April
2006

Tax proposal enters final stretch



Santa Barbara County Association of Governments' Gregg Hart gives a presentation on Measure D renewal to another local group—here it's Santa Barbara Car Free. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• March was filled with presentations on Measure D transportation tax renewal to city councils, the Board of Supervisors, regional workshops, and dozens of local groups like our Bicycle Coalition.
• Tax consultant Larry Tamutola and SBCAG staff are assessing the input, and crafting recommendations for the SBCAG Board at a day-long workshop April 5th. Then a revised plan may be offered at the April 20th SBCAG meeting that will hopefully retain a dedicated portion for bicycling.
• The Bicycle Coalition sent a letter to the SBCAG Board stating reasons to support bicycling throughout our county. You can still make a difference by contacting your county supervisor and city's representative to SBCAG as well. Make that phone call or send an email before April 5th.

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Important front country trails meeting April 6th

• You have an upcoming opportunity to offer comments on front country trail use by attending and speaking out at a public hearing. It's the April 6th hearing when the City and County Parks Commissions and the US Forest Service will listen to comments on the Trails Working Group's proposal for trail management.
• You can read the proposal itself at: www.sbtrails.org/Documents/TWG_Proposal.pdf
• And you can read comments on the proposal by the Santa Barbara Mountain Bike Trail Volunteers at: www.sbmtv.org/docs/sbmtvstatement.pdf
• The hearing itself will take place at the David Gebhard Room, 630 Garden Street, Santa Barbara, at 6:00 PM.
• The proposal is for a two-year pilot program related to front country trail use by hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians. No actions will be taken at this meeting, and it is one of a series of public meetings that will address the proposal.
• The volunteer Front Country Working Trails Working Group (FCTWG) was formed in 2002, and they met for over two years to discuss and identify possible solutions for trail multi-use issues and safety concerns. Representatives in this working group were acknowledged leaders from Los Padres Trail Riders, Santa Barbara Mountain Bike Volunteers (SBMTV), Safe Trails, Montecito Trails Foundation, the Sierra Club, the County Hiking and Riding Trails Advisory Committee. City, County and US Forest Service staff attended the meetings.
• The FCTWG's goals are to encourage management policy decisions that improve safety, protect natural and cultural resources, provide trail opportunities for an increasing population of users, and are feasible to implement. Their trails management proposal calls for a two-year trial period with these components:
• The Trails Alliance monitoring group, currently sponsored by the Los Padres Forest Association.
• Trail hosting and education program.
• Trail signage, offering trail route, etiquette, safety, and interpretive information.
• An Odd/Even Mountain Bike Plan. This is not well defined. It's unclear when it might start, what trails might be included, what data about trail usage should be collected before it's implemented, how the public will be informed about it, and how it's success will be measured.
• The SBMTV views the proposal as controversial, but as a major and needed step in improving our trail community and system as a whole.

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Mark your calendars for May 13th



Six young monks meet a dragon in Thailand. Photo by Kat Marriner.

• Join us in Santa Barbara for our Third Annual Bike Week Celebration dinner with entertainment by Willie Weir. Hot off his latest bicycle touring adventure with his wife Kat Marriner in South East Asia, Willie will share their experiences, impressions, and photographs with us all.
• We will again return to the Chase Palm Park Center near the bikepath and ocean in Santa Barbara, starting at 6:00 PM. Invitations will be going out to members later this month, so watch for them. We guarantee a splendid evening for everybody who joins us there. It will be a fun time with great company.

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Chapala gets bikelane



One-way Chapala Street has only 5000 motorists a day, making it perfect for one travel lane. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• On March 22, the Santa Barbara City's Transportation and Circulation Committee voted for safer roadway striping after a resurfacing project is over. Bicycle Coalition members Ralph Fertig, and Alex and June Pujo were among nine people who spoke in favor of slowing speeding motorists by reducing two traffic lanes to one, and adding a bikelane. The Pujos obtained signatures from 80 Chapala neighbors. This applies to a seven-block section between Mission Street and Alamar Avenue.

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How to stage a criterium in Isla Vista
by Barrett Ausman



Cyclists race around the student community of Isla Vista during the UCSB Cycling Team's criterium. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• We asked Barrett Ausman, UCSB Cycling Race Director, for his views on what it was like organizing the first annual Isla Vista Island View Classic Bike Race. This race was held on Saturday March 4, 2006 and was a rollicking success with over 450 riders participating.
• The race was something that I thought could never happen. I had no idea what I was getting myself into as I was elected race director by the team for the current year. In September at the beginning of the school year, I got a call from Karl Nielsen, UCSB's Cycling Director. Karl informed me that the Isla Vista Recreation and Parks District (IVRPD) and the County of Santa Barbara would support a race being held in downtown Isla Vista. After the first meeting, I remember feeling upbeat about all the help we are going to get.
• Derek Johnson, former General Manager at IVRPD, and I worked out a budget together. The only problem was that it just kept growing and now the cost of the race was exceeding $7,000. Our team had to take a step back and ask ourselves "can we really do this?" Our treasurer, Kamyab Sadaghiani, came to the rescue with a professional sponsoring plan. But we were only 90 days from the race and sponsorships were only trickling in. The situation was grim as I had already filed all the paper work with the national race organization. Sponsors or no sponsors, it appeared the race was going to happen.
• The week before the race was crazy, but we had finally raised enough cash. It was mayhem and it was awesome. Race Day—I was up at 3:30 AM and on the course at 4:30 AM. The mission: open the course for its first race by 7:00 AM. I have never seen so much staged equipment. Tow trucks removed 22 cars in violation of the "no parking" zones. A street sweeper swept the course we had closed to traffic—the Embarcadero Loop and Cordoba Road. Volunteers erected barricades, cones and scaffolding, set up tables, chairs, tents, computers and a PA system, deployed radios and cameras. The County Fire Department even came out with their hook and ladder truck to hang our banner over the finish line. Victory! The first race, Men's Collegiate C, went off at 7:00 AM.
• Problems emerged, but we called audibles on the spot for fast solutions. We had to call in an electric cart so that the pizza delivery service could travel to the edge of I.V. for transfer to a car. Others improvised, like the Brinks cash delivery man who walked to Woodstocks with his pistol drawn. Our team was so proud to see our vision for a race in our home town of Isla Vista actually achieved. Riders compli-mented the course as an excellent one, and I am predicting bigger and better for 2007!
• I would like to thank IVRPD, I.V. Foot Patrol, County Public Works and Fire Department, Supervisor Brooks Firestone and his staff, UCSB in general and specifically the Recreational Sports Department, the I.V. Commission, Sam's To Go, UCSB Cycling Team, all the great businesses in Isla Vista, and all the fans people who came to support the race.

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Coalition approves bicyclist safety bill



Coalition president Ralph Fertig (left) after talking to Assemblyman Pedro Nava about his proposed bicyclist safety bill. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Our Assemblyman Pedro Nava has introduced a bill in the California Assembly that will make it safer for bicyclists. The bill, AB 1941, will create a measure of safety for California bicyclists similar to what now exists in Arizona, Utah, Wisconsin and Minnesota—it would require a three-foot minimum passing distance between motor vehicles and bicyclists.
• An earlier draft had required only three feet, but revised language now says, "The driver of a motor vehicle overtaking a bicycle proceeding in the same direction shall pass to the left at a safe distance, at a minimum clearance of three feet, without interfering with the safe operation of the overtaken bicycle."
• On March 24th, the Bicycle Coalition sent a letter of support for the new measure. The change in language now includes safety for situations when three feet may not be safe, and a larger margin is needed.
• We are very pleased that Nava is responding to a need for greater awareness of bicyclist safety on our roads, and we look forward to a beneficial relationship in the future.

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Board nominations

• How would you like to help us forge a stronger and better Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition? With an election coming up at our July meeting, this is your opportunity to make a difference.
• Every two years, we have an election of our four officers plus five other Board of Directors members. Please phone any of our Board members to find out what it might entail.
• If you wish to toss your hat—that is, helmet—into the ring, write us or send an email to board@sbbike.org, or come to our May meeting and say so.

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CycleSmart bicyclist education news

• Bicycling Skills for Women, May 18th and May 20th
  The Art of Cycling: Using a Bike to Transport and Transform
• WHAT: We're offering another two-day course designed for women, taught by women. If you want to learn the basics of driving your bicycle confidently in a supportive and fun environment, then this is the class for you! Have you thought about using your bike for getting around town or for fitness, but just don't feel comfortable on the road with other vehicle users? We'll show you how to make decisions in traffic while riding legally and confidently. Would you feel more inclined to ride if you knew how to change a flat tire or to perform other simple on-road repairs? We'll teach you. We'll also practice bike handling skills and emergency avoidance maneuvers such as quick turns and stops. We'll also talk about women-specific bikes and clothing. Then we'll take you out for a road ride with women League Cycling Instructors (LCIs).
• WHEN DAY 1: Thursday, May 18th, 5:30 PM for Basic Street Skills class (no bicycle is required).
• WHEN DAY 2: Saturday, May 20th 10:00 AM-4:00 PM for basic bicycle mechanics (please be sure your bike is in working order before the class), commuting tips and on-road riding instruction and practice.
• WHERE: Downtown Santa Barbara.
• COST: $30, payable to LCI Dru van Hengel. You can pay at the class or by mail to, attn: Dru van Hengel, SBBC, PO Box 92047, Santa Barbara, CA 93190. Don't have $30? That's okay, we want you to join us regardless! Some scholarships are available by contacting Dru (see info below).
• TO REGISTER: Please let us know you're coming by contacting Dru van Hengel at 564-5544 or at CycleSmart@sbbike.org.

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Ortega Hill bikepath construction begins



County Supervisor Salud Carbajal (left) addresses the crowd, as SBCAG Director Jim Kemp listens. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• On March 15th, a ceremony kicked off construction of an Ortega Hill bikepath, and auxiliary car lane on adjacent Highway 101. Bicycle Coalition board members Drew Hunter, Wilson & Gail Hubbell, and Ralph Fertig represented us at the event, and were captured pedaling up the hill for showing on TV that evening.
• The bikepath and 101 lane were funded by the SBCAG Board in 1996 to reduce con- gestion on the freeway. The 12-foot wide paved and lighted path will provide an alternative to the narrow winding Ortega Hill Road that connects Montecito with Summerland. It will be finished in early 2007.

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Avoid 101

• You used to be able to legally bike on northbound Highway 101 between Summerland and Montecito, but no longer. Construction barricades were installed in mid-March, so there is no longer a shoulder to ride on. Use Ortega Hill Road instead until the new bikepath is finished.

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We thank our active members

• Please thank and support the following Bicycle Coalition business members:
• BiciSport & Company, Santa Barbara
• Big Gear Bike Gear, Santa Barbara
• Jeffrey Stoutenborough, Architect, Santa Barbara
• King Cycle Group, Portland, Oregon
• Nett & Champion Insurance Services, Santa Barbara
• Open Air Bicycles, Santa Barbara
• Pedal Power Bicycles, Santa Maria
• We welcome our newest Bicycle Coalition members Cathy Peterson, Rod Edwards, and Molly & Joshua Olney Zide. We additionally thank those who renewed their memberships: Bob Burgess, Curtis Ridling, Dave Beamer, Eric Schwartz, David & Teresa Bothman, Lee Carter, Bill Powell, Jared Dawson, and Kathleen Boehm.

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Tour of California—we want it back!



Team cyclists recover after the stage sprint finish in Santa Barbara on February 24th. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Exhilariation from the Tour of California is stoking thoughts about its future in Santa Barbara County. Because this was the first Tour, nobody really knew how successful it would be in attracting people. And their money. We now know—and so does everybody else. There is no guarantee that future Tours will come through our area, let alone stop here, because other communities throughout the state are now contending for the publicity. And the revenue.
• Our Bicycle Coalition sent a letter to Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum and members of the City Council on March 10th, asking them to do whatever they can to bring the Tour back in the future. We said, "It seems that so many biked or walked or took the shuttle to the festival that congestion and parking were not problems. A preliminary estimate of economic impact says that Santa Barbara merchants benefited from a $1 million boost in sales, filling local hotels and restaurants during our slow tourist season." We noted that the 2007 Tour schedule is being determined right now, and will be announced by early summer. We concluded, "Because of its many benefits to our community, we ask the City of Santa Barbara to do everything possible to ensure the return of the Tour of California in 2007."
• During the February 24th Tour of California stage finish festival, we shared a booth with Santa Barbara Car Free, and gathered data from 189 passing people. We asked them a series of questions, as follows:
• Where do you live?
• South Coast area, 58%
• Elsewhere, 42%
• If you're visiting, where are you staying?
• In hotel, 78%
• With family and friends, 22%
• How often do you bicycle?
• Don't bike, 5%
• Bike less than once/week, 16%
• Bike once/week, 20%
• Bike more than once/week, 59%
• How did you hear about the Tour?
• Publications, 28%
• TV, 13%
• Online, 13%
• Word of mouth, 13%
• Bike shop or bike club, 9%
• Other, 25%
• Tour of California comments
• bikes rule !!
  cool Tour !
  do it again !
  enjoying a great time
  everybody stop at signs
  fantastic !
  fantastic! bring it back in 2007 !
  good fun thanks
  good work
  great event !
  great expo!
  great for Santa Barbara
  hope it returns
  I hope it continues! It kicks ass
  I took the day off work
  I love to ride !
  lov'n it !
  love having this in town
  love the Tour
  more !!
  thanks for your help
  wonderful event !!
  yeah for bikes !
  yeah !!
  you guys rock !

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March Coalition meeting topics

• Our March 7th monthly Bicycle Coalition noon meeting attracted 17 people. We discussed these topics:
• Gregg Hart gave a presentation on the proposed Measure D renewal. We discussed the content and what we might do this month. Actions will be discussed at our upcoming Board meeting.
• We discussed our intent to increase contact with North County bicyclists. On March 14th, four of us will be attending the Lompoc Valley Bicycle Club meeting.
• Wilson Hubbell will write a letter to accom- pany our report about posts on bikepaths to send to public works' directors.
• Bicyclists were encouraged to attend the March 10th [later moved to the 15th due to rain] groundbreaking ceremony for the Ortega Hill bikepath.
• Pedro Nava's proposed bicyclist safety legislation was discussed.
• Erika Lindemann reported on her attendance at the National Bike Summit in DC. Forty other Californians were there.
• A newly-formed group, the Multi-Use Trails Coalition, was announced. They will pursue trail access for all current users.
• Our new Bike Maintenance workshop is coming this month, and new Street Skills classes are coming in April and May.
• The benefits of the Tour of California were discussed. The Bicycle Coalition will send a letter to the Santa Barbara City Council asking for their support in 2007.
• Erika described Traffic Solutions' emphasis this year on their Team Bike Challenge, and a decision to not dedicate any resources for a Bike to Work Day that is now an individual jurisdiction event.
• Ralph Fertig asked for suggestions for activities for Bike Week. Collaboration with the Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum on an Aeolian Bike Ride is possible then, or maybe later in the year.

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Coalition produces flyer for hotels



Bikes are available for rent at the DoubleTree resort, plus other places in Santa Barbara. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• On March 22nd, Bicycle Coalition president Ralph Fertig gave a presentation to the hotel sales directors group organized by the Santa Barbara Conference and Visitors Bureau. Called Hospitality for Bicyclists, it consisted of a description of bicyclist demographics, kinds of rides they might be doing, how hotels can accommodate them, what attracts bicyclists to our area, and what hotels can do to enhance bicycling opportunities in our community.
• The hand-out flyer that was created for them is online for you to read at www.sbbike.org/docs/bike-hospitality.pdf. If you know of any hotel or motel or guest home that might benefit from the material, please send it to them. The main points are summarized below.
• Recreational bicyclists are
• 60% male
• Independent-minded
• Financially established
• Often seeking bargains
• Under 45 years old.
• How they bicycle
• Independent touring cyclists
• Commercial touring groups
• Bike club tours
• Charity rides.
• What they look for in accommodation
• Secure bike parking
• Permission to keep bikes in rooms
• Set up, maintenance space
• Bike box storage
• Good healthy food
• Loaner or rental bikes.
• What they look for in our area
• Santa Barbara County Bike Map
• Bike routes
• Bike rides
• Bike shops
• Outdoor restaurants
• Ice cream.
• What can make our area bike-friendly
• We tell the hospitality people that they can make a difference by asking local government for better bicyclist facilities. Bicycles take up a tenth the roadway or parking space of a car, they don't pollute, and they're quiet. If a community has bike lanes on streets, separate bike paths, and quiet scenic roads, bicyclists will more likely return and bring their bike friends along with them.