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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 projects and programs that
we have helped implement:
- Repaving Canon Perdido Street between
Milpas and Garden Streets, striping wide bikelanes and narrow car
lanes.
- Joined with Santa Barbara's community bike program Bici
Centro to reach underserved bicyclists.
- 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.
- Maria Ygnacio bikeway
access links to Hollister Avenue.
- Bike storage lockers for Santa Maria
and Lompoc.
- Widen Alamo Pintado Road between Ballard and Los Olivos,
and stripe in bikelanes.
- Shoreline Drive narrowed to two lanes, parking removed,
bikelanes striped, new bikepath created.
- Bikeway signs along 80 miles of streets and paths throughout
the South Coast.
- Widen shoulders on Highway 246 between Buellton and Solvang.
- Regular Street Skills classes to improve bicyclist confidence.
- Via Real widening, 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 together toward a better future for all people who
bicycle.
Pro Bike/Pro Walk conference
in Santa Barbara
In September 1998, we hosted the Bicycle Federation of
America's Pro Bike/Pro Walk conference in Santa Barbara. Over 500
participants came from all over North America. We've archived that part of
our website here.
Our email list and Facebook
presence
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. 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.

Our Facebook presence was added in 2009. You can view messages and become our
friend at www.facebook.com/sbbikes.
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 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. Since we merged with Bici Centro, we have attracted numerous
grants to support the shop and education programs. We are very grateful for
all the help, but with more support, we'll be able to increase our effectiveness
with projects such as:
- Help CycleMAYnia and other events reach more people
- Support Bici Centro activities
- Promote safer biking to local schools
- Maintain this website and Facebook on the Internet
- Protect bicyclists legal rights to roads
- Promote Santa Barbara County as a bicycling destination
- Promote bicycling to visitors as part of the "Santa Barbara
Car Free" program
- Provide transportation planners and consultants advice on
bicyclist safety
- Participate in Santa Barbara's Earth Day
How
Members benefit
If you join the Bicycle Coalition, you'll help our education
and Bici centro programs. And you'll receive discounts at the following bike
shops and Momentum magazine:
- 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.
- Lighthouse Bicyles, Santa Ynez. 10% off custom bicycle frames.
Phone 688-6385.
- Mad Mike's Bikes, 1108 East Clark Avenue
#G, Santa Maria. 20% off parts and accessories.
- Pedal Power Bicycles,
1740 Broadway, Santa Maria. 10% off accessories.
- VeloPro
Cyclery, 633 State Street, Santa Barbara and 5887
Hollister Avenue, Goleta. 10% off regular price on parts and accessories.
- WheelHouse, 528 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara. 10%
off labor.
- Momentum Magazine. You'll get a $5 discount
off the annual $20 subscription price, plus our Bicycle Coalition will also
receive a $5 gift. Just go online here.
To get your discount, tell the
clerk that you are a member; if there is a question, phone 252-9064. To join
us, click on the link below, print out and complete the application, and
mail it to us. Or join us online.
Join our Bicycle
Coalition
You can fill out a PDF form, print it and mail it to us
with your check HERE.
Or use our online form at the Bici Centro site where you can pay with your
credit card HERE.
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