September
2008

Highway 101 bikepath in jeopardy



Currently, cyclists ride on the shoulder of Highway 101, here contending with the entrance road at La Conchita. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Our Bicycle Coalition officers Wilson Hubbell and Ralph Fertig have attended three Caltrans' meetings since August 2007 concerning bicyclist safety along a section of Highway 101. The six-mile section in question is targeted for a $151 million roadway widening project between Mobile Pier in Ventura County, and Casitas Pass Road in Santa Barbara County.
• During the two recent meetings in February and June, they were shown photo simulations of a proposed bikepath between the highway and the Union Pacific railroad. Bicyclists today have to ride on the highway shoulder in non-standard conditions; the proposed bikepath would offer us a separate, safer means of travel all the way between Ventura and Santa Barbara, either on bikepaths or the quiet Rincon Highway.
• At the June meeting, we extensively discussed safety issues, especially dealing with bicyclist conflicts at an upcoming pedestrian tunnel under the road at La Conchita. We left the meeting feeling optimistic that safer cycling was coming for thousands who pedal there.
• Caltrans, however, just published an Initial Study/Environmental Assessment that now says that the bikepath is a project option. Option A will keep us on the highway shoulder. Option B would provide an 8-foot bikepath. We feel strongly that the bikepath is a major safety improvement.
• If the bikepath is constructed, it will connect the old Rincon Highway with Bates Road. Northbound cyclists would be prohibited from using the highway shoulder; southbound cyclists would have the option of using the 101 shoulder, or taking the bikepath. Caltrans is holding another public meeting where these and other options will be discussed:
• Tuesday, September 9, 6:00 PM
  Carpinteria Middle School
  5351 Carpinteria Avenue, Carpinteria
• Please consider attending and speaking out for our safety. If we don't get this bikepath funded as part of a major highway project, we can forget it.

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Cyclists finish cross-country Bike and Build tour



Stoked Bike and Build cyclists celebrate their arrival in Santa Barbara on August 14th. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Since 2003, the nonprofit Bike and Build has organized summer bike tours across the US for young people. Each year, they have added another east-to-west route, and for 2008, a group of 31 pedaled from Boston to Santa Barbara for the first time.
• The tours are more than just rides. Every few days, they stop and spend a day or more working on low-income housing projects. The money that each cyclist raises for the trip is used to help finance such projects. Over the past five years, they have raised over a million dollars, and pedaled over 2.2 million miles.
• On August 14th, family, friends, plus the Bicycle Coalition's Drew Hunter and Ralph Fertig were at East Beach to welcome the cyclists. Following that, Fertig led a tour of Santa Barbara's low-income housing projects, bicycle facilities, and city landmarks to those who couldn't stop biking.
• Next year, perhaps we can organize some celebratory event for them? To learn more, go to http://bikeandbuild.org/cms.

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August Coalition meeting topics

• Our August 5th monthly Bicycle Coalition meeting was held in Downtown Santa Barbara, attracting 16 people to discuss these topics:
• Ralph Fertig reported on UCSB's proposed bikepath removal to make space for the Ocean Science Education Building.
• Bikelane construction progress and sign changes at Mission Street/Highway 101 undercrossing were described.
• Pierre Delong described motorists pulling over the State Street bikelane and sidewalk before exiting Five Points shopping.
• Ralph Fertig said that he will be attending the Pro Walk/Pro Bike conference in Seattle in September.
• Ed France described numerous activities at the Bici Centro community bike program, noting that their Youth Earn-a-Bike program is continuing.
• A possible visit and presentation by Prof. John Pucher in October was discussed.
• Lori la Riva described the great start of the Commute Challenge program open to bicyclists and others.
• Judy Keim described taking a car-free family on local bike and kayak tours.

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Coalition asks UCSB to replace bikepath



This shows the current unpaved path along the east side of Lagoon Road, one that could become a paved all-weather bikepath. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• A new campus bikepath is slated for removal as part of the proposed Ocean Science Education Building (OSEB). Concerned at the loss of the bikepath on the west side of Lagoon Road, our Bicycle Coalition has expressed dismay and proposed that a new one be built on the east side to replace it.
• The $7.5 million OSEB is a collaborative effort between UCSB and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It will be located on the northwest corner of the intersection of Lagoon and UCEN Roads.
• In an August 20th letter to the University's office of Planning and Design, we objected to removing the one bikepath that would service the new building. We wrote, "The Bicycle Plan for Construction guidelines adopted by the Campus Planning Committee last April states that new buildings and expansions must have a bike route that connects to a dedicated bike parking area at the building. We see none."
• The University's draft environmental assessment document says that bicyclists currently using the Lagoon Road bikepath will be redirected to the path north of Bren and concludes "the proposed project will not effect bicycle access." However, that route will be longer, busier and more twisting than the current one for some campus trips. What some will do is bike on narrow Lagoon Road itself, blocking motorists.
• We proposed a mitigation for the loss of the current bikepath by providing a continuation of the existing one on the east side of Lagoon Road south to the intersection of UCEN Road. It would entail relocation of some palm trees. The unpaved path there shows bike tire treads indicating that it's already a convenient path for bicyclists. The Lagoon/UCEN intersection could become a 4-way stop, serving motorists and those entering and leaving the new bikepath.
• Our letter finally notes a proposed new bike parking area west of the OSEB, along UCEN Road, but there's no indication of how bicyclists will reach it. We'll follow the project and let you know what's happening.

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Street Skills Class September 18-20th

• Every other month, we offer our Street Skills for Cyclists classes. This is your chance to save gas money and hone your bicycling knowledge and skills for biking confidently around town. Tell others about our class:
• Street Skills for Cyclists Class
  Thursday, September 18, 5:30-8:30 PM
  Saturday, September 20, 8:30 AM-3:30 PM
  Granada Garage, Santa Barbara
• The class is open to anybody 16 years of age or older, or younger with supervision. The class costs $30, however ask about scholarships. Learn more about the class at www.sbbike.org/CycleSmart/apply.html. Direct questions to Dru van Hengel at 564-5544 or email her dvanhengel@santabarbaraca.gov.

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Pardall work begins



An overgrown island that blocked views for motorists and bicyclists has been removed at Pardall Road and Camino Pescadero. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• It's taken eight years of planning, but finally bicyclist and pedestrian improvements have started for Pardall Road in Isla Vista. Through motorists will be stopped by a mid-block island, and wider sidewalks will encourage walking. New bike racks and trees are coming, part of the Isla Vista Master Plan.

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Union Valley Parkway to have bikelanes
by Wilson Hubbell

• Caltrans, Santa Maria and the County of Santa Barbara are working collaboratively to build a major east-west roadway in the Santa Maria/Orcutt area. On August 12th they rolled out four possible roadway alignments to a large audience of local residents at the Santa Maria Marriott, and then began taking comments.
• The proposed Union Valley Parkway would be a new, four-lane arterial roadway extending 2.5 miles from Blosser Road to Highway 101. The $36 million proposal has two components: The construction of the road—with Class II bikelanes along the entire length—and the construction of a new freeway interchange where the road intersects with Highway 101.
• Cyclists in the Santa Maria Valley have long complained about the scarcity of east-west bicycling facilities in the Orcutt area. Although a four-lane arterial with 45 MPH traffic is not something that a bicyclist would normally see as desirable, 2.5 miles of new bikelane extending east-west across the entire Orcutt community is being viewed as a positive development for cyclists.
• All four of the roadway alignment proposals include the bikelanes. Our Coalition will be monitoring the progress of the project and providing comments to Caltrans, Santa Maria and the County of Santa Barbara. More project information, including pictures and maps, is available at www.ci.santa-maria.ca.us/207-02.shtml.

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New Carpinteria bridge signs installed



New Santa Ynez Avenue signs remove confusion for both motorists and bicyclists. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Thanks to Jon Lewis and Carpinteria's Traffic Safety Committee for removing "WALK ALL BICYCLES OVER BRIDGE" signs on Santa Ynez Avenue crossing of Highway 101. We're pleased to see new signs "NARROW BRIDGE" and "WATCH OUT FOR CHILDREN."

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Exercise essential to prevent weight loss regain

• A study of 5000 men and women who lost an average 70 pounds, and kept the weight off for six years, shows that large lifestyle changes—like bicycling 60 to 90 minutes a day—were needed to keep them slim.
• Brown University's Professor Rena Wing reported that those who successfully kept weight off now rarely go to fast food restaurants, watch little TV, eat breakfast each day, and maintain a high level of physical activity.

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EcoBike opens in Carpinteria



Scott Shaw stands in front of his Carpinteria shop with his new folding EcoBike model. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• A new electric-assist bicycle is available at EcoBike outlet at 4193 Carpinteria Avenue, Unit #3, in Carpinteria. The bikes come from Scott Shaw who was the designer behind Santa Barbara Electric Bicycle Company that closed a year ago. What Shaw learned from that experience was that bikes should be sturdier, be well equipped for local trips, and have a longer range under power.
• There are currently two models, both "step-through" designs with aluminum frames, lithium ion batteries, front suspension, fenders, racks, front and read LED lights, and bells. One of the bikes is a folding model that comes with a carrying bag. The battery pack pulls out for recharging, so riders can pedal without it, or slip it in for travel up to 20 miles.
• In Santa Barbara, the EcoBikes are also available at VeloPro Cyclery. There will be a grand opening of the Carpinteria shop on September 10-13, so stop by.

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Measure A for better and safer biking

• The Measure A transportation tax renewal will be on the November 4th ballot, and our Bicycle Coalition Board of Directors urges you to vote for it because it will fund local street maintenance, safe routes to schools, and bicycle projects.
• A new website with information about the measure is at www.YesOnMeasureA2008.com. Volunteers are needed to help the measure attain the necessary 2/3 vote. Details are on the website.

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Bike/Walk forum set for October 18th



Professor John Pucher

• Our Bicycle Coalition is working with COAST to bring Professor John Pucher to give a presentation as part of a 2-hour forum on bicycling and walking. Pucher, currently at Rutgers University, has specialized in bicycle and pedestrian issues for 20 years, publishing numerous papers dealing with facilities and safety.
• Pucher's presentation will be followed by a forum with Supervisor Janet Wolf, Councilman Grant House, and CEC Energy Program Associate Michael Chiacos. Mark your calendars, it will be here:
• Saturday, October 18th
  10:30 AM-12:30 PM
  Santa Barbara Library's Faulkner Gallery
• Watch for more details of this exciting event coming in October Quick Release.

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Wet Willy Sez
by Wilson Hubbell

• Dear Wet Willy: The brakes on the rear wheel of my bike squeal like crazy and it's embarrassing. The bike is less than 1 year old and the brakes are decent (Shimano 105). Other people I ride with have similarly equipped bikes and their brakes don't squeal. Any ideas? — Noisemaker
• Dear Noisemaker: Brake squeal can occur for several reasons. Because your brakes are good quality and the pads are probably not too worn, I'll guess that either (1) your rims and/or brake pads are contaminated with road gunk, or (2) the rear portions of your brake pads are contacting the rims before the front portions do.
• I'd remove the wheels from the bike and clean the braking surfaces on the rims and brake pads with a wet rag. They may not look like they're dirty, but you'll be amazed at how much gunk comes off. Be prepared to rinse the rag out several times before you're through. Next, take a piece of sandpaper and sand the shiny part off of the braking surfaces of the pads, and check to see that no stones, dirt or other stuff is embedded in the there too. Cleaning everything and sanding the pads should make the brakes quiet down.
• If the brakes still squeal after cleaning and sanding, the brake pads probably need to be adjusted or replaced so that the front portions of the pads (the part toward the front of the bike) make contact with the rims slightly before the rear portions do. I'd recommend replacing the existing Shimano pads with Kool Stop salmon red pads that you can find at your local bike shop.

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Bici Centro expands to meet demand

• Bici Centro of Santa Barbara, our local community bike program, is pleased to report that it's Youth Earn-a-Bike program was a success for both of its summer sessions. Youth classes will resume the fourth week of September for students 12-16 years old. Register in person at Bici Centro, 601 East Montecito Street, Santa Barbara.
• The popular summer adult bike maintenance class was also full. The next 8-week session will begin the fourth week of September. Registration is on a first-come basis on their website www.bicicentro.org.
• Regular shop hours will continue through the fall: Thursdays 4:00-8:00 PM, and Saturdays 1:00-7:00 PM. Newly added will be a Tuesday 4:00-8:00 PM program for volunteers who wish to build their own bicycles from parts.
• Volunteers are always welcome, as are any bike components and road bike donations. For more information, phone 617-3255 or email info@bicicentro.org.

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Coalition recommends Purisima roundabout



In spite of clear views in all directions, intersection users tend to misunderstand others' movements. Here is the view from Purisima Road looking south toward Highway 246. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Following Caltrans' July 16th public meeting on proposed safety improvements along Highway 246 between Buellton and Lompoc, we mailed comments to Caltrans on intersection options at Purisima Road and 246.
• The choices offered by Caltrans are controlling that high-crash intersection with either traffic signals or a roundabout. In our August 10th letter, we said "Of the two alternative safety improvements for the intersection, we feel that the roundabout alternative is preferable. It's partly because signals too frequently fail to detect bicyclists, but mostly because of the overall motorist safety improvement." According to statistics distributed by Caltrans, motorist crashes are 67% lower with roundabouts compared with signaled intersections.
• We continued, "We are concerned with the roundabout design speed, however, and hope that the 20-25 MPH that we were told at your July 16 workshop is indeed accurate. Because bicyclists are wise to 'take the lane' to avoid being cut off by exiting motorists, too great a speed differential can be dangerous to everybody."
• We'll be following what happens there and be looking at designs as the project progresses.

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More bikes, lower crash rate

• In the three years since the Lyon, France, bike sharing program started, bicycling in the city has tripled. However, the bicyclist crash numbers have stayed the same. This means that risk has decreased to a third of what it was four years ago. The more cyclists on the roads, the more respect they receive.
• — Jean-Louis Touraine, Deputy Mayor

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Vision-impaired cyclists take off



Excited cyclists take off from Santa Barbara's Braille Institute on the Cycling for Sight ride. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• On August 1st, a group of 50 cyclists took off from Santa Barbara for a three day ride to San Diego. Nothing too unusual except that 11 tandem bikes were included, consisting of a sighted "captain" and a blind or vision-impaired "stoker." The ride was the fourth annual, 200-mile Cycling for Sight event.
• The purpose of the ride was to raise awareness about blindness and retinal diseases, and help fund the Braille Institute's Youth and Career Services program.
• Michael Lazarovits, director of the Santa Barbara Braille Institute, commented that San Diego has a strong cycling program, and most of the Cycling for Sight riders came from there. He would love to offer local young people a similar opportunity; however they currently have neither tandem bikes nor volunteer captains.
• This fall, Lazarovits would like to put together a program that would entail training from next January to August for the fifth annual Cycling for Sight. If you have a bike you wish to donate, or want to help youngsters enjoy bicyling, contact Lazarovits at 682-6222 or at mrlazarovits@brailleinstitute.org. The ride website is www.cyclingforsight.org.

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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
• Open Air Bicycles, Santa Barbara
• Pedal Power Bicycles, Santa Maria
• Chris King Precision Components, Portland OR
• Run Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara
• Hazard's Cyclesport, Santa Barbara
• In addition, we welcome our new members Carlos Morales, Bastian Brintrup, Jair Alexis Herrera, Jorge Santana, Greg Burek, Geraldo Trujillo, Peter Hale, Daniel Guerro, Alberto Maguña, and Shiva Polefka.
• And we greatly appreciate those who renewed their memberships: Matt Dobberteen, Lane Anderson, Sally Lombrazo, Karen Gumtow, Paolo Gardineli, Amy Frease, Glenn Reinhart, Greg Janée, Yolanda Blue, and Bruce Davis.

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Duvendeck represents us in Olympic cycling

• Our Santa Barbara cyclist Adam Duvendeck teamed up with two other Americans to compete in the Men's Team Sprint in the Olympic velodrome track. While Great Britain, France and Germany sprinted away with the medals, Team USA came in eighth out of 13 teams, a step up for Duvendeck over an 11th place at the Athens Olympics.
• There were 24 cyclists in Team USA, and the only ones to bring home medals were three BMX racers: Jill Kintner, Mike Day, and Donny Robinson. It was the first Olympic appearance for BMX racing, and it will certainly make the sport more appealing to those using our local Santa Maria and Santa Barbara tracks.

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