March
2005

Coalition addresses bicycling in Goleta



The bikepath parallel to Los Carneros Road offers bicyclists an alternative to bikelanes on the road. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• The City of Goleta is writing a General Plan from which future actions on land use, transportation, housing, and open space will be determined. In a series of five public workshops in January, hundreds of people expressed their feelings about the content of a "discussion draft" version of the Plan. Of primary interest to bicyclists is the Transportation Element that deals with development and improvement of the City's transportation system.
• Goleta's Pat Dugan invited the Bicycle Coalition to comment on the draft Transportation Element. In response, we sent a letter with comments on February 14th. The letter started out with a quotation from the Federal Highway Administration, the government agency that interprets Federal transportation funding legislation: "Bicycling and walking facilities will be incorporated into all transportation projects unless exceptional circumstances exist." Now not all funding comes from the Feds, but most of it does by way of Caltrans—hence the requirement.
• We call for two important additions to the Element: the creation of a Coordinator of Alternative Transportation position, and the inclusion of the South Coast Bikeway Signage network, along with provisions for its expansion.
• We noted problems with their Bike System map. Compared with the County's Bicycle Master Plan of 1999, the most serious omission was the proposed bikepath along the Union Pacific Railroad. Another was the loss of the Ellwood bike/ped bridge over 101 at Pacific Oaks—we suggested that it stay in the plan and be compared, issue by issue, with a new proposed bridge with bikelanes at Ellwood Station Road.
• Finally, we suggested several changes to the text. Most important is the inclusion of bikelanes on both major and minor arterial streets. Those are the streets that lead to the major destinations that bicyclists seek. That accommodation is essential.
• What's next? The City will edit the document and offer a Draft General Plan for public review.

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Coalition offers “Sideways” bike rides

• The film "Sideways," shot in the Santa Ynez Valley and surrounding area, has been receiving acclaim. It captured Golden Globe awards for best comedy or musical, as well as best screenplay, and has received five Academy Award nominations. "Sideways...has given the region unprece-dented attention and stirred the wanderlust of road trippers across the nation and overseas," wrote Maria Zate for the Santa Barbara News-Press.
• Why not bicyclist road trippers too, thought Bicycle Coalition president Ralph Fertig. So he crafted two rides that encompass the major film locations. The North County has superb cycling, so why not package it into good rides that feature movie locations?
• Both rides start in central Solvang across from the Little Mermaid statue. They are:
• Sideways via Los Olivos. This 52.3-mile ride has lots of climbing along Foxen Canyon Road, but the country is spectacular, especially now with brilliant green hills. It stops at a cafe and four wineries (cheers to Firestone Winery for providing a bike rack for visitors).
• Sideways via Lompoc. This 50-mile ride has a lot less climbing than the other. It goes to Lompoc via Highway 246 and returns along charming Santa Rosa Road. It features nine film locations including a bowling alley, three restaurants, a golf course, one winery and Ostrich Land.
• You can download Sideways rides—and others—from our web site. Check them out on our ride page.

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Pledge Rides and bicycling promotion
by Wilson Hubbell

• Pledge type rides are those where cyclists help to raise money for charitable causes by asking friends and neighbors to contribute a small sum for each mile the cyclist rides in an organized event. The conventional wisdom is that this is a win-win situation which promotes cycling and simultaneously raises money for worthy causes.
• Pledge rides grew out of "walkathons" where participants would demonstrate their concern for a selected cause by enduring the painful ordeal of a long walk. The donors, in turn, would get to feel that their contributions had been "earned" by the suffering of the participant who sacrificed time and comfort for the sake of a cause.
• The problem with translating the walk-a-thon into the pledge ride is the application of the concepts of "sacrifice" and "suffering" from walking to bicycling. With all due respect to recreational walkers, cycling should not be seen as a painful ordeal—Cycling Is Fun! Can you envision a "cine-a-thon" where participants ask for pledges based on how many movies they watch, or how about an "ice-cream-a-thon" where people would give contributions based on how much Cherry Garcia was consumed?
• Although pledge rides do get people out on their bikes, and maybe even bring some folks into cycling in a serious way, some of these events tend to send a message that cycling a significant distance is a painful, unpleasant chore that you should do because it benefits some charitable organization. Consequently, well-meaning people with an inadequate mileage base, no cycling skills and substandard equipment are inclined to sign up for a long pledge ride because they believe they are expected to "suffer" for the cause. These folks then "learn" that bicycling is about pain and exhaustion, saddle sores and sunburn, aching knees and stiff necks.
• An experience like this can turn a potential cyclist off for life. They may still ride an occasional pledge ride because of dedication to a cause, or because they are proud of surviving the "ordeal," but they may miss discovering the simple joy of going for a nice long bike ride and not coming home a physical wreck.
• The people who put on most pledge rides are good folks and their hearts really are in the rights places. They have an agenda, however, that does not necessarily include the promotion of bicycling as an ongoing, every day activity.

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Your contributions help our programs

• We offer our thanks to all those who responded to our December request for contributions to the Bicycle Coalition. Be assured that the money will be put to good use supporting our successful CycleSmart program, our monthly Quick Release, helmet and light programs for kids, our upcoming Bike Week 2005, and spreading the word about bicycling at local festivals and events.

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Coalition seeks bike lockers at rail station

• When we learned that funding was available for improvements to the Goleta Amtrak station, our Board of Directors started thinking. The current station consists of a platform with a shelter, trash cans, benches and parking.
• So on February 18, we proposed to the project manager to install some bike lockers. Amtrak California is successfully promoting rail use to UCSB students, so this would only make it easier and cheaper for them—and others—to take the train.

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Greg Siple

Bike to Work 2005

• While our Bike Week is May 14th-22nd, SBCAG Traffic Solutions has expanded its project to a month. Feedback from January's focus group prompted Traffic Solutions to launch an improved "Bike Challenge" and scale back the resource-intensive Bike to Work Day. Community groups and employers will get $200 to host Bike to Work Day sites and teams of 5 will be encouraged to "Bike, Don't Drive" during May. Visit www.trafficsolutions.info for details.

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Sanchez rides around the US for a cause



Paul Sanchez basks in sunshine and glory upon his return from 10,000 miles of cycling. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Right on time for his welcoming ceremony, Paul Sanchez finished seven months of pedaling as he arrived back home on February 2nd. A resident of Carpinteria and a recent Santa Barbara City College graduate, Sanchez rode 10,000 miles to raise funds for low income children served by the Dyslexia Awareness and Resource Center in Santa Barbara.
• Sanchez personally struggled with his own dyslexia for years, feeling frustrated and depressed. During his tour, he stopped to speak with dyslexic children and encourage educators to use early intervention strategies. When asked why he chose bicycling, Sanchez replied, "I really like to bicycle." It must be so because he said that minutes after finishing 10,000 miles around the perimeter of the US.
• Along the way, he filmed people and places, intending to assemble a film that will benefit the dyslexia center. To learn about his trip, go to his web site that has photos and audio updates: www.perimeter.us.

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Earth Day 2005

• Mark your calendar for Earth Day in Santa Barbara—this year, it's on Saturday April 23rd. Although the Community Environmental Center had considered moving to Elings Park for the 35th anniversary Earth Day, they decided to return to the County Courthouse because of access issues.
• The Bicycle Coalition will attend for our 13th time. We'll have a bike check-up area led by Geoff Grow and a separate information booth with others in an alternative transportation area. Come by bike of course.
• We are again looking for bike mechanics to assist with the popular bike check-ups, and volunteers to staff our booth. If you can help with either, contact Ralph Fertig at 962-1479 or sb-ralph@cox.net.

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CycleSmart bicyclist education news

• Street Skills Class March 5th
• Feel vulnerable on the road? You're not alone. Join others at our Street Skills for Cyclists class. You will find out:
• Why crashes occur and how to avoid them.
• How to increase your safety by controlling the traffic around you.
• Your rights and responsibilities on the road.
• Techniques to make yourself more visible to drivers.
• The class will take place on Saturday, March 5th from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. An optional 6-hour follow-up will be offered on March 6th for those desiring the experience of on-road bicycling.
• The Street Skills class is open to all those 16 years of age and older. It costs $30 and will take place in the David Gebhard Public Meeting room in the Community Development and Public Works Building, 630 Garden Street in Santa Barbara.
• League Cycling Instructors Chuck Anderson and Susan McLaughlin will lead this class. Registration is required—a form is online www.sbbike.org/docs/Street-Skills.pdf.
• Following the Saturday Street Skills class will be an optional on-bike, on-road follow-up on Sunday, March 6th from 10:00 AM-4:00 PM. It is open at no charge to all those who completed previous Street Skills classes.
• Questions? Contact Susan McLaughlin at 897-2669, SMcLaughlin@SantaBarbaraCA.gov, or Chuck Anderson at 565-7511, mtbchuck@cox.net for more information.
• Upcoming LCI course
• A League Cycling Instructor's (LCI) certification course will be held April 8-10 in San Luis Obispo. Enjoy a weekend in San Luis Obispo with other bicycle riders while learning how to share important information on safe vehicular cycling.
• We especially seek LCIs who live in the North County and those who are bilingual (English/Spanish). For details about the course, look at www.sbbike.org/docs/LCI-SLO.pdf, or email the coordinator, Jean Anderson, at slopver@charter.net. CycleSmart is offering some funding to cover registration, contact Dru van Hengel at 564-5544 or DVANHENGEL@SantaBarbaraCA.gov.
• Monte Vista PTA & CycleSmart
• The Monte Vista Elementary School PTA is partnering with CycleSmart to present two bicycle education series for school children.
• "Early Riders," a class for parents and their K-3rd grade children is going to be presented at the school in March. LCI instructor Erika Lindemann will teach this class. The course is based on the League of American Bicyclists' (LAB) Kids I curriculum and is designed to teach parents how to teach their children how to ride safely. It incorporates a bike safety check and information about how child development affects where and how children should ride.
• The series consists of two sessions. The first is an evening session for parents only. The second, presented on a Saturday morning, includes the parent and their child. At this session, on-bike handling skills and rules of the road are taught and practiced on a course set up on the school playground.
• "Super Cyclers," based on the LAB Kids II curriculum, will be a six-week course for 4th-6th graders at the school. Once a week after school, young cyclists will join LCI instructor Nancy Mulholland, for interactive classes to learn and practice the skills necessary for safe bicycle use in a variety of settings. After demonstrating their traffic awareness skills and mastery of playground skill courses, the students will join their instructor and other LCIs for rides on quiet neighborhood streets. Because of its interactive nature, the Super Cyclers course will be limited to eight students. The series will end with a written evaluation of knowledge and an on-bike Road Test. Graduation ceremonies will coincide with Bike Week.
• Our CycleSmart Committee is excited about these projects and looks forward to continuing to expand our community partnerships.

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Coalition offers tour of "green buildings"

• The Sustainability Project is again partnering with the Bicycle Coalition for a bicycle tour of sites in the 2005 Parade of Green Buildings. This year, the "Parade" will include 15 commercial, residential and gardening sites that encompass sustainable building or management practices.
• A nine-mile bicycle tour of nine of them in and around the Downtown Santa Barbara has been crafted by Ralph Fertig working with Susan McLaughlin. This April 30th tour will be your choice of do-it-yourself, or a group ride with leaders.

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Supervisors shrink SYV Community Plan



Envision biking along the Santa Ynez River, here a notable waterway following our January rains. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• At the request of Supervisor Brooks Firestone, the Supervisors reconsidered the scope of Santa Ynez Valley Community Plan on February 15th. Following a staff presentation, public comment, discussion, and a motion by Firestone, they voted unanimously to reduce the study area from 231,000 acres to 49,000 acres. The original area comprised the entire Valley, including all of the proposed Santa Ynez River Trail, while the new "compromise area" has only the western part of it, from Buellton to Highway 154's crossing of the river.
• There had been a fear that, after public input and discussion, the study area could decrease even more, until it excluded any parts of the riverŠand the adjacent River Trail. Although some public speakers recommended downsizing it more, the supervisors went with the staff recommended "compromise area" of 49,000 acres.
• Although the Bicycle Coalition last year had advocated for inclusion of the entire Valley in the study, it seemed prudent to go along with the new board's consensus. Bicycle Coalition president Ralph Fertig addressed the supervisors about the importance of getting the trail between Buellton and Solvang, how much money comes into the Valley from visiting cyclists, how easy it was to get people to sign the trail petition (at both Santa Barbara Earth Day and at Firestone mountain bike rides), and how the ownership of the south side of the river by Granite Construction would facilitate creation of a trail.
• As a result, a smaller environmental impact report is now progressing and a draft will be ready for comment this summer. The situation could have been a little better, but it could have been much worse after the Supervisors' meeting. We still have a good chance for a River Trail.

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Let adventure breathe

• "Adventure needs room to breatheŠtoo much planning easily smothers it. If you know in advance exactly where you're going to go, what you're going to eat, and where you're going to sleep, you may have just scheduled yourself out of an adventure."
• Š Willie Weir, Adventure Cycling, November 2004

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Possible new South Coast trails

• As housing development in the "Naples" area west of Ellwood creeps closer to realization, questions about part of the California Coastal Trail through the land were recently raised. Housing there is a hot topic as evidenced by 150 people who attended the County's January 27th Environmental Review Scoping hearing. Not one public speaker favored the development.
• In spite of opposition, if housing is built there, we are assured that a trail will be part of it. Supervising Planner Dave Ward assured us that "Yes, the Coastal Trail and De Anza Trail are components of the Santa Barbara Ranch (Naples) project. Both lateral and vertical public access will be analyzed in the project with final delineation through the permit and Local Coastal Plan amendment process." Good enough.
• Further east, new owners of the 3150-acre Rancho Monte Alegre above Carpinteria are proposing housing on 40 acres, 2800 acres of open space, and reopening the 6.2-mile Franklin Trail. The trail was open to the public for years until the previous owner closed it. The proposal would put the trail in an easement that the County would control and maintain. "It's very steep, very beautiful," says Vie Obern. "It's wonderful that this is happening."

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Locked gate blocks pathway to school



This gate, currently unlocked during discussions, is located between Calle Cita and Primavera Drive. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Annoyed by kids from La Colina Junior High School passing through their private street, residents on Calle Cita installed a chain-link fence with a locked gate. They gave keys to the lock to some—but not all—of their neighbors.
• This drew protests from Eva Inbar and Todd Sosna from the Parent, Teacher and Student Association (PSTA) who felt that closing a path to school would reduce the number of kids biking and walking there, and lead to more parents driving them. The situation has lead to emotional meetings of residents, parents and school administrators in an attempt to resolve the issue.
• We certainly advocate for free access to schools by bicycle and other healthy means, so hope that everybody effected can reach an agreement. All gates to school should be open to everybody.

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Barriers to cycling 101

• Mudslides east of Carpinteria at La Conchita not only claimed homes and lives, but also flooded Highway 101 and broke guardrails as creeks overflowed. What this has meant for cyclists who ride between Ventura and Carpinteria is that the temporary concrete barriers at the washed-out streams force them off the shoulder and onto the travel lanes. Sharing the road with 65+ MPH traffic is an unhealthy experience.
• The Bicycle Coalition's Ralph Fertig complained to the Ventura County Bicycle Coalition who sent it to Caltrans. Their response was essentially, "we're busy, we'll take care of it when we can." The Santa Barbara News-Press had an article saying, "A Highway 101 bike lane damaged by recent storms will remain closed indefinitely."
• So think twice before you bike along there. The alternative is Highway 150 that may or may not be safer—it's twice as far and has 1000 feet of climbing.

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Shop online and help us

• Now you can contribute to the Bicycle Coalition while you shop online. And it doesn't cost you a penny extra!
• We're partnering with the local nonprofit service "Fund It" to bring you the opportunity to help us while you do your shopping. You'll be able to buy from numerous online sites for all kinds of products. You can, for example, shop at Macy's, Target, Apple or Dell computers, Office Depot, Sharper Image, Petco, Camping World, iTunes, Champion clothing, Buy.com and others.
• Check out the possibilities. Go to www.fundit.org, and start shopping. That's it.

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February Coalition meeting topics

• Our February 1st Bicycle Coalition evening meeting attracted 14 people to discuss these topics:
• Ralph Fertig described the Board's meeting with the County's Matt Dobberteen where we discussed the loss of Wilson Hubbell's position. We agreed to hold off Coalition action until the County's Public Works sends a budget to the Supervisors.
• Our participation in the upcoming Women's FitFest was considered. Everybody thought that it was desirable, but nobody offered to coordinate and staff our booth.
• Nancy Mulholland encouraged people to promote our Street Skills for Cyclists class on March 5th. She is working on offering a class as part of the South Coast's Adult Ed program.
• A draft of the proposed Goleta General Plan is available and we decided that it's important to examine it for bicycling-favorable conditions.
• Erika Lindemann described the results of the 2005 Bike to Work forum that Traffic Solutions recently held on January 12th; a new approach to activities this year is being crafted.
• Ralph Fertig reported that Earth Day this year will return to the County Courthouse Sunken Garden. Everybody agreed that our participation is desirable.
• Our ongoing bike safety light program for kids is progressing; we are working with Jessica Scheeter to arrange schools for upcoming distribution.
• Ralph Fertig reported on possible Santa Barbara activities in conjunction with the Walk/Bike California 2005 conference in Ventura this September. We will probably offer packages for before and after the conference.
• Bike Week activities were discussed. We have four events the first weekend, but need others during the rest of the time.

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Early season races



Cyclists unload their gear on a clear and breezy morning for the Poor College Kids Road Race. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Two cycling events attracted hundreds of participants to Goleta and Los Olivos. On January 29, UCSB Cycling put on a "Poor College Kids Road Race." Club president Philip Chang reports, "We had a good turn-out (272 riders) for an early season race and so we should be proud of our effort."
• A week later, Echelon Santa Barbara put on its traditional Mothballs Criterium at Goleta's Research Park. Race coordinator Mark Musicant said that they had a total of 291 riders participating.
• The numbers were down slightly from 2004 for two reasons: this year the Mothballs was held on the same day as a race in San Diego, whereas last year there was no conflict; and in 2004, the two local events were held on consecutive days, not spaced a week apart—discouraging out-of-towners from driving here twice.

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We thank our active members

• Please thank and support the following Bicycle Coalition business members:
• Bicycle Bob's, Santa Barbara & Goleta
• Commuter Bicycles, Santa Barbara
• Jeffrey Stoutenborough, Architect, Santa Barbara
• King Cycle Group, Portland OR
• Nett & Champion Insurance Services, Santa Barbara
• Open Air Bicycles, Santa Barbara
• Pedal Power Bicycles, Santa Maria
• Piekert Group Architects, Santa Barbara
• Rincon Cycles, Carpinteria
• We welcome our newest Bicycle Coalition member Bicycle Bob's and we certainly thank those who renewed their memberships: Mike Gard, Dru van Hengel, Rob Dayton, Eric Schwartz, Yolanda Blue, Lee and Anita Carter, Owen Patmor and Doris Phinney.

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UCSB commute survey

• UCSB's Vehicle Intelligence and Transportation Analysis Laboratory has just released a draft report on a survey of commuting patterns of 2300 faculty, staff and students at the University. Because the participation was voluntary, the results may overrepresent those concerned with transportation and environmental issues.
• It was funded with transit money, and its main purpose is to promote bus use and create algorithms that would determine accessibility by bus to campus. Those same algorithms could probably be used to determine accessibility by bike as well—that is, what areas of our community have the shortest bike times relative to distance?
• The results are still interesting. The dominant way to get to campus is by bike. Drive-alone motorists are a distant second, followed by walking, bus, and carpooling.
• Of those who bike or walk to campus, faculty members said that they do it to save the environment, while staff and students say they bike or walk to avoid parking fees.
• Commuters were asked what they use for their non-commute trips. Those who drove, bused, or carpooled to campus used cars for other trips. Those who bike commuted used bikes for their other trips. Those who walked to campus walked elsewhere.
• You can read the draft document and make comments. Read about it online at: www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/vital/research/path2003.