August
2007

Why not a South Coast bike program?
by Ralph Fertig



The Paris Vélib' website has this image on its home page, reminding everybody that "The city is more beautiful by bicycle."

• The day after their July 14th Bastille Day, Parisians woke up to find 10,600 bicycles available at 750 stations for their use. The public-private initiative was crafted by Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë to propel the city toward a greener future.
• The question for us is how much would the South Coast—or just the City of Santa Barbara—benefit from a similar program? Judging from the success of recent programs in Europe, it would reduce traffic congestion, cut pollution, promote fitness, and be a popular means of travel for residents and visitors alike.
• Throughout Paris there are Vélib' (meaning vélo liberté) stations every 300 yards. During the first week of operation, there were 45,000 rentals a day. Each station has an electronic vending kiosk with instructions in eight languages. Using your credit card at the kiosk, you get a bike card to swipe over one of the waiting bicycles to release it. Vélib' maintenance workers redistribute bikes to meet demand. As bikes are returned, diagnostic software automatically checks tire pressure, lights, and brakes; if a bike fails the tests, it is locked out of service and a mechanic is directed to it. By the end of 2007, the system will be expanded to 1451 stations offering 20,600 bicycles.
• The bicycles are a custom design. Each one has a low step-through frame, adjustable seat height, roller brakes, always-on front and rear dynamo lights, front wire basket, 3-speed Nexus hub gears, chain guard, cable lock, puncture-resistant Marathon Plus tires with reflective sidewalls, and a kick-stand that lifts the bike off its rear wheel. Every part of the bike has security bolts which require special tools to undo. Even the valve stems are protected from deflation.
• Paris is not the first city to offer bicycles. For decades, "free bike" programs have emerged with reconditioned bikes being placed around cities. These have invariably failed because new ones could not quickly enough replace those vandalized or stolen. Over the years, issues of dependability and security have been addressed.
• Paris is following the lead of other European cities with inexpensive bicycle services. They include Stockholm, Vienna, Brussels, Barcelona, Córdoba, and Copenhagen. One week after Paris launched its program, Seville introduced 300 bikes at 30 stations to its residents and tourists. By the end of 2007, Seville will have five times as many.
• 
  
  This is one of the bicycles available for free for 30 minutes in Lyon, France. Photo by Simon Nuttall.
• Two years ago, Lyon, France initiated its bike program. They now have 2000 bicycles at 175 locations. The bikes are used up to 15 times a day, and the average number of rides a day is about 15,000. Ninety percent of the journeys on their bikes last less than 30 minutes, for which there is no charge.
• So what is happening in the US? American cities are paying attention and moving to adapt the new secure European technology. Washington DC will have free bikes later this year. Portland, Oregon, just sent out a "request for proposal" for a bicycle system. Chicago, New York and San Francisco are investigating the possibilities.
• So why not our South Coast? Carpinteria Beach campers could bike into town. University of California students could bike to the Airport, Amtrak station, or Marketplace. Downtown Santa Barbara workers could pedal to restaurants for lunch, and tourists could go from hotels to local destinations.
• How would it be paid for? European cities are trading space on billboards for bikes. Here, we could sell kiosk or bike advertising space. We might enter into agreements with major employers. Or perhaps tap into part of the upcoming South Coast Measure D 2008 transportation tax.

---

Stars are aligned

• Walt Seifert, director of the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates writes about a June 27th meeting of bicycling advocates with Caltrans director Will Kempton, California transportation commissioner Carl Guardino, and others.
• Seifert says that both Kempton and Guardino observed that conditions are converging to propel bicycling to greater usage. "The stars are aligned to make progress on bicycling. Obesity concerns, community livability, recognition of the need for complete streets, interest in safe routes to school, and governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's leading role in the fight against global warming all have the potential to change transportation policies and shift strategies."
• When alerted to Caltrans-controlled challenges to commuting bicyclists, Kempton asked his staff what they can do right away to improve facilities. When he heard about bill AB 163 that requires California government agencies to accommodate commuting bicyclists, he immediately said that they would support the bill.
• Among other problems discussed were the isolation and inconvenience caused by freeways, not only to pedestrians and bicyclists, but frequently to motorists as well.

---

U-lock mystery remains a mystery



This is one of 52 bicycle U-locks along Los Carneros Road in Goleta, near the Airport. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Last June 27th, Bicycle Coalition member David Madajian posted a question to our email list about what he found in Goleta: "I noticed that on the path along Los Carneros from Mesa to Hollister there are bicycle U-locks on nearly every pole along the chain link fence. Does anyone know why they are there?"
• Nobody did. Investigation determined that there were 52 LeMond U-locks on the ground, attached to consecutive fence posts. Everyone was baffled. Nobody lives near the area, so it wouldn't make sense to lock bicycles there. Nobody knew when they were installed, but by late July, they were still there. Somebody must know ...

---

Solvang and Santa Barbara bring back the Amgen Tour

• At a press conference on July 25th, the cities of Solvang and Santa Barbara announced that the Amgen Tour of California cycling race will return here next February. Solvang will again host a time trial on Friday, February 23rd. And on Saturday the 24th, Santa Barbara will be the start of a stage that ends in Santa Clarita. Those are what we hosted in 2007, attracting thousands of spectators, promoting cycling in our county, and bringing in over $1 million in revenue.
• Our Bicycle Coalition will again administer the Local Organizing Committee for the Santa Barbara stage. Coalition member Barney Berglund will chair the committee.
• The 700-mile, eight-day stage race will begin in Palo Alto on the 17th, and end in Pasadena on the 24th. Other cities hosting stages are Modesto, Sacramento, San Jose, San Luis Obispo, Santa Rosa, Sausalito, and Seaside.

---

Wet Willy Sez

• This month marks the beginning of an advice column authored by Coalition Vice President Wilson Hubbell. Please submit any questions you may have about cycling related issues to wilsonhubbell@aol.com.
• Dear Wet Willy: I was riding along Hwy 101 between Orcutt and Goleta and encountered a rumble strip the whole way. Why did Caltrans do that? —Shoulder Bound.
• Dear Shoulder Bound: For those who may not know what a rumble strip is, it's the row of perpendicular grooves on the roadway shoulder that's designed to alert motorists who drift toward the shoulder from the traffic lane. Caltrans has a program to install rumble strips on major roadways (like Hwy 101) where motorists have a record of wandering out of traffic lanes and crashing into parked vehicles and cyclists.
• It would be nice to bicycle through a world where rumble strips were not necessary, but we live here—and they are. Rumble strips can actually be a major benefit to cyclists; on Hwy 101 they're intended to keep motorists in the traffic lanes and away from the shoulder where cyclists are. The key is to have a rumble strip design that is effective for motorists and be of minimal impact to the usable riding area available to bikies.
• The Caltrans Bicycle Advisory Committee (CBAC) is a group of serious cyclists from around the State who provide guidance to Caltrans regarding bicycle transportation issues. The design of the Hwy 101 rumble strip is, in part, the result of their input. The Caltrans designed rumble strip must begin between 6 inches and 1 foot from the white line at the edge of the traffic lane and the strip itself can only be 1 foot wide. No rumble strip can be installed unless there is at least 5 feet of paved shoulder remaining after their installation and no rumble strips can be located at off ramps, on ramps, roadway junctions, driveways and stuff like that.
• Wet Willy has cycled adjacent to the rumble strip in both directions between Orcutt and Goleta. The shoulder is very bikeable—if you aren't trying to ride two or three abreast—and the rumble strip is placed close enough to the traffic lane so as to allow cyclists to be located where they would likely be if the rumble strip was not even there. Most importantly, motor vehicle tires make noise when they contact the rumble strip and bikies can hear it just as motorists can feel it. This alerts motorists that they're drifting and warns cyclists that somebody is too close to the shoulder—so both parties can take appropriate action.

---

Street Skills classes

• Our Bicycle Coalition's educational Cycle-Smart program committee announced its "Introduction to Bicycle Street Skills" class schedule through next summer. They have scheduled seven classes, each consisting of two parts.
• The classes start off with a Thursday evening classroom session from 5:30-8:30 PM that deals with legal issues and common traffic scenarios. It's then followed by a Saturday session 8:30 AM-3:30 PM that includes bicycle maintenance, bike handling skills, and a ride on roads with traffic. Our Street Skills class schedule is:
• August 16 and 18, 2007
• September 20 and 22, 2007
• November 15 and 17, 2007
• January 17 and 19, 2008
• March 20 and 22, 2008
• May 15 and 17, 2008
• July 17 and 19, 2008.
• August Bicycle Street Skills course
• Consider participating in—or encouraging others to partake of—our August 16th and 18th CycleSmart two-day course. It targets those who've thought of using a bike for just getting around town or for fitness, but don't feel comfortable on the road with motor vehicles.
• You'll learn how to bicycle confidently and safely on the road. In addition to basic bike maintenance tips, you'll learn about bicycle selection and will ride on roads with registered League Cycling Instructors (LCIs).
• Anyone 16 years of age or older is welcome to participate. Teens 14 years or older can attend with an older chaperone. Both sessions are at the Bikestation Santa Barbara, 1219 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara.
• To register call or email Erika Lindemann at 805-252-1469 or at CycleSmart@sbbike.org. The cost is $30. Some scholarships, however, are available—ask Erika about them. A helmet and bicycle are required for the Saturday class, and bicycles need to be in working order beforehand.
• You can learn more about our CycleSmart program and register for upcoming courses online at www.sbbike.org/CycleSmart/CS.html.

---

Bicyclists rise to Team Bike Challenge

• Now in its third year, the SBCAG Traffic Solutions' Team Bike Challenge was a bicycle competition during June. Teams of five individuals tracked the number of days they take trips by bicycle instead of by car. The 2007 Challenge had more teams and participants that ever before—the 253 teams had 1180 participants who logged 127,691 miles.
• The winning team was BourgEOIsie whose members work for Electro Optical Industries in Goleta; each member won a $100 bike shop gift certificate. The Elected Official Prize was awarded to Santa Barbara City Councilmember Brian Barnwell who won a plaque to show off to fellow council-members. Other officials who participated were Jonny Wallis, Helene Schneider, Das Williams, and Marty Blum.
• Last year, a follow-up survey showed that a month after the Challenge, "frequent riders" were biking 30% more, and "infrequent riders" were riding 200% more than before.
• You can still be inspired by the 2007 Challenge at www.teambikechallenge.com.

---

UCSB meets the Bike Challenge
by Don Lubach



Team members, from left, Ignacio Gallardo, Deborah Artz, Dave Palmer, and Don Lubach. Leslie Mancebo is missing. Photo by Karen Iwasaka.

• The month of July has brought another amazing Tour de France. Hundreds of riders, daily coverage in the International media, and amazing event coordination. The month of June featured an event with more than a thousand riders, wonderful media coverage, and close to 130,000 miles ridden. I am referring to the Team Bike Challenge mounted by the dedicated staff at Traffic Solutions, a Santa Barbara agency that is all about sustainability in transportation.
• I led a team of competitors from University of California Santa Barbara. We were one of many teams from the university and we enjoyed our experience.
• Leslie Mancebo, who assists job-hunting graduate students, pre-med students, and grad-school bound Gauchos, enjoyed taking to the streets on a one-speed cruiser. "It's actually perfect for meeting friends or a trip to the store," she said. She used a bicycle a lot as an undergraduate and has realized that the bike is also a good tool for professionals.
• My colleague Ignacio Gallardo, who helps businesses to hire students for internships and jobs, liked the competitive part of the challenge. "I'll be honest, I liked logging in to check my progress and see how our team was doing."
• Dave Palmer, an artist and photographer who markets our career services to students and the community, found himself riding a lot more in the month of June. "I felt a great let-down after I entered my final trips into the website. I actually felt sad. The Team Bike Challenge got me riding a lot more than I would have on my own."
• Deb Artz, Santa Barbara's internship maven, made the biggest commitment on our team. She purchased a wonderful new commuter bicycle and has been using it all summer. I was going to catch her for a quote for the Quick Release but she rode off into a nice summer evening. I could hear her singing as she rounded the office building on her way to the bike path.
• This was my third year as member of a team. This time, I jumped in and did some writing for the blog and made silly videos for the video competition. I didn't feel at all like the Lance Armstrong of the contest, but I felt just the way I feel when I load my briefcase into my bicycle every day—grateful to be riding when, in most non-bicycle-friendly cities, I would have to use a car. I am proud of my colleagues and grateful for the organizers of another successful Tour de Santa Barbara.

---

Cycling Club gives back to community

• At their annual meeting on June 2nd, the Goleta Valley Cycling Club voted to fund a number of projects and memberships that promote bicycling. Their money is hard earned through the wonderful People Powered Ride each October. This May, they voted to fund proposals for:
• Safety vests for Obern Trail maintenance
• Helmets and props for COAST's Safe Routes to School safety programs
• Trail tools for Santa Barbara Mountain Bike Trail Volunteers
• Start-up support for SB Bici Centro
• Attendance at the LAB Bike Summit
• Firestone donation for use of facilities.
• In addition, they funded memberships in these important advocacy groups:
• Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition
• Adventure Cycling Association
• League of American Bicyclists
• California Bicycle Coalition
• Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.
• The GVCC's assistance greatly helps make bicycling better for us all. To learn more about the Club, go to their website www.goletabike.org. And don't miss riding or assisting with their People Powered Ride this October 7th. Details on their website.

---

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
• In addition, we welcome new members Eric Lohela, Karen Gumtow and Lorna Owens. We further thank those who renewed their memberships: Annemarie Horner, Jim Marshall, Ken Yamamoto, Sally Lombrozo, Bill Powell, Pierre Delong, Hildy Hoffman, David Madajian, Glenn Reinhart, Diane Soini, Tom Towle, Robert Young, Stuart Sato, Chris Orr, Nancy Mulholland and Mark Sapp.

---

Sustainability expands



Sustainability conference participants select bikes for a Mobile Bike Facilities workshop. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• As part of the Sixth Annual Sustainability Conference last June, Bicycle Coalition president Ralph Fertig led two UCSB bike facilities tours for participants, looking at good and not-so-good campus conditions.
• Attendance soared to 850 attendees from UC, CSU and CCC schools this year. Sustainability Coordinator and organizer Katie Maynard observed. "We've been able to see [environmental policies] spread like wildfire coming out of these conferences." And what's more sustainable than biking?

---

Santa Barbara bicyclist count shows bikelane preference

• This last June, our Bicycle Coalition organized volunteers for another survey of bicyclists in the City of Santa Barbara. This was our ninth major survey in a series that began in 1997. Starting in 1998, additional information was gathered about bicyclists riding (illegally) on sidewalks, going the wrong way (illegally), and wearing helmets (illegal not to wear one if you're under 18 years old).
• Over the years, the database has grown to consist of over 24,000 bicyclists surveyed. Although it might seem that those numbers would offer a view of long-term trends, there is a lot of variability at an intersection site from one year to another, and variability for totals over the past decade. Often, when a trend seems to be occurring, the next year reverses it. Nevertheless, there are generalizations that can be made, three of which are illustrated by the graphs of the data:
• Out of the 12 intersections surveyed each of the nine years, there are twice as many bicyclists on streets that have striped bikelanes than on those without. It may be that there are more destinations on bikelane streets, but separate studies show not only that bicyclists feel safer on them, but in actuality they are safer.
• 
  
• About a quarter of the bicyclists continue to wear helmets. It seemed to be decreasing until this year's count showed higher helmet use.
• There has been more bicycling on the sidewalks recently, but the data are variable from year to year. Although we do not measure it, most probably sidewalk riding increases where no bikelanes are available. Crashes are actually more frequent on sidewalks.
• The overall number of bicyclists counted has increased and dropped over the years. The year with most bicyclists was 1998, the lowest was 2000. Other years have fallen in between.
• There has been an increase this year in bikepath bicycling by 20% over prior years. We counted bicyclists on the Beachway, Obern Trail and Maria Ygnacio Trail, and all show more users.
• Overall, we could not obtain the data without the help of our volunteers: Ann Lawler, Tony Boughman, Matt Dobberteen, Lisa Murawski, Jim Marshall, Ed France, Dave Bourgeois, Dru van Hengel, Ralph Fertig, Wilson Hubbell, Bob Cooper, Sarah Grant, Bob Burgess, and Owen Patmor. We greatly appreciate your contribution to bicycling.

---

July Bicycle Coalition meeting topics

• Our July 3rd monthly Bicycle Coalition meeting was held at the Santa Barbara Bank & Trust conference room; there were 17 people who discussed these topics:
• Funding from the Goleta Valley Cycling Club to our Bicycle Coalition and others was announced.
• Indications seemed positive for the Amgen Tour of California to return to Santa Barbara County.
• Lisa Murawski described success of Traffic Solutions; Team Bike Challenge during June.
• Plan Santa Barbara workshops were continuing. Three were held, one more is coming in July.
• Ed France described the success of Bici Centro's workshops at Casa de la Raza in Santa Barbara. About 30-40 people come by.
• Jamie Goldstein described proposed changes to Pardall Road in Isla Vista, including closing a section to motorists.
• Counts from our bicyclist survey were still coming in, so results will follow.
• Making a temporary Santa Barbara Beachway bridge near the Wharf permanent for safety was rejected by Public Works as too expensive.

---

Bici Centro provides kids bikes and goes mountain biking
by Ed France



Santa Barbara's La Casa de la Raza youngsters went mountain biking at the Douglas Family Preserve for the first time. Photo by Ed France.

• As we all know, bikes aren't just practical, they're fun! This July the Santa Barbara Bici Centro Crew teamed up with La Casa de La Raza's youth summer programs, and took a group of students mountain biking on the Mesa's Douglas Family Preserve. This group of eleven 7th and 8th graders was accompanied by seven adults, and was outfitted—you guessed it—by mountain bikes refurbished under the care of Bici Centro.
• Within the group of students, only two had ever mountain biked before, and one had never previously ridden a bicycle. Staff from the Casa de la Raza approached Bici Centro to host a ride to help relieve tension amongst these youngsters in light of the recent Eastside/Westside slaying. It's increasingly important to help the kids escape their normal stomping grounds within the downtown core and the engage them with challenging and fun physical activities.
• Bici Centro volunteers stay energized by seeing well-tuned bicycles that were previously in disrepair or "junk" being enjoyed by deserving youth. And our growing fleet of bicycles has come under serious demand. One of the boys who hadn't mountain biked before wouldn't stop riding, even while everyone else ate lunch. He is eager to get into mountain biking as a sport, and many of the group insisted that we take them out for a second ride.
• After the ride, many of the kids couldn't wait to take a bike home with them. It was difficult for us not to give in, but the kids were promised the opportunity to take home a bicycle after they volunteered with us and learned how to repair their own bicycles. That's right, Bici Centro, by popular demand, is launching its Earn-a-Bike program. More details coming soon. Special thanks to La Casa de La Raza for all of the outstanding services they provide for our community. Check out www.BiciCentro.org for more on our bicycle programs.

---