July
2007

City of Santa Barbara awarded bikepath funds



This map shows the approximate multipurpose path between Old Mill Road on the southwest and La Colina Road on the northeast.

• Caltrans recently announced that a proposed Safe Routes to School project in Santa Barbara County was awarded $901,700—the "Jake Boysel Multipurpose Pathway" in the City of Santa Barbara. The funding is for design and construction of a multipurpose path for bicyclists and pedestrians. It is named in the memory of 12-year old Jake Boysel who was hit and killed by a motorist last year while biking to school on Calle Real.
• The path will connect Old Mill Road and La Colina Road, running between the St Vincent housing project and Cieneguitas Creek.
• Our Bicycle Coalition fully endorses the proposed path. Last December, our letter of support said "Their proposal addresses the urgent need for a safer means for children to bike and walk to schools in the western part of the city, distressingly brought to our attention by the death of a 12-year old student bicycling to school last September on a busy arterial. The need for a safer route for our children has been clearly demonstrated for this part of the city."
• Funding for the Caltrans program comes from the Federal SAFETEA-LU transportation act. There were 459 proposed California projects asking for $178 million and competing in the current cycle. Only 88 were selected by Caltrans for a funding total of $35 million.
• Last year two projects in our county were funded by the state Safe Routes to School program:
• $450,000 to Guadalupe for flashing beacons, crosswalk lights, curb ramps, and wider sidewalks at Mary Buren Elementary and Kermit McKenzie Junior High Schools.
• $450,000 to Carpinteria for bike/walking paths, traffic calming and safety programs at Canalino Elementary, Carpinteria High, and Rincon High Schools.
• The SAFETEA-LU funding program is intended to improve conditions for children in kindergarten through eighth grade, to safely walk and bicycle to school. Another call for projects will occur this fall for the remaining Federal Safe Routes to School funds. We congratulate the three cities on their success, and encourage all county jurisdictions to apply for further funding this fall.

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Cyclist praises Coalition website

• Our Bicycle Coalition website has a wealth of information for cyclists visiting Santa Barbara County. There's information on local weather, bike clubs, bike shops, bike rentals, books, related websites, bike tour providers, and do-it-yourself bike rides.
• We don't know how many people actually use the information, but we just received an email from Steve Stuart in Carlsbad, California. He took the time to send us this email:
• "Just wanted to thank the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition for putting together the bike rides with maps on your web page. Four of us went up from San Diego and did part of your Sideways route in May. We enjoyed ourselves in the surrounding area for a weekend and probably would have done the whole Sideways route if a mechanical problem and those darn wine tasting side trips hadn't distracted us :-) Had a great time—keep up the good work.
• I've actually met up with two other parties since then on separate occasions during my riding in San Diego who have used your routes to guide them in Santa Barbara. It looks like your site is being well used."
• Thank you for your good words, Steve!

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Bikestation Santa Barbara is attracting ... bicyclists!



City employee Karen Gumtow leaves the Bikestation for her daily ride home after work. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• One month after its May 1st opening, Bikestation Santa Barbara already had 55 bicyclists subscribed for its services. Although there are bike racks for 80 bicycles, due to varying schedules and needs, there can be many more members, possibly 200.
• Early adapter and City employee Karen Gumtow loves it because it's just below her Environmental Services office. Although she only commutes a short distance in town, it makes sense to her to bike.
• The Bikestation has secure bike parking, lockers, showers, bathrooms, compressed air, a vending machine for biking essentials , workstand, and wheel truing stand. Interested? Learn more at www.bikestation.org.

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Amtrak updates bike-on-train policy

• Last May, Amtrak updated their policies for carrying bicycles on passenger trains. If you've been wondering what you can and cannot do, here's the scoop:
• Folding bicycles must be folded before carrying into passenger cars. To qualify, the folded size must be no larger than 34x15x48 inches. They must be stored in the luggage areas at the end of the cars, not in overhead racks.
• Regular bicycles can be rolled onto Pacific Surfliner cars and hung in the bike racks. It's on a first-come, first-served basis. Outside Southern California, it also applies to Cascade, Piedmont, Downeaster, Capitol, San Joaquin, and Heartland Flyer trains.
• Regular bicycles for all other trains must be boxed and checked as baggage. Not all stations have baggage service—out of the four stations in our county, only Santa Barbara has baggage service.
• Bicycles do not count toward the two-bag carry-on limit.
• To learn more about Amtrak California bike accommodation, go to this website: www.amtrakcalifornia.com.
• Additionally, you can often find Amtrak discounts offered on the Santa Barbara Car Free site: www.santabarbaracarfree.org. If you have car-free visitors coming your way, check out other deals on the website.

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Envision Santa Barbara’s future



The second community workshop elicited thoughts about Santa Barbara's current and future conditions. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• The City of Santa Barbara is updating its General Plan that sets guidelines to determine what the city will be like in the future. The ongoing process—called "Plan Santa Barbara"óinvolves extensive public input. At our June 5th general meeting, Tony Boughman and others from the city gave a presentation and solicited ideas from us. There are four community workshops being held in June and July in locations around the city. If you missed the three June ones, consider attending the fourth:
• July 7, Plan Santa Barbara Workshop
  Hope School, 3870 La Colina Road, 9:00-noon
• When participants at the second workshop were asked what they liked most about the area, they mentioned climate, trees, physical beauty, cultural amenities, recreational opportunities, societal diversity, engaged residents, architecture, local produce, clean air, educational institutions, community gardens, and a small-town feeling.
• For the future, they want more attractive alternative transportation, attention to global climate change and local actions to address it, safer walking and biking, slower traffic speeds, and workforce housing.
• You don't have to be a resident to participate in the process because what happens in Santa Barbara effects us all. You can learn more at the city's website www.YouPlanSB.org where you can also post comments.
• The issues and concerns raised in the workshops will be reflected in the new Santa Barbara General Plan. It will be incorporated in draft documents that go to City Commissions and Boards this summer. Then their recommendations will be integrated and presented this fall at public forums. The final version will go to the City Council next year for approval.
• This is your opportunity to help forge a General Plan that will make bicycling safer, more appealing, and better for everybody for decades to come. Don't be left out.

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Bicyclist count

• As this issue of Quick Release goes to press, results from the Santa Barbara City bicyclist count 2007 are still being returned by volunteers. It's been two years since our last count, so if anything has recently changed much, we will find out what. Watch for a report next month.

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County residents prefer alternatives

• According to the University of California Santa Barbara's Social Science Survey Center, nearly twice as many residents of Santa Barbara County want the government to emphasize alternative transportation rather than highway construction.
• The resulting chart illustrates that 60% prefer alternative transportation while 34% favor highways. Perhaps surprisingly, the difference holds true throughout the county—57% of North County people prefer alternatives, while 63% of those in the denser South Coast do.
• Those results were published in the Center's Central Coast Survey in May 2007. The question asked of 1023 county households in the phone survey was, "When it comes to improving the county's transportation system, do you think your local government should put more emphasis on highway construction or alternatives, such as mass transit or bicycle lanes?"
• A more-specific question in the Survey asked residents whether they favored commuter rail Ventura-to-SB, widening 101 Ventura-line-to-SB, neither, or both. The results showed 29% favor rail only, 33% favor widening only, 27% favor both, and 7% want neither. Here, there was a North-South difference, where North County people prefer the road widening and South Coast people prefer rail.
• You can read the entire 49-page Survey at www.survey.ucsb.edu.

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Solvang and Santa Barbara propose Amgen Tour return

• Pleased with success in bringing two stages of the 2007 Amgen Tour of California to Santa Barbara County, local organizing committees in both cities have applied for a repeat in 2008.
• Our Bicycle Coalition is again teaming up with the City of Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara Conference and Visitors Bureau to propose a stage start on Cabrillo Boulevard. That's the same as 2007 and it will again provide an opportunity for family bicycle activities before the start.
• The Solvang City Council expressed concerns about closing Highway 246 for the day, but after consulting with Tour organizers, acceptable detours were agreed upon.
• Other California cities are contending for Tour stages in their communities, so nothing is guaranteed until the stage cities are announced in July.

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Bike Challenge attracts hundreds

• Traffic Solutions' countywide Team Bike Challenge is continuing through the month of June. There are over 250 teams with up to five members each. They track the number of days and miles they take a trip by bicycle instead of by car. Each team has at least two "novice" bicyclists—meaning that about 500 people are learning the pleasures of transportation by bicycle. Prizes will be awarded to winning teams and individuals. Watch for a final report in August Quick Release.
• In the meantime, check out what's happening online at www.teambikechallenge.com.

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New sign increases cyclist safety



Looking downhill on Cliff Drive near Arroyo Burro Beach, the City's new advisory sign is now augmented with words of caution on the shoulder. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Last March 6th, Bicycle Coalition president Ralph Fertig received a phone call from Robert Grossman, a cyclist from Santa Maria. Grossman related how, on a Tailwinds Bicycle Club ride last September in Santa Barbara, both he and another cyclist skidded on roadway sand while descending Cliff Drive from Hope Ranch toward Arroyo Burro Beach.
• Grossman got away with only a torn shoulder, but his cycling friend suffered several broken bones.
• He complained to the City of Santa Barbara, but was told that he was going too fast for the conditions. It was his problem, not the City's. Grossman wasn't seeking restitution, but only some kind of sign warning future cyclists of the sharp, unbanked curve and possible sand blown or washed onto the roadway.
• Most South Coast cyclists are already aware of that dangerous section of downhill and are typically cautious. Many recall the tragic death of Dr. Jeffrey Gribb who crashed while cycling downhill there in 2002.


• Fertig contacted Santa Barbara's mobility coordinator Dru van Hengel who went into action. The result of her work is a new sign before the dangerous curve warning cyclists of slippery conditions. We all thank van Hengel for her prompt response. Grossman was pleased, "I am glad to hear that the City is taking some action to protect cyclists. My shoulder will not have been torn in vain."

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Women rule!

• Well, maybe not rule, but at least win. The Santa Barbara county's Team Kalyra—consisting of four female cyclists—just beat out the other six four-person teams in the Race Across America (the RAAM). They finished the nonstop 3043-mile race in 174.5 hours. That's averaging 17.4 MPH. Congratulations to Jill Gass, Sonia Ross, Denise Clark and Lisa Tonello.
• The other local team, eight men sponsored by Santa Barbara Bank & Trust, came in an hour after the ladies, showing what gentlemen they are.

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Coalition to help craft Measure D 2008

• Our Bicycle Coalition has been asked to join 12 other organizations in a "Policy Development Committee" to consider a South Coast expenditure plan for a new proposed Measure D half-cent transportation tax.
• The current countywide Measure D tax will expire in 2010, and without a replacing source of revenue, transportation programs and road maintenance will be cut in half. Last November, voters defeated a proposed 3/4-cent tax, so this 2008 measure is the last chance to pass a replacement without interruption of services.
• Our committee consists of four chambers of commerce, COAST, PTA, Auto Club, Coastal Rail Now, UCSB's Associated Students, PUEBLO, Tri-Counties Labor Council, and the Taxpayers Association. Each will have a representative and an alternate.
• SBCAG has decided that funds for widening Highway 101 between Montecito and the Ventura County line will come off the top of tax revenues. The remainder will be split between North and South areas, and two subregional committees will make recommendations for apportioning the funds.

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Introducing Lisa Murawski
by Ralph Fertig



Lisa Murawski. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Lisa Murawski is the newest team member at Traffic Solutions, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) organization that promotes alternatives to the drive-alone motorist. Lisa started work last March, joining the three other dedicated Traffic Solutions workers.
• Lisa comes our way from snowy Buffalo where she earned an undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering, noting that with a half year of inclement weather, not many people bike commute there. After New York, it was a shock to begin graduate school at UCSB where the majority of students bicycle around. She lived in Isla Vista while working on a masters degree in Geography and of course biked to campus.
• What got Lisa her new job was research on transportation networks in developing countries, applying it specifically to Ghana. Her job involves working with employers to educate them about responsible transportation options. Outside work, she is happily living in Old Town Goleta in a house with cats, housemates, and occasional skunks passing through her neighborhood.

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June Bicycle Coalition meeting topics

• Our June 5th monthly Bicycle Coalition meeting was at the Santa Barbara Bank & Trust conference room. Twelve people attended to discuss these topics:
• Our Bike Week overall success and places for improvement were discussed.
• Tony Boughman presented information about the Plan Santa Barbara process, encouraging us to provide input.
• We were introduced to Lisa Murawski, a new employee at Traffic Solutions. She described their Team Bike Challenge that is taking place during June.
• Ralph Fertig announced that UCSB had just obtained enough funding for a bike path along the West Campus bluffs.
• Ed France described the success of Bici Centro's second workshop at Casa de la Raza in Santa Barbara. He is hoping that they will soon obtain outside funding.
• Participation in the Community Environmental Council's Fossil Free by ë33 transportation program was discussed. It was decided to form a committee to develop bicycle recommendations for their report.
• Ralph Fertig described progress in making the temporary Cabrillo Boulevard construction bridge over Mission Creek permanent.
• The disappointing Botello hung jury and implications were discussed.
• People were encouraged to attend the Santa Barbara Bike Fest of mountain biking.

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LCI Training Seminar coming

• There will be a League of American Bicyclists training seminar in San Luis Obispo on August 10-12. It's a chance to become a certified League Cycling Instructor (LCI) so you can teach others safe, responsible bicycling behavior.
• Registration deadline is July 9th. You must be a League member, pay $200 for the seminar, and successfully complete a Road I class. Details on the League website www.bikeleague.org, and from coordinator Jean Anderson.

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UCSB bikepath funded



Pooling water after storms encourages people to make adjacent trails on the West Campus bluffs. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Two University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) student groups received a funding boost of $175,000 from the California Coastal Conservancy to restore the badly deteriorated path along the bluffs in West Campus. That grant, voted by the Conservancy on May 24th, was the needed amount to complete the project. Previously, the Associated Students Shoreline Preservation Fund and the BIKES Committee had raised $90,000 for the project from student fees.
• The restored trail will be at least ten feet wide, a half-mile long, and will be surfaced with decomposed granite treated with a polymer binder to prevent water pooling and rutting. It will provide an all-weather surface for joggers, bicyclists, and the handicapped. In addition, the new path will be located farther from the bluffs, reducing cliff erosion. It will avoid vernal pools and other sensitive habitats, while restoring plants in compromised areas, and installing informational signs and benches.
• Construction should start this fall and be completed by spring 2008.

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Le Tour de France

• The venerable Tour de France will break a 104-year tradition of starting in France by holding its Grand départ on July 7th in London. Mayor Ken Livingston said, "This event will showcase the capital to the world, bring huge amounts of visitors to London and encourage more Londoners to take to two wheels." London, which reportedly paid $6 million for the race start, expects that the British economy will benefit with over $200 million from the first two Tour stages in England.
• The Tour de France runs for three weeks over 2200 miles and ends in Paris on July 29th. Logistics are daunting: the Tour has a crew of 5000 personnel, including 1000 media representatives. Of particular concern this year is suspected and actual drug use by cyclists. However, new measures are in place and Tour director Christian Prudhomme notes that with a "shared commitment to fight against doping, then not only do we have nothing to fear in the future, but everything to hope for."
• Those with cable TV coverage will be able to follow the action on Versus. Oh, yes, there will be 189 cyclists racing this year.

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Thinking about carbon



The CEC's Michael Chiacos is now heading the transportation fossil fuel reduction group, and seeking a new bike saddle. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• No not carbon fiber bike frames, but about carbon-based fossil fuels and how to reduce our consumption of them. Like by biking instead of driving.
• Everybody has heard about our accelerating depletion of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas, and the harmful effects that their burning is having on our planet's climate. All us bicyclists are making a real difference by taking trips using our own renewable power rather than taking it from outside fossil-based resources.
• The nonprofit Community Environmental Center (CEC) in Santa Barbara is taking it much further with their "Fossil Free by ë33" program where they are proposing means to eliminate our regional dependence on fossil fuels by the target year 2033. One component of that effort is developing recommendations for transportation choices that will reduce fossil fuel use by 2020.
• Early this year CEC's energy program director Tam Hunt organized a group that includes several members of our Bicycle Coalition to develop recommendations for our region. The report will provide information for individuals, businesses and government.
• To date, the group has been assessing different means of reducing fuel use in terms of impact (what is the potential to make a difference), feasibility (how realistic is implementation), and cost (how much will it cost the individual and our community). To our satisfaction, the basic bicycle naturally rises to the top.
• Management of the group recently passed into the hands of CEC's energy program senior associate Michael Chiacos. What is coming up next is a series of report sections on the various strategies to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Bicycle Coalition president Ralph Fertig has been asked to write the bicycle section. At our last Bicycle Coalition meeting, the subject was discussed, and it was decided to have a group of interested individuals make recommendations on the content.
• The CEC is a well-respected member of our community, so what they publish will receive serious attention. Watch for updates.

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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
• Pedal Power Bicycles, Santa Maria
• Santa Barbara Electric Bicycle Company, Santa Barbara
• Chris King Precision Components, Portland OR
• Run Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara
• We welcome new members Lisa Murawski, Meredith & Debbie de Roos, Lisa Valdez, Jerry Vassallo, Rod Soria, Jane Rudolph and John Woolley. We further thank those who renewed their memberships: Dennis & Patricia Forester, Harry Nelson, Robert Goettler, Joya Sexton, Ed France, Corey Anderson, Mary Byrd and John Fisher.