 115 West Pedregosa Street, Santa Barbara 93101, or by email to nmulhol04@yahoo.com.
• Logo sketches will suffice, although finished artwork is fine. Include your name and how to contact you. Deadline for receipt of entries is November 22nd.
• LCI training in SLO
• A local training class by the League of American Bicyclists to certify new League Cycling Instructors (LCIs) will be held next April in San Luis Obispo.
• We encourage all interested cyclists—particularly those in our North County—to become LCIs. You will learn how to teach safe biking in traffic. If you are Spanish/English bilingual, please give it extra consideration. For more information or questions, phone Nancy Mulholland at 563-9073 or email her nmulhol04@yahoo.com.

BikeEd Fact Sheet

• How far to the right should I bicycle?
• Laws:
• Most bicycle laws use the same language regarding where cyclists should drive
• Directions to ride "as far to the right as practicable" appears in most laws
• No clear definition of practicable has been identified.
• Safety:
• Do not ride where you are subject to poor road conditions constant hazards
• Give yourself ample room to your right to maneuver in an emergency
• Ride in the right third of the lane if there is not sufficient room for lane sharing.
• Traffic rules:
• Slower moving vehicles travel to the right of faster moving ones
• Motorists are looking for other vehicles in or near the travel lanes, not against curbs
• Follow the same rules as motorists includ-ing yielding right-of-way and signaling.
• Wide lanes:
• Ride just to the right of the travel lane to remain visible to other motorists
• Ride at least 3 feet from parked cars in all situations; consider this a right side limit
• Always ride in a straight line; do not swerve between parked cars.
• Hazards:
• If a lane narrows ahead or is blocked by a bus, establish your position in traffic early
• Avoid riding where glass and other trash accumulates on the right side of roadways
• Grates and gutterpans should be avoided by positioning yourself away from them.
• —from Better Bicycling Fact Sheets, League of American Bicyclists, Bicycle Advocacy and Education Center. www.bikeleague.org

Mountain biking day educates kids
by Chris Orr



Adults and kids showed up for the first Take a Kid Mountain Biking event; here they get organized. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• On October 2nd, the first national Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day was a great success! Approximately 50 participants gathered at Ellwood open space in Goleta. First, mechanics from UCSB's Bike Shop checked the bikes that arrived. Then participants signed in and picked up route maps. After an introduction, the riders grouped behind leaders Kim Lyons, Dave Phreaner, Chuck Anderson, and Jed Hirsch. By then, the young riders were stomping on the pedals and ready to go...they took off in a spin of little feet!
• The event was originated by the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA), and supported locally by the Santa Barbara Mountain Bike Trail Volunteers. Nationwide, thousands of kids participated in more than 100 similar events.
• Three nature stops were included in the route around Ellwood Mesa. Chris Lang from Friends of the Ellwood Coast gave a great talk and tour of the Ellwood Monarch Butterfly Grove. Marine biologist Carol Blanchette described the marine animal and plant life from atop the Ellwood cliffs. Ed Easton of the Coal Oil Point Reserve talked on the importance of snowy plover habitat that the reserve protects.
• All the riders had great time. Some had so much energy that they continued to ride around the group gathered at the refreshment table setup by SBMTV member Dorothy LittleJohn. Lastly, we had a gathering at Johnny Martin's Java Station coffee house to view new videos.
• Kids and parents riding bikes on trails, having fun, and learning about local natural resources! What more could you want? We can't wait until next year when we'll make an effort to attract more Latino kids.

October Coalition meeting topics

• Our October 5th Bicycle Coalition was an evening dinner and meeting that attracted 13 people to discuss these issues:
• Gary Wissman reported that we will participate in the California Lemon Festival this year, mainly to distribute helmets.
• The People Powered Ride will take place on October 10th and Bicycle Coalition members are urged to help if possible.
• Ralph Fertig talked about his participation in the Pro Walk/Pro Bike conference.
• Nancy Mulholland reported that we'll offer a Bike Education course next month, and there will be an LCI meeting next week.
• Mark Purcell, president of Echelon Santa Barbara and a Santa Barbara police officer talked about Echelon's scholarship program and concerns of biking in traffic.
• Chuck Anderson said that the Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day was successful, and next year the SB Mountain Bike Trail Volunteers will attract more Latino kids.
• Ralph Fertig will attend the San Luis Obispo's Bike First program ceremony, in view of crafting a similar program locally.
• Chuck Anderson dispelled misconceptions about trail use. No agreement had been reached about alternate day prohibition of mountain bikers. The main focus is an alliance of users to create new trails, improve existing ones, and provide trail user education.

Coalition OKs bike lanes on new bridge



This map shows the existing 101 bridge on the left, and the proposed one (in yellow) on the right.

• On October 13, the Goleta City Council considered the proposed new bridge over Highway 101 at the end of Cathedral Oaks Road.
• Bicycle Coalition President Ralph Fertig spoke about our concerns. He said that while a separated bike/ped path was possible, the difficulties of connecting users to it at the ends, plus the required physical separation from traffic made it infeasible. Five-foot bikelanes on both sides of the road will serve to provide a good place for bicyclists, and the six-foot sidewalk will serve the expected light pedestrian traffic.

Oak Park Mobility Plan

• The fifth community workshop for residents of the Oak Park neighborhood in Santa Barbara took place on October 19th. Nearly 100 people showed up to hear an update on their Neighborhood Area Mobility Plan and make comments about how well it addresses their concerns about traffic and related conditions in their area.
• Thirty changes were proposed, all measures that slow speeding cars and make it safer for people to walk or bike. Of particular interest to bicyclists is the proposed removing of traffic lanes on two streets—Chapala and De la Vina—in order to install bikelanes that will run for six blocks from Mission Street to Constance Avenue.
• Other major changes will come to State Street intersections at De la Vina and Alamar Streets where bicyclists and pedestrians are endangered. Perhaps the most innovative component of the plan is back-in diagonal parking for one block of De la Vina Street near State. It's apparently been successful in Ventura, and we're told that it will work here as well.
• If you want to be part of the process, contact the City's Susan McLaughlin at 897-2669 or SMcLaughlin@ci.santa-barbara.ca.us.

Bike businesses win

• The Santa Barbara News-Press and Independent have announced readers' choices for best bike shops and rentals. The winners are Bicycle Bob's and Hazard's Cyclesport for shops, and Wheel Fun Rentals and Cycles4Rent for bicycle rentals. Congratulations!

County repaves bikepath segment



This scenic and vital link connects neighbors on Berkeley Road for bicyclists and pedestrians. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• It's only a short section of bikepath over San Jose Creek on the North Goleta Bike Route, but it was in very poor condition. Thanks to the County work crew for doing a fine job of repaving sections of the path on either side of the creek.
• Bicycle Coalition member David Madajian notes, "the asphalt repair...is fantastic. It is smooth as glass, which I much appreciated. It was pretty dangerous and I had to go through at a crawl before it was fixed." If you agree, send an email to Wilson Hubbell at Hubbell@cosbpw.net saying so, and he will pass it on to the workers.

White helmets safest

• A New Zealand study published in the British Medical Journal last January compared the safety of motorcyclists wearing light-colored helmets versus dark-colored ones. The author concluded that the light-colored ones were associated with a 19% lower risk of crashes. As for white versus black helmets, riders with white ones had a 24% lower risk than those wearing black. This certainly applies to all us bicyclists as well.

We’re getting a biking president

• For the first time ever, the main contenders for United States presidency both ride bicycles. We note that 65% bicyclists vote, way above the US average, so do your duty again this election.
• Longtime cyclist John Kerry's favorite bike is a Serotta Ottrott road bike. He finished the 110-mile Pan-Massachusetts Challenge in 2003, coming in 37th out of 3000 cyclists. And he finished an 80-mile Boston-to-Cape Cod charity ride in freezing cold.
• George Bush has a Trek Fuel 98 carbon-fiber mountain bike that he started riding around his Texas ranch last February. He switched from running to biking after experiencing knee pain: "This is like running except I don't feel bad afterward."

SLO County’s Bike program—why not here?



Biking legend Joe Breeze spoke to the crowd about the benefits of bicycling for transportation at the Bike First ceremony. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• On October 16th, a ceremony was held in San Luis Obispo to inaugurate a "Bike First" program. Each one of twenty-three selected SLO county residents received a thousand-dollar bike package for only $200 in a new trip reduction program.
• The intent of the program is to battle air pollution and traffic congestion by getting the 23 residents to pledge to give up their car keys and replace automobile trips with bike trips. The 23 were selected from among more than 80 people who applied for the package.
• The program was funded primarily by the SLO County Air Pollution Control District and sponsored by San Luis Obispo Regional Rideshare and the San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition.
• Each resident received a Breezer Villager bike, a year of free maintenance, a helmet, lock, grocery bag and odometer.
• Bike First was the brainchild of Joe Gilpin, San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition executive director. "One of the largest perceived barriers to adopting cycling for more utility-based trips such as commuting and shopping is not having a good enough bicycle, or the money to spend on one," said Gilpin.
• The ceremony was attended by about 40 people, including Ralph Fertig from our Bicycle Coalition. Speakers included Joe Gilpin, SLO Mayor Dave Romero, bike manufacturer Joe Breeze, and California EPA representative Chris Marxen. A bicycle education program followed, led by LCI instructor Rod Hoadley.
• If their program sounds familiar, it might be because you've read about Bicycling Magazine's Bike Town program that's now in its second year. Last year, 50 people in Portland, Maine received bikes, and this year the program was expanded to five additional cities, including Irvine, California. They describe their program as "a healthy living initiative designed to create positive change by engaging the power of the pedal."
• So the question comes back to us: why not pursue a similar program here? Traffic Solutions' Kent Epperson said, "This is a cool idea. Similar to the 'Power Pedals' program implemented at the Long Beach and Palo Alto Bikestations a few years ago." Santa Barbara city's Rob Dayton commented, "I think we would be interested. I could see us also putting the people through the bike class as well." We're open to ideas of how to take it from here.

Active members

• Please thank and support the following Bicycle Coalition business members:
• Hazard's Cyclesport, Santa Barbara
• Rincon Cycles, Carpinteria
• Piekert Group Architects, Santa Barbara
• We welcome new member Sue Clinton, and certainly thank those who renewed their memberships: Melinda Goodman, Garrick Sitongia, Bill Frost, and Bill Pollock.