October
2009

Roberts envisions new Carpinteria trails



This map shows the forthcoming Palm-Linden Trail that will provide a safe passage between Linden Avenue businesses and Carpinteria State Beach.

• At our September 1st monthly meeting, we were pleased to have Carpinteria's Director of Parks and Recreation, Matt Roberts, talk about present and future multipurpose trails.
• What he foresees is a continuous way of travel between Rincon County Park on the east and Santa Claus Lane on the west. A lot of the trails are in place, one is about to happen, and others are still drawings or concepts.
• The County had received $55,000 in CREF funding in 2002 for a study of feasible ways to connect Rincon Park to Carpinteria's blufftop trails. The city of Carpinteria has taken over the study and will soon release results. Roberts is optimistic that some connection will be made in the future.
• Plans and funding for a strip park next to Carpinteria State Beach are in place (see map above). The multipurpose trail will connect Palm Avenue and the Beach on the east with Linden Avenue on the west. It will provide a scenic trail for campers to access downtown businesses. Currently they have to walk through either parking lots or an industrial part of town.


This shows a section of the all-weather multipurpose trail on the Carpinteria Bluffs. Photo by Ralph Fertig.


• Another important connection is between Santa Claus Lane and Carpinteria Avenue. We're hoping that the long-studied link will be part of the upcoming Highway 101 widening project.
• Finally, there are several gaps in the Bluffs Trail, some with easements in place, some on private property without easements.
• Overall, Carpinteria is determined to continue to make a network of paths available for residents and visitors alike. Our thanks to Matt Roberts for his efforts.

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Santa Maria bike plan available for comment

• The Santa Maria Bikeway Master Plan is online and the city is seeking comments on it from bicyclists through October 16th. The 142-page plan describes an expanded network of 139 miles of bikepaths, lanes and bike routes that connect ways of travel within the city and to destinations outside as well. Photos of each project area are included. The plan also looks at existing facilities, regional issues, land use, commute patterns, safety, air quality, costs, and sources of funding.
• If you're familiar with Santa Maria biking, go to the Master Plan document (in PDF format) here. Your comments will make it better for us all.

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Open Air Bicycles finds more shoppers on State Street



Open Air Bicycles offers bikes for everybody—road, mountain, cruisers, hybrids and more. Stop by and check them out. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• After decades in the old Southern Pacific RR baggage building next to Santa Barbara's train depot, Open Air Bicycles has moved 10 blocks to a new home. It's now at 1303 State Street, just above the Victoria Street intersection.
• Bike shop staff say that being located between the Arlington and Granada theaters means more walk-in traffic than they ever had before. Even though their new shop is smaller, they have been selling more since their move in early September. They are already extending their late afternoon hours to serve potential new customers.
• Plans are coming for more accessories and clothing. They are also continuing to offer high-end road bikes for rent, soon to be expanded to include mountain bikes.

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Lompoc bike auction

• On September 19th, Lompoc police auctioned off lost or stolen bikes that were unclaimed for at least 90 days. Minimum bids started at $7 that goes to register the bicycles so recovery in the future will be more likely. People wrote bids on a card, not knowing what others had bid. The highest bidders were contacted a week later.
• The funds raised will go to provide uniforms and equipment for the Lompoc Police Explorer Post, an affiliate of the Boy Scouts of America.

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Avoiding bike injuries

• Some think that getting off the road to bicycle is the key to avoiding injury. Two recent studies of cyclists in Toronto and Ottawa suggest otherwise. They found that cyclists riding on sidewalks were 4 to 8 times more likely to suffer injuries than cyclists on the road. And they are 1.2 to 1.8 times more likely to be injured on a paved or unpaved multi-use path than on the road.
• While it's illegal to bike on our sidewalks, many people do it, exposing themselves and pedestrians to ongoing dangers.

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Kinetic Sculpture Race in Ventura



This dragon was a 2001 race entry, pedaled through the mud by blue-robed wizards. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• It's amazing what people can create in terms of bicycle-pedaled machines. The Kinetic Sculpture Race began when artists in Ferndale, California started a crazy race of their creations in 1969. The Ventura version takes place October 24, at 10:00 AM.
• It's worth the trip to Ventura to watch the teams move their "sculptures" over water, sand, pavement and a mud pit, in that order. Details at www.kineticrace.com.

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Wet Willy Sez
by Wilson Hubbell

• Dear Wet Willy: Can you say a word or two about cyclists riding on the wrong side of the road? It seems to be a continuing problem, even though it's illegal and dangerous. — Pierre
• Dear Pierre: "Wrong way" riders are a particular hazard for those of us who ride lawfully because we encounter these folks as they careen directly at us. Like you've said, it is illegal and dangerous for those who ride this way—and "wrong-ways" make it dangerous for us to be on the same roadway with them.
• There may be several reasons for people to be cycling on the wrong side of the road: (1) Some don't know which side of the road to be on, but that should be evident by simply watching most other cyclists. (2) Some claim to feel safer facing traffic, like pedestrians are supposed to do, but cyclists are not "pedestrians on wheels" and accident statistics compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that riding a bicycle while facing traffic is particularly dangerous—and so it is now illegal throughout the United States. (3) As children, some were taught to ride facing traffic, and there are still those who wonder why most of us are "breaking the rules" by riding with traffic. (4) Some just don't care.
• What can be done? Education and enforcement are probably most effective.
• Wet Willy makes it a point to politely "educate" those wrong-way riders that he encounters on our local streets. You can do the same, but be gentle; they may have been taught to ride facing traffic…

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State/De la Vina changes bring confusion



Heading east on State Street, bicyclists heading straight should be safer given the new lane striping—if everybody pays attention to it. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• The City of Santa Barbara seized an opportunity after an asphalt overlay was installed on large sections of outer State Street. Since all traffic lanes, bike-lanes and crosswalks needed to be re-striped, they altered the striping to increase overall safety at the problematic intersection with De la Vina.
• The challenge for bicyclists heading east on State is weaving though right-turning motorists entering De la Vina. By making the bikelane path into a Y-configuration, motorists turning right are expected to stay to the left of bicyclists farther into the intersection, slowing them somewhat and giving them a better view of others. At least that's the idea.
• Most motorists, however, just see where they want to go, and go there without regard to the roadway striping. In all honesty, they are continuing what they have done for years; and the new lane striping is hard to see from a distance.
• The city is monitoring the situation and is considering two additions. One is to glue "Botts' Dots" to the edges of the bikelanes. Those are the white ceramic dots that are highly visible and noisy when driven over.
• The other possibility is to color the bike-lanes so they stand out. In our state, San Francisco, Long Beach, Sunnyvale, and Folsom have been experimenting with colored bikelanes. A problem is that there are no California standard colors or materials, and there is confusion over permission to install them. It might be from the California Traffic Control Devices Committee or the Federal Highway Administration—or both.
• So still be careful when biking there, and watch for upcoming alterations.

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September Coalition meeting topics

• Our September 1st monthly Bicycle Coalition meeting was held at noon in Downtown Santa Barbara, with 19 participants talking about these topics:
• Rosemarie Gaglione and Gerald Comati updated us on bicyclist accommodation on the new Los Carneros bridge over the UPRR. They are planning both bikelanes on the road and a separate bikepath on the south side of the road. Construction is expected to begin in 2011.
• Adam Fukushima, the new Caltrans District 5 bike guy, talked about his job that serves five counties. After the meeting, Ralph Fertig and Wilson Hubbell took him on a bike tour of area facilities.
• Matt Roberts from the city of Carpinteria talked about current and upcoming trails in the city.
• Courtney Dietz from COAST is organizing pedestrian/bicyclist counts at Santa Barbara intersections
• Ed France noted that a short video about Bici Centro was showing on public access channel 21.
• New roadway striping on De la Vina, and shoulder parking on Foothill Road, were described and discussed.
• Bike Month 2010 is coming!

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Meet Johan on Oct 6th



Johan Montoya. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Johan Montoya is the young man who nearly died in a car crash last April 2008 as he was biking to work in Santa Barbara. Come to our October 6th evening meeting and hear how his determination and the support of others helped him recover.

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Foothill suddenly has resident parking

• For those who have been following the drainage and roadway shoulder construction along Foothill Road west of Mission Canyon in Santa Barbara, you may have been surprised by new designated car parking along the shoulders.
• "It's only temporary," says the County's Matt Dobberteen. They are part of a three-month trial to determine how safe they are. If you bike there, let Matt know what you think. Phone him at 568-3576 or email him at matt@cosbpw.net.

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Bike Month in 2010

• For years, we've organized a Bike Week of activities, and with more people bicycling now, we are going to expand it into "Bike Month" next year. The name may be different, but it will be in May. We're looking for businesses or groups who will oversee individual events during the month.
• If you're interested in joining the oversight committee or crafting a Bike Month event, phone Ed France 252-9064.

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Einstein on evil

• "The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." — Albert Einstein.

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Bike camps and tours expand in 2009



A youth mountain biking camp was offered several times during the summer at Elings Park. Photo by Christine Bourgeois.

• Our Bicycle Coalition has kept an ongoing online list of events and meetings since 1991. While it doesn't capture or encompass all bicycling activities, it does a good job of listing main ones, and offers a measure of what is changing.



• What is so striking is that the number of bicycle tours and camps/clinics/workshops has greatly increased the over past three years, as shown in the graph of events listed on our website over the past decade. The four categories are defined as follows:
• Camps. These are workshops, camps and clinics where participants learn and hone their bike skills. Example—our Street Skills for Cyclists class.
• Tours. These are pleasure multi-day rides, typically escorted and with options for beginners and more advanced cyclists. Example—the six-day Solvang Wine Country Tour by Cycling Escapes.
• Rides. The number of rides has stayed about the same over the years. They might be charity rides or bike club rides. Example—the Solvang Century that attracts thousands.
• Races. These are timed competitive events. Example—Mothballs Criterium organized by Echelon Santa Barbara.
• The increase in tours has certainly been fueled by professional cycling teams training here, and publicity from four years of Tour of California races. It may also reflect challenging economic times where people are seeking active, lower-cost vacations. Certainly more people are biking than before (the 2008 American Community Survey tells us that bike commuting to jobs has increased 43% since 2000), so more people are comfortable riding their bicycles.
• During 2009, there are eight companies offering 32 bike tours, typically with days in both the Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Barbara. Last year, there were five companies offering about a dozen tours.

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CHP recommends charges in fatality

• Last July 25th, Erik Okerblom was struck and killed while he was biking on Telephone Road east of Orcutt. The 19-year old driver, Kaetlin Edwards, hit Okerblom from behind about 7:00 PM with her truck going 60 MPH.
• Okerblom was a graduate of St Joseph High School in Santa Maria, and was going to be a sophomore at UC Berkeley this fall.
• Matt Olson, the commander of the Santa Maria CHP, has sent the case to the county District Attorney's office for possible prosecution for misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence.

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100 million bike sharing rentals

• JCDecaux, the largest supplier of self-service bicycle sharing programs, announced that their rentals have exceeded 100 million since they started in Vienna in 2003. They currently serve 60 cities. JCDecaux installs and maintains the systems in exchange for rights to place advertisements on billboards, transit stops, and elsewhere in the participating cities. Their electronic payment system enables users to subscribe for a day, week or year. Typically, the first half hour or each trip is free. Other bike sharing providers include Comcast and Bixi.

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Bici Centro seeks bikes

• Our Bici Centro community bike program is seeking donations of your unused road bikes. It will balance out the demand for all kinds of bicycles that they refurbish and pass on to new users. If you have bikes or accessories or tools, phone 617-3255 to confirm the need and good drop-off times.
• Bici Centro, located at 601 East Montecito Street in Santa Barbara, has classes and open shop hours as follows:
• Mondays, "Learn Your Bike" classes, registration required, 7:00-9:00 PM
• Tuesdays, volunteer only night, 5:00-9:00 PM
• Wednesdays, open shop Spanish-speaking only, 4:00-7:00 PM
• Thursdays, open shop 4:00-7:00 PM
• Saturdays, open shop 1:00-7:00 PM

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We thank our active members

• Please thank and support these Bicycle Coalition business members:
• Bicycle Bob's, Santa Barbara
• Nett & Champion Insurance Services, Santa Barbara
• Pedal Power Bicycles, Santa Maria
• Hazard's Cyclesport, Santa Barbara
• Chris King Precision Components, Portland, Oregon
• Santa Barbara Pedicabs, Santa Barbara
• Santa Barbara Bike Repair, Santa Barbara
• WheelHouse, Santa Barbara
• Santa Barbara Bikes To-Go, Santa Barbara
• We welcome new member: Kenneth Hershberg. Plus, we appreciate those who renewed their memberships: Adrianne Davis, Paolo Gardinali, Tony Johansen, James Elliott, John Cinatl, Peter & Lisa Schuyler, Paul Wendt, Jon Lewis and Susan Beatty.

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Measure B and bikes
by Ralph Fertig

• At first glance, the intent of Santa Barbara's Measure B—to decrease the 60-foot height limit of buildings to 40 feet in the Downtown—seems reasonable. A lot of our signature buildings, however, couldn't be built, and the resulting three-story limit would reduce the number of apartments—and raise the price—for Downtown workers who would otherwise walk or bike to work, shop, dine, and so forth. A ballot-box charter amendment is not the way to watchdog development. We have commissions and committees, and the current Plan Santa Barbara process that can serve our city well.

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David Byrne talks

• Singer David Byrne of the Talking Heads has published a book Bicycle Diaries that muses on our world as seen from a bicycle seat. Byrne takes a folding bike with him on his tours around the world, and after his rides, he wrote about the people, buildings, events, and cultural differences that he saw. Bicycle Diaries is more a meditation on culture than a travelogue, and the bike is Byrne's catalyst.
• On a bike, Byrne observes that people see a lot more than through a freeway car window. And the bicycle, he notes, is often as fast as a car in today's cities. He lauds human-scale, mixed-use buildings with public spaces and fewer parking lots. "Parking lots and structures are dead real estate—they bring no life into a city and I'd be happy if there were a lot fewer of them."
• As with his singing tours, the book jumps around, but Byrne always has interesting observations to talk about. You can buy his book anytime and you can read his ongoing blog about life at http://journal.davidbyrne.com. Finally, Byrne is recording his Bicycle Diaries with street sound effects. When it's out, you'll be able to download chapters for your iPod or other player.

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US bicycle funding nearly lost

• The federal Transportation bill has gone through a rough summer. The current six-year SAFETY-LU transportation act expires on September 30. Both the Senate and House have passed stop-gap appropriation measures that continue funding, and the chambers are now trying to bring them into agreement. The Senate version calls for an 18-month extension, while Representatives James Oberstar (MN) and Peter DeFazio (OR) want a 3-month extension.
• On July 30th, Senators Tom Coburn (OK) and John McCain (AZ) released a report that criticized non-highway transportation spending, singling out bicycle and pedestrian projects as unnecessary luxuries. That was followed by several proposed amendments from Coburn, one of which would eliminate funding for "Transportation Enhancements" that have been a major source of our local bike and pedestrian projects.
• We're pleased that California Senator Barbara Boxer gave a passionate speech against it before her vote. Both of our Senators Boxer and Dianne Feinstein voted against the amendment, that was finally defeated by 59 opposed and 39 for. We followed up with letters thanking our senators for their votes. It's still disconcerting that 39 US senators felt that bicycling and walking are trivial means of transportation, and all federal funding should go into roadways.