June
2007

Coalition filled Bike Week with events



A local version of the national Ride of Silence was held to commemorate bicyclists killed or injured by motorists. Photo by Ralph Fertig.



Willie Weir talked to 200 students at Hollister Elementary School about bicycling fun, travel, and safety. Photo by Ralph Fertig.



Mayor Marty Blum (left) and Councilmember Helene Schneider addressed Bike to Work Day bicyclists in downtown Santa Barbara. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• WOW! What a great week of activities we had. In addition to traditional Bike to Work Day, Bike to School Day, our Bike Week Celebration, and the Children's Festival, we added several new events: a Bike Film Festival, two extra Willie Weir presentations, a weekend bike tour, a Ride of Silence, and bike touring presentations. Here are comments about the major events that we enjoyed:
• Annual Bike Week Celebration. Attendance jumped up by 40% this year, and included Mayor Marty Blum and her husband. Willie Weir entertained us with tales and photos of biking in Cuba. We enjoyed a dinner by Country Catering, and honored Pedro Nava and Vie Obern with awards for their work that improves our bicycling.
• Bicycle Repair Workshop, sponsored by Santa Barbara BiciCentro. This is the third month of community biker get together for bike repair, skill sharing, construction, and great company at La Casa de la Raza.
• Bike Film Festival I & II, two evenings of bike films sponsored by HopeDance, UCSB's AS BIKES committee, and our Bicycle Coalition. There were lots of shorts, including Dorothy Littlejohn's new film about Santa Barbara High's Don Riders showing off their chromed low-rider cruisers, and Jess Reigel's newest unicycle film.
• Bike to School Day, sponsored by COAST and the City of Solvang. Events were arranged at individual schools. Debbie Castanha and John Padfield organized the events for hundreds of kids.
• Willie Weir at Hollister School. Arranged by parent Lori Cooper and principal Ryan Sparre, Willie entertained elementary school students with tales of his "magic carpet" bicycle trips, wrapped around admonishments to wear a helmet and to bike safely.
• Bike to Work Day. Morning events at UCSB and Santa Barbara attracted hundreds for free food, drinks, prizes. In Santa Barbara, Mayor Blum was joined by Councilmembers Williams, Schneider, and Barnwell.
• Ride of Silence. This ride memorialized those lost or injured in bicycling crashes in our area. The ride has grown to 272 locations worldwide. Jake Boysel's parents and brother joined a dozen others on a solemn ride led by Drew Hunter.
• Willie Weir Bikes around South Africa. We were fortunate to have Willie offer another presentation to 50 of us about his 5-month bike trek in South Africa. We are appreciative of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History's providing us with Farrand Hall.
• How to Plan a Cycling Adventure. Mark Sapp and Wilson Hubbell described how to select and load your bike, and plan a bike trip. It attracted about 25 people, whether they participated in the weekend trip to El Capitan State Park or not.
• Bicycle Touring. About 40 people returned to the Museum of Natural History for tales of biking in France, Spain, Thailand and Cambodia. Ralph Fertig and David Bourgeois showed photos taken by Ralph and Dave's wife Christine, and described the pleasures and challenges of bike touring abroad.
• Children's Festival. We teamed up with COAST to help children safely walk and bike to school and other destinations. About 60 low-cost helmets were sold.
• Cycling Adventure to El Capitan. Mark Sapp and Wilson Hubbell led ten others on an overnight trip from Santa Barbara to El Capitan State Park. They camped in the bike-in campground and had a super time in spite of passing nighttime freight trains.
• What a Bike Week it was! More participants, more events, more variety than ever before. Now then, what are your ideas for 2008?

---

Safety bicycle

• "So perfect is the safety bicycle, that, if the rider has sufficient skill not to interfere with its action, it will travel straight ahead and keep its own balance."
  — Scientific American, 1896

---

Cycling in the RAAM

• On June 12th in Oceanside four cyclists from Santa Barbara County will begin pedaling across the United States. They won't stop until Atlantic City 3000 miles later.
• They are members of the Kalyra Women's Racing Team, sponsored by Kalyra Winery in Santa Ynez, and they are in the 25th annual Race Across America (RAAM) to help raise funds for Girls Incorporated of Greater Santa Barbara.
• The RAAM has solo riders, and teams consisting of 2, 4, 6, or 8 members. While the solo riders will take time out of cycling for sleep, all the teams will have a rider pedaling on the road at any time.
• The riders are Jill Gass, Sonia Ross, Denise Clark, and Lisa Tonello. Clark is a member of our Bicycle Coalition, and Tonello is owner of The Bike Barn in Santa Maria. They are seeking contributions to help support their effort and raise money for Girls Inc. You can help their effort online at www.girlsincsb.org.
• Not to be outdone by the ladies, there is additionally a group of eight local men who formed Team Santa Barbara Bank & Trust. Members are Jim Adams, George Bifano, Edwin Allbritton, Fred Clough, Donald Flanigan, Brian Knowles, Lance Mason, and Richard Ward.
• You can learn about the RAAM at www.raceacrossamerica.org, where there's also background information on all the racers. The RAAM is the longest endurance cycling event in the world, with intimidating logistics. Clark notes, "Besides a rigorous training schedule and determining our fuel/food and possible medical needs, we have recruited a top notch crew of 16 from across the country, planned for the set-up of our vehicles, prepped equipment, memorized pages of rules and done trial runs with our local crew." We wish them all luck.

---

Drizzle dampens Earth Day cyclists



Coalition Board member Judy Keim talks to visitors at our Earth Day information booth. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• The weather gods have been kind to Santa Barbara's Earth Day since we started participating in 1992, but this year they sent light rain and drizzle our way. While lots or people showed up on bikes in the morning, as the increasingly wet day progressed, their numbers dropped.
• Once again, we offered our popular free bike check-ups to bicyclists. Thanks to Wilson Hubbell, Geoff Grow, Jim Marshall and Robert Rainwater for volunteering their time and bike expertise to help 51 people. And thanks to Pierre Delong for keeping track of those waiting for check-ups. That number is down from last year's total of 95 check-ups, most likely due to the rain.
• Because of donations from three local bike shops, we raffled off gift certificates to bicyclists for use at Hazard's Cyclesport, Open Air Bicycles, and Café de Velo.
• At our separate information booth in the alternative transportation section of Earth Day, we convinced ten new individuals to join our Coalition. People picked up more literature at Earth Day than any other event where we had a presence this year. Our thanks goes to those who staffed our booth: Judy Keim, Bob Burgess, Ralph Fertig, Dave Bourgeois, and Drew Hunter.
• Overall, bicycling as a tool that people can use to help save our planet from climate change, fossil fuel depletion, species extinction, ozone loss, and more, is rising in our community's awareness and actions. We're part of a rising tide of solutions. Ride on!

---

How to move people

• Ivan Illich writes in Energy and Equity that to move 40,000 people an hour across a bridge, you have the choices shown above. If you care about the taxes you pay for transportation services and infrastructure, you will promote bicycling to save us all money. All taxpayers will thank you.

---

Goleta scout runs Bicycle Safety Fair



Alex Wolff, left, welcomes participants to his Bicycle Safety Fair. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Eagle scout Alex Wolff wanted to improve bicyclist safety, so he organized a Bicycle Safety Fair on April 28 in Goleta. Our Bicycle Coalition was invited to staff a booth, so our president Ralph Fertig did just that. The most popular item at our table was the Street Smarts booklet that was appropriately provided by the Goleta Valley Cycling Club.
• There were fewer participants than Wolff had hoped for, but marketing is the most challenging part of similar projects. His event report summed things up, "There were six different learning stations: a bicycle check up station, youth and adult teaching opportunity, bike helmet distribution, Boy Scout booth, Bicycle Coalition booth, and a safety riding course. The Bicycle Safety Fair provided a valuable learning experience not only for the children who attended, but their parents and scout volunteers as well."
• If you wish to contact Wolff for details, email him at ageckoguy@hotmail.com.

---

Whittaker lives strong

• Bicycle Coalition member and cancer survivor Tom Whittaker is riding in Lance Armstrong's LIVESTRONG Challenge in Portland, Oregon this September.
• In 2001, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Scared, angry and worried for his family and himself, he endured two years of chemotherapy, and is now beginning further treatment. More determined than ever not to let cancer rob him of life, he's cycling 100 miles and hoping to raise $7500 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. To help him, go to http://portland07.livestrong.org and learn about the Challenge Tom is facing.

---

Santa Barbara Bikestation opens for business



Guests inspect the Bikestation facilities before the May 1st opening ceremony. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• It's finally open! Our county's first Bikestation opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 1st attended by nearly 100 people, including Supervisor Salud Carbajal, Mayor Marty Blum, and several City Councilmembers. It's located inside the new Granada Garage car parking facility, next to the Coffee Cat and across Anacapa Street from the County's Administration Building.
• The Bikestation is providing bicyclists with a secure place to store their bicycles, a shower room, lockers, restrooms, and a place to buy bike basics. Security is provided by video surveillance cameras, and personal membership cards that identify each person's entry by time and date. This system has reportedly provided total security at other Bikestation installations.
• Membership entails a basic $20/year administration charge, plus a usage fee based on whether you choose an annual contract, a monthly one, or day-by-day one. The annual usage fee is $96, the monthly one $12. Day packages depend on number of days.
• The City's mobility coordinator Dru van Hengel says that a shared-use bicycle program will be running soon, to be followed later with ones for electric bicycles and scooters. These entail no additional fees.
• To use the Bikestation, you have to go to the Bikestation Coalition's website www.bikestation.org. There you can also learn about the five other Bikestations elsewhere on the West Coast.

---

Earth Day greatest in Coalition popularity

• Our Bicycle Coalition has staffed a booth at seven events so far this year:
• Amgen Tour of California, Solvang
• Amgen Tour of California, Santa Barbara
• UCSB's Island View Races, Isla Vista
• Earth Day, Santa Barbara
• Bike Safety Fair, Goleta
• Bike to Work Day, Santa Barbara
• Children's Festival, Santa Barbara.
• In order to measure the effectiveness of participating in the various events, Bicycle Coalition president Ralph Fertig has been tracking how many of the dozen or so items at our info table have been taken by participants.
• Of particular interest to us is the Bicycle Coalition-specific items (like Quick Release) versus general things (like the Bring your Bike on Amtrak California tri-fold). When the data for the top four events are plotted in a graph, it clearly shows that Santa Barbara's Earth Day is the winner in both categories. Plus, it was the source of ten new Coalition memberships. Even when looked at the number of items distributed per hour, Earth Day is still top, but Bike to Work Day moves up to third place. We love Earth Day and apparently vice versa.

---

May Bicycle Coalition meeting topics

• Our May 1st monthly Bicycle Coalition meeting was at noon at the Santa Barbara Bank & Trust conference room. Twelve people attended to discuss these topics:
• Ralph Fertig showed a PowerPoint presentation about the National Bike Summit and Washington DC bike facilities.
• Tony Boughman from the City introduced the 2-year Plan Santa Barbara and invited input from bicyclists.
• The dampened bicyclist turnout at Earth Day hindered neither spirits nor interest in bicycling.
• The modest success of our booth at UCSB Cycling's Island View Classic bike races in Isla Vista was described, along with a few good contacts.
• BiciCentro's first two workshops at Casa de la Raza were successful, and more are definitely coming.
• We will do another count of bicyclists from June 5-14; help will be appreciated.
• The upcoming trial of Ernesto Botello over the tragic death of young bicyclist Jake Boysel was noted.
• An exciting cluster of upcoming Bike Week events were outlined, participation was encouraged.

---

Crosswalk bulbouts—are cyclists safe?



The City of Santa Barbara is busy installing bulbouts like these at Quinto and De la Vina. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• A question about bicyclist safety in biking past Santa Barbara's sidewalk "bulbouts" has been raised. The bulbouts shorten the distance that pedestrians have to cross the intersection, reducing their exposure to motorists. They extend five feet into the street, and are only installed adjacent to vehicle parking that protrudes between six and eight feet.
• There should be no problems for cyclists unless they are violating the law and biking on the sidewalk, or if they are doing something unsafe and unwise—biking in the car parking area. If you're biking where you should safely and legally be on the roadway, there should be no additional danger caused by these pedestrian safety measures.

---

Botello trial—where’s the justice?
by Ralph Fertig



The Calle Real fence next to the place where Jake Boysel died was covered with touching testimony of the boy's charismatic personality. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• After three days of deliberation, the jury announced that it was hopelessly deadlocked. Reportedly, six thought that Ernesto Botello was guilty of killing young Jake Boysel, and six thought not.
• The story goes back to September 6, 2006 as 12-year old Jake biked toward La Colina Junior High. As he pedaled in the bikelane on Calle Real, Botello hit him from the rear, propelling him 99 feet through the air. Jake's backpack was torn off, his helmet knocked off, a shoe lost, and his mountain bike run over. Jake died of head injuries.
• I sat through a day of jury selection and six agonizing days of trial, April 17-25th. Each evening, I sent a report to our email list. What emerged was that the road condition and lane striping were not contributing factors. Botello's SUV windshield was dusty and cracked, the window washing reservoir was empty, his seat was reclined at a 45º angle, and his sound system was blaring music. He drove daily on Calle Real to work. At some point that morning the rising sun blinded him, but he didn't slow down. Botello very likely had a good opportunity to see Jake. "I never saw him," he stated.
• Judge Clifford Anderson declared a mistrial on May 1st. Nine days later the District Attorney's office announced that they would not seek a retrial. Botello cannot again be tried—he is a free man.
• A local lawyer who followed the trial told me, "I believe half of the jury was wrong. Unfortunately we are stuck with their decision because that is our system of justice."
• We weep first at our loss of Jake Boysel, then at our loss of justice.

---

We thank our active members

• Please thank and support the following Bicycle Coalition business members:
• Bicycle Bob's, Santa Barbara
• Nett & Champion Insurance Services, Santa Barbara
• The Bike Barn, Santa Maria
• Café de Velo, Santa Barbara
• Open Air Bicycles, Santa Barbara
• Santa Barbara Electric Bicycle Company, Santa Barbara
• Pedal Power Bicycles, Santa Maria
• Chris King Precision Components, Portland OR
• Run Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara
• In addition, we welcome new members Michael Chiacos, Tom Hinshaw, Jeff Lindgren, Denise Clark, Diane Wondolowski, Michael Brown, Morton Steinmetz, Adrianne Davis and Arlene Allen. We further thank those who renewed their memberships: Burt Romotsky, Lindsay Webster, Dave & Christine Bourgeois, Michael Beiley, Andy Cranmer, Edward Barrier, Baron & Cecile Corpuz, Thomas Matthias, Connie Styrwoll, Barney Berglund and Carolyn Dukes.

---

Trail survey reveals few complaints about bikers

• The Multi-use Trails Coalition, a new South Coast group concerned about possible loss of bicyclist access to trails recently conducted a survey to determine trail user experiences and concerns.
• They performed the survey because there were scant objective data on the nature and degree of conflict among user groups on which to base trail improvements. They presented their findings to the Front Country Trails Task Force on May 2, 2007.
• To obtain objective data, they gave Trail Survey forms to individuals exiting the bottom trailheads of Romero Canyon, Cold Springs, San Ysidro, and Tunnel Trails. They did not identify their organization or interest in the results. The surveys were conducted in mid-February at busy trail weekday and weekend times.
• The result was 365 people surveyed. A majority of 81% were hiking or running; the remaining 19% were on bikes. There were no equestrians, although 1% wrote that they sometimes ride horses.
• When asked about improving their experience, users could write anything, and 73% of them responded with one or more suggestions as shown in the graph. Only 2% of the responders wrote "Restrict bikers" and 1% wrote "More bike bells." Dogs on the trails were as much a concern as bikers, and several other things—especially signs and trail condition—were much greater concerns.
• To find out more about the Multi-use Trails Coalition, go to www.multiusetc.org. To learn about the Trails Task Force meetings, go to the website www.santabarbaraca.gov.

---