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What is the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition?
A brief history
Hundreds of people stop by our Earth Day booth each
year in Santa Barbara, here at Santa Barbara City College. Visitors pick up
maps, literature, and lots of free advice. A free bike checkup keeps volunteer
mechanics busy all day.
Photo by Ralph Fertig.
The Santa Barbara
Bicycle Coalition, founded in 1991, is a countywide bicycling advocacy organization.
It consists of dedicated volunteers who maintain contact with City, County
and regional transportation professionals, elected officials, educators, bike
clubs, employee transportation coordinators, bike shops, bike manufacturers,
and other advocacy groups. Here are some completed and upcoming projects that
we have helped implement:
- Sponsoring the Bicycle Federation of
America's Pro Bike/Pro Walk conference in Santa Barbara in 1998. Over 500
participants came from all over North America.
- Repaving Canon Perdido Street between
Milpas and Garden Streets, striping wide bikelanes and narrow car
lanes.
- Widening North Jameson Lane in Montecito between Olive Mill
and Ortega Hill, striping bikelanes.
- Increasing safety for cyclists with a separate bikepath
between Summerland and Montecito.
- Narrow the traffic lanes and stripe in bikelanes
on outer State Street, from Highway 154 to De la Vina Street.
- Crafted a bike safety video "Decide to Ride."
- Bike racks on
all large MTD buses for all routes.
- San Jose Creek bikepath from Cathedral
Oaks to Hollister; extension phase II to Goleta Beach.
- Maria Ygnacia bikeway
access links to Hollister Avenue.
- Bike storage lockers, 20 for Santa Maria
and 40 for Lompoc.
- Widen Alamo Pintado Road between Ballard and Los Olivos,
and stripe in bikelanes.
- Shoreline Drive parking removed and bikelanes striped
in for daylight use.
- Bikeway signs along 80 miles of streets and paths throughout
the South Coast.
- Widen shoulders on Highway 246 between Buellton and Solvang.
- Santa Maria River Levee bikepath.
- Via Real widening and bikelanes striped between
Carpinteria and Summerland.
Santa Barbara County has much going for it. Benign climate, flat
roads, mountain trails, a bikeway network, spectacular views, and environmentally-aware
officials. Most valuable, however, is the population of educated, active
individuals who live here not for money, but because they love the area and
choose to commit energy to preserve it and enhance our quality of life. With
your help, we can move united toward a better future for all bicyclists here.
Free copy of Quick Release
Every month since November 1991, we have published
a newsletter called Quick Release. If you would like a free, sample issue
of Quick Release mailed to you, fill out the form on this
page.
Our online email List
The Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition has its own email subscription
list. Anybody can join and then send and receive posted messages about efforts
to improve bicycling in Santa Barbara County. Just keep messages concise
and relevant. It's easy to join the list, simply send an email message to:
sbbike-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
Don't put anything in the subject or message
areas of your email.
That's all there is to it, it's handled automatically!
We are currently averaging two messages a day, although it tends to surge
for important and timely topics. We look forward to meeting you on the Internet.
If you wish to review past postings to our list, go to lists.riseup.net/www/arc/sbbike.
How
you can help
The Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition needs your help to move
forward with projects that will increase bicycling awareness, promote education,
reduce accidents, and in general make it easier and more fun for us all to
bicycle.
Since we started in 1991, we have had a lean,
but effective operation that has come from the generosity of the Coalition's
Board of Directors, Goleta Valley Cycling Club, Traffic Solutions and our
individual members. We are very grateful for all their help, but with more
support, we'll be able to increase our effectiveness with projects such as:
- Help Bike Week events reach more people
- Promote safer biking to all local schools
- Write and talk to officials about better bicycling conditions
- Maintain this website on the Internet
- Protect bicyclists legal rights to roads
- Create an online bike photo library
- Provide bike-friendly ideas for local restaurants and hotels
- Promote Santa Barbara County as a bicycling destination
- Promote bicycling as part of the "Santa Barbara Car Free" program
- Offer pro-bike presentations to local groups
- Provide architects with bike-friendly ideas
- Participate in Earth Day and other regional events
- Send Quick Release newsletter to public officials and employers.
How
Members benefit
If you join the Bicycle Coalition, you'll get us to speak
out to planners and officials on your behalf. We'll make certain that you
have our newsletter Quick Release mailed to you each month for a year.
You will receive personal invitations to our Bike Week Celebration dinner
in May. And, just because you're a member of the Coalition, you'll receive
discounts at the following bike shops:
- Bicycle Bob's, 250 Storke Road #A, Goleta & 15
Hitchcock Way, Santa Barbara. 10% off regular price on parts and accessories.
5% off on bikes.
- Bicycle Connection, 223 W. Ocean Avenue, Lompoc. Tune-up
special $29.95 (regular $39.95). Sales tax discount on all accessories.
- Main Street Cycles, 311 East Main Street, Santa Maria. 10% off everything
but bicycles.
- Hazard's Cyclesport, 735 Chapala St, Santa Barbara.
10% off all accessories, parts and clothing.
- Mad Mike's Bikes, 1108 East Clark Avenue
#G, Santa Maria. 20% off parts and accessories.
- Open Air Bicycles, 224 Chapala
Street, Santa Barbara. 15% off non-sale accessories.
- Pedal Power Bicycles,
1740 Broadway, Santa Maria. 10% off accessories.
- Santa Barbara Electric Bicycle
Company, 630 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, 10% off on any electric bike.
- VeloPro
Cyclery, 633 State Street, Santa Barbara and 5887
Hollister Avenue, Goleta. 10% off regular price on parts and accessories.
To
get your discount, take your copy of Quick Release with your name and the
word "MEMBER" on
the address label. To join us, just print out, complete and mail the application
below. Remember, you'll be helping assure us all a place for bicycling in
our community for years to come.
Join our Bicycle Coalition HERE
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