August
2006

Challenge gets more people on bikes



Team Bike Challenge logo art by Dave Bramsen.

• "Get more people bicycling to more places more often" was a stated goal of SBCAG's Traffic Solutions last year. Measured by their recent Team Bike Challenge, they most certainly succeeded.
• The June 2007 contest was their second annual Challenge. Each day that team members made a utilitarian trip by bike they earned points for their team, making them eligible for prizes. Designed to encourage more bicycling for trips in Santa Barbara County, the Challenge was fun while motivating novice and experienced bicyclists to establish new transportation routines. The competition attracted 1102 bicyclists in 230 teams, logging a total 129,709 miles during the month.
• The winning team was "RVS Chain Gang" from Raytheon Vision Systems; each member won a $100 bike shop certificate. Other winners are Jeffrey Alexander for the greatest distance biked (1113 miles), and Stan Tehee as the novice bicyclist with the most trips (133 round trips).
• Traffic Solutions reports that they more than doubled the number of teams, participants, and trips this year over 2005. They increased outreach to North County teams (29 of them), and promoted the event with interviews and ads in print, television, and radio. Participation by current and former public officials included Jonny Wallis, Marty Blum, Helene Schneider, Das Williams, Brian Barnwell, Grant House, Donna Jordan, and Richard Weinberg.

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Coalition leads rides for sustainability conference



Having just finished their bike tour, appreciative conference participants wave to the photographer. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• On June 25, Bicycle Coalition members Soumil Mehta and Ralph Fertig led two hour-long bike facilities tours of the UCSB campus. The rides were open to participants of the "Building Confidence: From Sustainable Policy to Practice" conference that ran for two days at the campus.
• Although the thrust of the conference that attracted participants from public California universities was on green building design and maintenance, sustainable transportation was part of the overall scope of action.
• There were 18 people on the first tour, and 14 on the second, looking at good bicyclist facilities, and those that need work. Scott Shaw from Santa Barbara Electric Bicycle Company supplied free bikes for those who needed them.
• Fertig started off by telling everybody that, on the average, bicycling is faster than driving. That's because it takes a quarter of a person's time to pay for buying, insuring, maintaining, and driving an average car, resulting in a lower speed in miles per hour than for a person on a bicycle.
• Everybody seemed to appreciate what they were shown, and were impressed with the huge number of bicyclists on campus bikepaths each school day.

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Recycle-A-Bicycle
by Edward France

• No, we're not talking about the metal scrap yard for those numerous abandoned bicycles that end up at the County Transfer Station, the Police impound, or that our street crews pick up weekly. These bikes deserve to live again just as much numerous Santa Barbara youth deserve a well functioning and safe bicycle.
• At the July Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition meeting imaginations ran wild envisioning "bicycle kitchens," youth earn-a-bike programs, and even a used bike refurbishment business.
• Years ago, the Coalition had partnered with Girls Inc. to run an earn-a-bike and bicycle safety program focusing on at-risk youth. The program abruptly ended around 1997, and despite its merit as a needed community service, finding continual funding proved a true challenge. Almost ten years later discussions of a community based used bicycle program are firing up again.
• The City of Santa Barbara, through its community based organization Looking Good Santa Barbara, has now brought the topic back to the table. The group desires to complement its anti-graffiti and neighborhood clean-up programs with a Reuse program that offers a positive outlet for Santa Barbara youth. Repair of abandoned bicycles to give to the participants, bicycle safety skills, mechanical skills, and especially fun activities built around the bicycle are all parts of a program that we envision. Looking Good Santa Barbara is actively looking to partner with the Coalition or Coalition members whom would like to re-establish such a program. Our first step is finding an individual or group that would like to serve as the coordinator for the Recycle-A-Bike program.
• Looking Good Santa Barbara is offering numerous resources toward hosting such a program, but it is up to driven individuals to see this potential community based program come to life.
• If you have interest in participating at any scale within the program please contact Edward France, Recycling Coordinator, City of Santa Barbara at 560-7517 or efrance@santabarbaraca.gov.

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• Editor's note: for more information on similar youth programs, check out:
• Youth Bicycle Education Network
• Community Cycling Center
• Recycle-a-Bicycle

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George Obern leaves us a legacy



On their tandem bike, George and Vie Obern ride through the ceremonial banner to open the Atascadero Creek Bikepath in 1975.

• George Obern passed away on June 19th. George and his wife Vie have been members of the Bicycle Coalition since 2002, but have been active in trail advocacy for decades. For bicyclists, we will be forever grateful for their pursuing the creation of the Atascadero Creek Bikepath that was renamed the Obern Trail in their honor in 2004. The Trail connects Santa Barbara with UCSB where George served as public information manager for 32 years.
• George Obern was El Presidente of Santa Barbara's Fiesta in 1977, and he and Vie rode in each Desfile Histórico over the past 30 years. They rescued the historic Hope House near Vieja Valley School from demolition, and lovingly restored the 1875 Italianate structure. Earlier this year, they received a Community Service Award by the Environmental Studies Program at the University.
• We reach out with sympathy to Vie and her family for the loss that we all share.

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July Coalition meeting topics

• Our July 5th monthly Bicycle Coalition meeting at Cody's Cafe attracted 18 people. We dealt with these topics:
• Members voted for Coalition officers and board members. We welcomed David Bourgeois to our Board of Directors, replacing Mark McClure who became Treasurer.
• Erika Lindemann reported at the great success of Traffic Solutions' Team Bike Challenge last month with 1102 bicyclists participating.
• We discussed generous funding from the Goleta Valley Cycling Club for education booklets and LED bike lights, and how we might distribute them.
• Ed France, working for the City of Santa Barbara, described a possible program for youth in Santa Barbara. People responded positively. A key part will be to attract a program coordinator.
• Dru van Hengel said that the next CycleSmart class will take place on July 19 and 22, taught by Doris Phinney and Hildy Hoffman. It will again emphasize the needs of bicycling women.
• Ralph Fertig described the effort to recover bikelanes temporarily used for parking during construction of the Granada Garage. The Planning Commission will consider it on July 6th.
• Details on the route for the Amgen Tour of California in 2007 are supposed to be announced in July.
• Ralph Fertig described the Isla Vista Master Plan environmental report, his comments at a public hearing, and the intention to submit them in writing.

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Bikers need place of their own



A biker temporarily enjoys the ramps and bowls at Santa Barbara's Skaters Point. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Apparently some bikers are unaware that bikes are prohibited from Skaters Point park in Santa Barbara. On July 14, Ralph Fertig talked to one who said that it was legal for him to be there.
• That's not correct responded Parks and Recreation director Nancy Rapp: "Bikes are definitely not allowed, and when we become aware of it we have the Park Rangers or police go by and deal with it."
• Concerning those who fail to wear helmets, knee or elbow pads, she said, "It is frustrating when people do not use the safety gear. We do not staff the facility all hours, but when we have monitors there we have a little better compliance with the regulations."
• What we really need is a home for BMX and stunt bikers to hone their skills. BMX dirt tracks are one thing, but riding on concrete is another.

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Coalition questions Isla Vista Plan



Cyclists on the El Colegio bikepath pass construction of the 976-bed San Clemente graduate student housing project. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• The student community of Isla Vista adjacent to UCSB has not only the highest population density in our county, but it also has the largest concentration of people on bicycles. We are therefore very concerned with changes proposed by the County's Isla Vista Master Plan.
• On May 31, the Bicycle Coalition's president Ralph Fertig spoke at a public hearing for a draft version of the Plan's Environmental Impact Report (EIR). A follow-up letter from the Coalition was submitted on July 14th. The letter began, "The importance and community benefits of bicycling cannot be over emphasized. People in Isla Vista get around mostly by foot and bicycle. Bicycling is the major way to travel onto UCSB campus. Over 70% IV residents are students, nearly all attending UCSB."
• It continues, "The Draft EIR describes the traffic problems generated by more housing. But it doesn't seem to ask where residents of the new housing come from. How many students now renting in Goleta or Santa Barbara would move to IV when new housing becomes available? And how many automobile trips might be reduced as a result? How will those new residents then get around? Only after those questions are answered can the net change in car trips be calculated. Isla Vista is not an average community, and stock figures for car trips generated by new housing cannot be applied."
• The letter then addresses proposed reduction of motorist congestion that endangers bicyclists: "The ëlevel of service' considers only the convenience of motorists. Mitigation measures identified in the EIR frequently mean adding new lanes to streets, especially multiple turn lanes at intersections. These might provide convenience for motorists, but what about other users who exist in large numbers in the area? What about pedestrians and bicyclists whose safety is compromised by the suggested environmental mitigations?"
• Next, the proposal of a "bicycle boulevard" is addressed: "The Sueno Bicycle Boulevard is a good idea because it will install traffic calming measures that help people on foot and bike. However, these are measures that should apply throughout the entire eastern Isla Vista area, not just one street."
• Just how our concerns will be treated in the final EIR remains to be seen. The lengthy process continues to move forward.

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2007 Amgen Tour of California announced



Supervisor Brooks Firestone, with representatives of the Solvang community, announces the Amgen Tour of California Time Trial. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Santa Barbara County did better than any other county in the stage starts/finishes for the Amgen Tour of California, as announced on July 20th. The 2007 Tour will take place over eight days, February 18-25, that is from Sunday to Sunday. We will host an individual time trial in Solvang, and a stage start in Santa Barbara. Here is the list of the stages:
• Prologue, San Francisco
  Stage 1, Sausalito to Santa Rosa
  Stage 2, Santa Rosa to Sacramento
  Stage 3, Stockton to San Jose
  Stage 4, Seaside to San Luis Obispo
  Stage 5, Time Trial, Solvang
  Stage 6, Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita
  Stage 7, Circuit Race, Long Beach
• For the 2007 Tour, there will be 18 professional teams competing, two more than in 2006. The teams have not been selected, nor the exact routes for each stage finalized, but they will both be by September. The Solvang time trial will probably include Alamo Pintado and Ballard Canyon Roads. The tour will have OLN television coverage, so millions will watch it at home.

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Coalition speaks out and recovers bikelanes

• Thanks to our Bicycle Coalition's Wilson Hubbell and Ralph Fertig addressing the Santa Barbara City's Planning Commission, we will have Anapamu Street bikelanes restored. On July 6th, the Commission considered the situation, and voted in our favor.
• Three blocks of striped bikelanes had been temporarily replaced with car parking during construction of the Granada Garage parking structure. The Garage is now opened for parking—and is currently only half filled—however the Downtown Organization requested that the city keep the on-street parking and not restore the bikelanes because nearby businesses benefit.
• Senior transportation planner Rob Dayton outlined the history to the Commission, saying that the City had promised the bicycling community to restore the bikelanes after the Garage was finished.
• Commissioner Charmaine Jacobs said that bike riders are highly valued in the city, that businesses had a windfall with extra parking, but the city has to keep its promise to us. Commissioner George Myers stated that he bicycles himself, and clearly the bikelanes must be restored. Chairman John Jostes stressed keeping a balance of travel modes in the city, so bikelanes have to be returned.
• Although the Downtown Organization could appeal to the City Council, they chose not to, saying that they might still seek restricted hours for bicyclist use.

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August meeting features Bike Kitchen

• Our noon Bicycle Coalition meeting on August 1st will include a report by Shoham Yaniv on his experiences working with LA's Bicycle Kitchen program. He is just finishing building a bike there, and wants to share his experience with us all. His thoughts mesh with those of Ed France in restarting a similar program in Santa Barbara. See the article above by France.
• To learn more about the Bicycle Kitchen, check out their neat logo above, and go to www.bicyclekitchen.com. Then join us at our noon meeting.

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Grand Jury studies Measure D

• A Santa Barbara County Grand Jury recently looked at the current Measure D transportation sales tax, specifically to determine whether it lived up to its promise in 1989 when voters approved it.
• Some individuals have criticized the current Measure as having failed to live up to its promise. The Grand Jury disagreed, concluding "that the accomplishments under Measure D justify the continuation of a transportation sales tax. All construction projects in the original Measure D Expenditure Plan have been completed on or ahead of schedule with the exception of the Highway 101 widening project, which was canceled in 1993 as a result of public opposition."
• "Sunsetting of Measure D without a replacement, however, will serve none of the constituencies conducting this debate." Read the report at www.sbcgj.org/2006/MeasureD.pdf.

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Tom Whittaker credits cycling for recovery
by Ralph Fertig



Tom Whittaker. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• After being diagnosed with brain cancer, undergoing nine hours of surgery and a year of chemotherapy in 2001, Carpinteria resident Tom Whittaker credits cycling for his recovery.
• Although Tom remembers his first Schwinn Stingray while he was growing up in Hawaii—"I crashed it," he confesses—he has returned to cycling since his bout with cancer inspired by Lance Armstrong and his Foundation (the LAF). "Cycling is fun," exudes Whittaker, "and I credit if for my recovery. It's extremely important to me."
• In 2005, he completed the Ride for the Roses century ride in Texas, his most memorable cycling experience. Cancer survivors were identified at the end and handed yellow roses. Recently, Tom just finished the LIVESTRONG Challenge century in Orange County. "It was nearly 100 degrees and people weren't drinking enough." He is hoping that next year, he can persuade them to hold the ride in the Santa Ynez Valley. This October, Tom will return to Texas for a three-day LIVESTRONG Summit where he will increase his awareness of the needs of others living with cancer, and learn how to identify and help those in our community.
• Tom joined our Bicycle Coalition last fall. He learned about us from Hazard's Cyclesport web site, and liked what he read about us on our site.
• Following his fearsome bout with cancer, Tom absolutely approaches life with greater clarity. "It has given more than it has taken away." What's most important in life? "My wife and two daughters," he immediately replied. "And my friends."

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Bike tunnel delayed

• The Highway 101 operational improvements between Milpas and Hot Springs include a tunnel for bicyclists and pedestrians under the railroad. That tunnel is intended to provide a safe continuation of the existing bikepath along the Clark Bird Refuge.
• However plans hit a snag when test drilling disclosed large boulders under the Union Pacific railroad tracks. UP said that they would permit a tunnel only if they got a new bridge out of the deal. The SBCAG staff worked on other designs that would be acceptable to the railroad, but the cost rose to $5 million, double the allocated funding for the planned tunnel.
• The upshot is that SBCAG is still committed to the path extension, but it's being split off the rest of the project due to redesign delays and cost constraints. So we are left out of the project, and have no idea when time and funding will become available.

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Tailwinds gives bikes to deserving kids



One of many beach cruisers given away.

• Tailwinds Bicycle Club sponsors a "Win-a-Bike" essay contest each year for students at local elementary schools in the Orcutt and Santa Maria area. The contest encourages youth to keep physically fit and broaden their world while rewarding their writing skills.
• Three schools participated in 2006—Mary Buren, Bonita, and Sanchez Elementary Schools. There were four winners at each school who won bikes, helmets, and locks. Tailwinds teamed with three local bike shops—Pedal Power, Main Street Cycles and Bike Barn—to obtain the prizes.
• Here are some quotes from the essays that the winning students wrote:
• Guadalupe Pliego: "I will decorate my bike so it can be prettier than it already is."
• Katia Cuello: "I would take care of my bike by washing it every eight days. I would also put oil on it every nine days. I would put it in my garage so it wouldn't get rained on."
• Robin Alliani: "The adventures I would unlock would be the fun of a bike, the wind rushing threw my hair and past my face. I would feel so free. The joy of a bike would be the feeling of freedom."
• Yesenia Beas: "I would be able to help my mom by going to the store on the bicycle and getting her the things she needs. I can study nature and also I can feel the fresh air on my face as I ride the bicycle. I could do tricks and race with my friends and family."

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We thank our active members

• Please thank and support the following Bicycle Coalition business members:
• Bicycle Bob's, Santa Barbara
• Big Gear Bike Gear, Santa Barbara
• Café de Velo, 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
• Santa Barbara Electric Bicycle Company, Santa Barbara
• We thank those who renewed their memberships: Michael Kwan, Kenneth Kosai, Mark Mittermiller, Randy Scott Clark, Annemarie Horner, Dennis Thompson, Nancy Mulholland and Mark Sapp.

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Santa Ynez Valley cycling featured



Food & Home cover featured cyclists.

• There was a great three-page article "Wheels on Fire" published in the Summer issue of Food & Home magazine. It describes cycling in the Santa Ynez Valley, from the discovery of the area by major racing teams, to the Lung Association's annual Bike for Breath ride, and to websites like ours and Traffic Solutions. FasTrack Bicycles' Dave Lettieri is quoted, and three other local shops are referenced—Open Air, VeloPro, and Dr J's Bicycle Shop.
• It wisely cautions about mixing biking with wine tasting: "... it might seem like a great idea to stop in at a few wineries while riding through our lovely vineyards, take care. You can bet that Lance didn't pause for pinot."
• Food & Home is an upscale publication that goes to 45,000 single-family residences, hotels, bed and breakfasts, bookstores, and corporate executives. It is mailed free to people between Santa Ynez Valley and Malibu. The article will certainly increase cycling and awareness of cycling in our area for current residents and visitors alike.

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