FAll 2015 • Volume 25 / No. 3

SANTA BARBARA BICYCLE COALITION

QuickReleaseQuickRelease

SBSANTA BARBARA BICYCLE COALITIONBIKE

B

ike the Vote

CANDIDATES’ QUESTIONNAIRE

INSIDE

2 Quick Release Fall 2015

BOARDDavid Hodges, ChairCourtney Dietz, Vice ChairDavid Bourgeois, TreasurerByron BeckRobert CaizaDavid CampbellSue CarmodyHector GonzalezJohn HygelundTracey StrobelMike Vergeer

STAFFEd France, Executive Directored@sbbike.org

Christine Bourgeois, Education Directoredu@sbbike.org

Shawn Von Biela, Shop Managershop@bicicentro.org

Howard Booth, Membership Coordinatorhoward@sbbike.org

Joey Juhasz-Lukomski, Operations Manager joey@sbbike.org

Eve Sanford, Advocacy Associate eve@sbbike.org

GOVT. LIAISONS & ADVISORSMatt Dobberteen, AdvisorCounty of Santa Barbaramatt@cosbpw.net

Kent Epperson, AdvisorTraffic Solutionskepperson@sbcag.org

Teresa Lopes, AdvisorCity of Goletatlopes@cityofGoleta.org

Amy Steinfeld Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck

ART DIRECTORCynthia Stahl, info@cynstahl.com

MANAGING EDITORHolly Starley, editor@sbbike.org

CONTACT US506 E. Haley St.Santa Barbara, CA 93103

PO Box 92047Santa Barbara, CA 93190

www.sbbike.orgSBBIKE: 805-845-8955Bici Centro: 805-617-3225

CONTRIBUTEYour time: www.bicicentro.org/volunteerIn-kind: www.bicicentro.org/wishlistFinancially: www.bicicentro.org/donate

Letter from the EditorWhile we still await the crisp, cool air that draws us to snuggle

in for fall, the autumn events that help make the Santa Barbara

cycling community unique, inclusive, and far-reaching—the

SB100, Iluminando la Noche, and Open Streets, to name a

few—are just around the corner.

Also drawing near is an election. On November 3, three of SB’s districts will elect a city

councilmember to the body that guides major decisions about our city—

our community.

All of this creates a rich tapestry of diverse opportunities to be personally involved

in shaping our community. Civic engagement is action derived from a sense of

personal responsibility to community. And there are many ways to participate. From

volunteerism to event organization, from rallying to address issues or solve problems to

electoral participation, civic engagement is what makes a community strong, ensuring

it reflects the values and desires of its members and meets their needs.

A primary reason I’ve personally been drawn to the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition

is that involvement with this organization offers an array of ways to engage civically.

This Quick Release highlights many upcoming opportunities. Read an update on the

drafting of the Bicycle Master Plan that will determine the design of our city’s bike

routes through 2030, a plan to which many of you have added and can continue to

add your voice. Hear what candidates in the 2015 District Elections envision for our

community. Research what these City Council hopefuls have to say about issues that

matter to you both in these pages and our Full Candidate Questionnaire online, as well

as in other election news sources to make an informed vote. Here, too, is the story of

three young adults who have learned not just to ride but the value of volunteerism—a

civic engagement that is now part of their lives—thanks to SBBIKE volunteers. Read

about Santa Barbara’s well-loved century race and charity event, the SB100, and

its dedication to our community. Find out how to distribute lights to hundreds of

economically underserved members of our community, making their rides safer; how

to participate in an event that closes a portion of Cabrillo to give people a taste of

community on the streets with people-powered transportation; and how to enrich

your community simply by donating your used bicycles.

My fall challenge to our members – Make a commitment to civically engage in Santa

Barbara—to personally help make your community the one you want to live in.

Happy participation,

Holly Starley

Practicing safe handling skills on the blacktop at Vieja Valley Elementary. ANDIE BRIDGES

www.SBBIKE.org 3

Thank you, Business Members and Supporters

PLATINUM MEMBERS

DIAMOND MEMBERS

Marcia Burtt Gallery

GOLD & CARBON FIBER MEMBERS

Rincon Cycle CapCranks Cory Motors

SILVER & ALUMINUM MEMBERS

ceramics

TITANIUM MEMBERS

BRONZE AND STEEL MEMBERS

Bildsten Architecture and Planning The Dirt Club Fastrack BicyclesHelloHarvest Hoffman Architecture

Horny ToadIsla Vista Food Coop Mesa ArchitectsMesa Business AssociationRevolution Coaching LLCPremier Business Marketing

REITailwinds Bicycle Club of Santa Maria True Nature Landscape ArchitectureWaynes Pro Bike

4 Quick Release Fall 2015

S BBIKE’s newest staff member, Eve Sanford, joined

the coalition after a long southbound cycle,

bringing planning expertise, a zeal for what bicycling

means to cities, and a commitment to community

involvement in advocacy efforts. Sanford volunteered

with the local bike coalition while studying urban

planning, with a transportation focus, at Cal Poly

Pomona and later worked in planning with the City of Los Angeles.

Cycling is part of Sanford’s ethos. “It ties into the quality of life in cities,”

she says, her enthusiasm palpable. “Biking for transportation is a solution

to some of the modern issues we’re facing. It’s a way of doing something

good for the environment while getting to know your community. And it’s

fun.” She grins.

Sanford remembers the bike that got her into cycling. It was a green,

three-speed, 1970’s cruiser that took her to school and her first job. “That’s

when I got serious.” She remembers thinking, I can out-bike the bus. This

is how I’m going to travel.

Travel she has. Last October, Sanford cycled out of Vancouver for a solo

trip to San Francisco that ended with her getting a ride share to her new

home in SB. The trip was “amazing” and didn’t stay solo for long; Sanford

cycled with many new friends along the coast, often in the rain. It also

Meet SBBIKE’s New Advocacy Associate

Hodges Takes the Board Helmby Andie Bridges

L ast month, David Hodges became the newest chair of the Santa

Barbara Bicycle Coalition Board of Directors. Hodges’s journey to his

new position began in 2012 at a Santa Barbara High Bike to School event.

Hodges, who was working as the school’s assistant principal at the time,

was impressed by the competence and energy of the organizers. “I really liked the people

who got involved. The students all responded so positively.”

He was so impressed that he volunteered to sit on a small chair in the middle of a bike ramp

as a stunt cyclist flew over him.

Hodges’s enthusiasm and hands-on approach garnered the attention of staff and volunteers

alike, and he was asked to become a member of the SBBIKE Board of Directors.

“When Ed France approached me, I was really honored and excited to be a part of SBBIKE.”

At the time he joined the board, the organization was operating out of the Casa de la Raza

location. Hodges was a part of the move to a permanent home and a surging membership.

“I feel there has been a lot of momentum in the last few years; a lot of good things

happened in a short period of time.”

Now retired, the father of four grown children is excited about putting his energy toward

improving biking opportunities for all. “I hope to help make Santa Barbara a really premier

cycling city for commuters, for kids on their way to school, and for visitors.”

Our two latest and greatest

additions to the SBBIKE

Board of Directors are

David Campbell and Tracey

Strobel. David has been a

lightning rod of support

for the Bici Centro crew

and helps the organization

as a liaison between the

shop volunteers and staff

and the board. Tracey

comes to us with a strong

background in bicycle

shop management,

retail management, and

a passion for bicycle

advocacy.

SBBIKE Welcomes New Board Members

tested her repair skills. She laughs

recalling a broken spoke at a rare

isolated spot—60 miles from the

nearest town.

Sanford is stoked about SBBIKE, an

organization she’d followed in the

media. A few months into the job, she’s enjoying

the dynamic work, the energy at the shop, the

hardworking and committed staff, and Executive

Director Ed France’s leadership.

Sanford hopes to guide SBBIKE in growing “an

increasingly unified and widespread presence,”

throughout SB County. And she’s dedicated to

ensuring everyone who wants to be a part of

cycling infrastructure improvement has the tools

to do so—“not just us as an organization but

individually. It’s our job,” she explains, “but it’s

people who live in the area who are the experts.

And they can be a very impactful resource.”

SBBIKE GROWTH

www.SBBIKE.org 5

BMP UPDATE

I n 1997, the city of Santa Barbara incorporated a Circulation Element

first developed in 1964 into its general plan. One doesn’t need to travel

the city by bike or foot long to know that its goal—to achieve equality

of choice and safety among multiple modes of travel—has not yet been

reached. That Circulation Element guided the development of the city’s

’98 Bicycle Master Plan (BMP).

This summer, preparing the 15-year update of the BMP, the city

conducted public outreach to ask its constituents’ input. Thousands took

a voluntary survey, hundreds gave their evenings to participate in public

events, and hundreds gave site-specific input on an interactive website.

More than 90 percent of survey takers, among them 50 percent who

drive and 30 percent who bike, asked for improved cycling infrastructure

and the closing of network gaps with high-quality class 1 or class 2 lanes

and expressed their dislike for, the inarguably less safe, sharrows (lanes

shared by bikes and cars). In other words, the public asked for the long-

term circulation goal to be met—that all modes of transport are equally

safe and equally accessible.

The city is close to finalizing the draft of a plan that will guide

infrastructure changes through 2030. And that plan, as edited to date,

does not yet pave the way toward meeting that goal. It does not fully

reflect what the public asked for. For starters, multiple gaps in the

network remain unaddressed. A number of key crosstown routes have

devolved into sharrows—identified as the least supported bikeway

treatment. And the number one problem area residents identified—the

Castillo undercrossing—has been left out entirely. In many ways, it’s as if

the suggestions made and vetted by the public process can be taken off

the plan all too easily.

An analysis of how this happened could fill pages. For one, the feedback

loop between City Council and planners seems bizarre. No votes have

been taken, and only off-the-cuff feedback seemed to be enough for

a high-quality connector route to the Westside to be quietly taken off

the table. This seems to be in reference to a July council session when

one of seven (six councilmembers and the mayor) outright opposed the

route (stating, “How will I get to South Coast Deli?”), one council positing

that we should “close the gaps but not remove a single parking spot,”

while the mayor and the remaining four asked for further research into

mitigation of trade-offs. This apparently was the “council direction” that

removed an element of the ’98 Master Plan and one of the most solicited

bikeway improvements by the public. Is a dirty look enough to overturn

both the will of the public and our existing policy?

Moreover, planners didn’t start with any overarching visions—no goals

like boosting cycling or decreasing collision rates, for example. Instead,

Equality of Systems Still Absent in BMPExisting Policy, Public Voice Call for Stronger Bicycle Master Plan

the actual physical routes underwent a process

of elimination—focusing on what city decisions

makers don’t want and working goals around

what had already been set in motion late in

the game. A vocal minority of these decision

makers, it seems, don’t share the goals written

into our general plan and reinforced by the

public—raising questions of whether the public’s

time was spent in participation or fanfare and

whether the circulation goals are more than

words. The proof is in the pudding. The new plan

has quietly dropped routes from the ’98 plan.

The 2015 BMP has not yet been finalized or

adopted. “It remains to be seen if our city is serious

about improving bicycling or if this has been a

$200,000 public relations campaign,” says Santa

Barbara Bicycle Coalition Executive Director

Ed France.

SBBIKE hopes the plan will be strengthened by

December, when the City Council will see the

final draft. Infrastructure that allows people to

choose to get around safely without cars frees

congested streets and parking lots, chips away at

social inequality, improves overall health, reduces

pollution, boosts access to and use of local

businesses, and attracts new business. Moreover,

city staff and the SB City Council should be guided

by two things: The city committed 15 years ago to

creating cycling routes that are equally accessible

and equally safe. And the public asked that the goal

be met over the next 15.

If you participated in the public outreach process, remind City Council and staff that you want your participation to count. Send letters to PO Box 1990; SB, CA 93102 or e-mail your SB City Councilmember, staff planners, and city engineers.

6 Quick Release Fall 2015

SBBIKE doesn’t endorse a specif ic

candidate. But we do endorse

educating yourself and voting.

District 1

BIKE THE VOTE

Lower East

Eastside

APS

Canon Perd

ido

Eucaly ptu s Hi l l Rd

State St .SBBIKE asked D1 candidates:

The draft Bicycle Master Plan proposes a bicycle

boulevard on Alisos Street and a bicycle lane

on Cota Street . Do you support these projects?

Cruzito Herrera Cruz: Yes to both of

these projects.

The bicycle

boulevard has

complications with the surrounding

community members and parking.

Complications and problems which

can be addressed are parking,

traffic, and residential circulation.

The bicycle lane will limit parking

and/or traffic direction. A proactive

position can be taken on both

projects in District 1 because [of]

the lack there of safe-designed-

bikes-lanes/boulevard.

Jason Dominguez: Yes. I attended

the Alisos

demonstration. I

converted a long-

time local activist,

living on Alisos, a non-biker, into a

proponent with a simple explanation

of the boulevard plan. She was

against it based on misconceptions

that were quickly dispelled with data

and facts. I have been speaking with

several audiences. Many people

are enthusiastic, though some are

worried about past designs and

actions, bulb-outs, and fears that

plan will lengthen commutes.

Andria Martinez Cohen: Yes. I agree

that these

two projects fix gaps in the current

network and can attest to the fact

that these streets are already being

used as the preferred crosstown

routes linking the Eastside to

Downtown and the Westside.

Residents I have spoken with on

Alisos St. are supportive of the

project, and the demonstration

in May was a successful outreach

event. By keeping most bike traffic

on Cota while vehicle traffic benefits

from more efficient thoroughfares

on Haley and Gutierrez Streets, the

overall mobility of commuters is

improved and safer.

*

How will you work to implement

BMP projects in District 1 once the

plan is passed?

Continued on sbbike.orgWhat other ideas do you have for

improving bicycling in Santa

Barbara citywide?

www.SBBIKE.org 7

BIKE THE VOTE

SBBIKE asked all candidates:Should Santa Barbara…

CRUZ: Yes. [I] would support a

policy of “Vision Zero”. In supporting

a Vision Zero policy is critical goal to

saving lives via drivers, pedestrians,

and bicyclists. Our city-roads

must be designed to minimize the

ability to make a mistake because

our City’s street infrastructure has

limited road designs and making

the roadways and walkways safer is

a positive position to implement.

MARTINEZ COHEN: First developed

in Sweden in 1994, Vision Zero

is guided by the principle that

convenience to the users of a city

or nation’s roadways should never

take precedence over human

life. I wholeheartedly agree, and

I support a Vision Zero policy

that will bring our traffic fatality

rate down to zero by 2025.

San Francisco is one of the first US

Cities to adopt Vision Zero, and we

can learn much from their approach.

They are currently working on the

implementation with five focus

areas: engineering, education,

enforcement, evaluation, and

policy to create a transportation

system that is safe for all road users,

for all modes of transportation,

in all neighborhoods, and for

people of all ages and abilities.

Santa Barbara should be a

leader in this movement, and

bring together not only City

departments, but MTD, the police

department, schools, and the

public to make all neighborhoods

in the City safer and healthier.

Adopt Vision Zero?

CRUZ: Yes. I would be supportive of

erecting more bike corrals with the

following stakeholders: community

members, and business merchants

in designating area [and giving]

consent and approval.

MARTINEZ COHEN: Yes. I bike to

work and shopping when possible,

and more bike parking is needed for

the latter. Racks will help to achieve

25 percent biking rate in SB and

protect pedestrians and bikes

from harm.

Create more bike corrals?

Eastside

Read candidates’ thoughts on the possibility of a bike share

program in Santa Barbara in Full Candidate Questionnaire.

Continued on sbbike.org*

DOMINGUEZ: Yes. As an avid

bike rider myself, I am a strong

supporter of bike corrals because

oftentimes it is hard to find a

place to safely lock your bike

when there are no options or all

the spots are already taken. The

examples in front of Handlebar

Roasters near Downtown and

Figueroa Mountain Brewery in the

Funk Zone are working well for

the community and Fig Mtn did

not have to eliminate any parking.

DOMINGUEZ: Yes. I’m for improved

infrastructure, education, and

enforcement to save lives, improve

mental and physical health,

and the environment. Physical

barricades, traffic calming, and other

engineering measures are needed.

People would ride more if streets

were safer and felt safer. My goal is

to have 25 percent of Santa Barbara

commuting, running errands, or

participating in recreational cycling.

SB is nearly the worst city in CA for

injuries to pedestrians and cyclists

from cars.

My demographic (men 45+)

are the most common victim of

serious injuries and fatalities; I am

happy to share my insight to help

reduce injuries to this group and

improve SB’s ranking. I was injured

in SB while bike commuting; trucks

and moving vans were involved. I

suffered serious injuries and was

lucky to avoid permanent disability,

and that experience has made me

committed to safe streets.

What is Vision Zero?

*

Vision Zero is a multinational movement

that aims to achieve roadway systems

with no fatalities or even injuries.

8 Quick Release Fall 2015

K. MISSY MCSWEENEY-ZEITSOFF: After

council passes the

BMP, with my vote, staff

will implement it, with

Council overseeing the

process and the progress.

My other bike / pedestrian safety

measures would include more

crosswalks, with the blinking lights;

more education on helmet use and

observation of traffic rules; use of

green paint in areas of increased

danger; and, with consultation with

bicycle riders, the possibility of lane

divider bumps in some areas. There

is currently some uneasy feeling

between those who ride bikes and

those who only drive cars. There

should be some community meeting

to vent and agree to learning to co-

exist on the road, to mutual benefit.

I am trained in mediation. I lived in

Malibu for 28 years, so I understand

this controversial subject. I was on

the first Council.

District 2

BIKE THE VOTE

SBBIKE asked D2 candidates:

How wil l you work to implement the Bic ycle Master

Plan projects in District 2? What other ideas do you

have for improving bicycl ing in Santa Barbara?

LUIS ESPARZA: The contour of District 2’s coastline is naturally ideal for bike paths that can take users from one end of district to the other. Class 2 lanes feasibility increases with additionally restriping of Cliff Drive and consideration of bicycle use when designing and constructing future roundabouts. Heeding the community’s request for green painting is a cost-effective method to achieve immediate results and mentally reinforces the right of non-vehicles to share our roads for drivers who are increasingly unaware or plainly unsympathetic to said right; while the planning and structural considerations of other methods are pending. Some other ideas for improving bicycling in our city include but are not limited to: a. Instruct SBPD for strict

enforcement of driving while distracted (i.e. texting) traffic violations;

b. Minimize traffic and driver anxiety in general by working with public and private employers to implement employee “shift-shifting”. For example, many businesses and employees may want to begin their work shift earlier and be done earlier in the day, or conversely, begin the work shift later and work until later in the day; and

c. Increase education, workshops, and outreach concerning overall use of bicycles.

RANDY ROWSE: One issue in the works is the potential class 1 bike lane on Las Positas, its connection to the new roundabout, and the enhancement of the Modoc bikeways, with connectivity to UCSB. As stated in answer #4 [see Full Candidate Questionnaire at sbbike.org], the draft Bicycle Master Plan is not ready for implementation,

Loma A

ltaThe Mesa

Modoc L

os

Po

ita

s

Robbins

Mo

nte

cito

as pointed out by

neighborhood

stakeholders. We

do have decent

connectivity

within District

2, but the issue, in my opinion, is

more acute in the downtown area.

Safe and attractive bicycle travel

is important and desirable in a

town that naturally lends itself to

this activity. All types of personal

conveyance must be provided for,

and options to do any of them

safely and conveniently are the

job of planners, law enforcement,

and, ultimately, Council.

It is my hope and vision that the

Bicycle Master Plan helps to lay out

the best routes for bicycle travel that

make it clear to cyclists and cars

alike which routes are optimum and

should be expected to be used for

bike travel. The implementation

should be phased in triage-like

fashion, wherein the color coding of

bike lanes could be accomplished

first and likely within our current

budget. Education would be the job

of the Bicycle Coalition, along with

law enforcement, hopefully starting

in the schools. Law enforcement,

in the form of bike patrols and

motorcycle police, should conduct

regular crossing ‘sting’ operations

that ticket errant motorists as well

as cycling scofflaws. The phased-in

approach should yield the greatest

benefit in the shortest time span.

State

www.SBBIKE.org 9

BIKE THE VOTE

SBBIKE asked all candidates: Should Santa Barbara…

ESPARZA: Yes. The stated goal of

reducing fatalities and injuries is

laudable and deserving of local

government support and assistance,

although the platform available

online lacks detailed suggestions.

Additional crosswalks are needed at

problematic intersections, existing

crosswalks require enhancement to

be more like the one at Meigs Road

and Red Rose Way, and traffic signal

timing can be slightly adjusted to

better prevent collision possibility.

A PR or media campaign would

help counteract the increased

aggressiveness and distractions of

modern life.

McSWEENEY-ZEITSOFF: Yes. Vision

Zero is both sensible and workable.

ROWSE: Of course, the goal of

zero fatalities for bicyclists and

pedestrians is desirable. This

concept, “Vision Zero” was adopted

by the Swedish government in

1997 and has been met with great

statistical success. I lived in Sweden

for a time and am familiar with the

culture, traffic systems, and the

ability for the people to adapt to

change. (Right-hand driving started

one day in 1967, and no fatalities

occurred.) The reason I mention

this is that the Swedes have little

Adopt Vision Zero?

ESPARZA: Yes. The current bike

corral on Canon Perdido Street is

usually full and exhibits the need

and desire of the community

for me. Creating the corrals in

city and private parking lots may

minimize objections by merchants

and neighbors concerning loss of

street vehicle parking.

McSWEENEY-ZEITSOFF: Yes.

Removing 10 to 20 cars for the loss

of 1 parking space is a good idea.

ROWSE: Yes. I worked with the

Downtown Parking Committee

when the first bike corral was

installed on Canon Perdido. It

worked there because of the chronic

misuse of the sidewalks for bike

storage in that location. It is very site

specific. As we evolve our traffic and

circulation policies for areas like the

Funk Zone, the Victoria/State area

and Milpas, we should have those

discussions on a case-by-case basis.

It is important to bear in mind that

the parking inventory and proximity

SBBIKE doesn’ t endorse a specif ic

candidate . But we do endorse educating

yourself and voting.Create more bike corrals?

trouble in getting buy-in from

their citizens for policy changes,

unlike out here in the Wild West. I

supported the initial study stipend

in order that the new program

wouldn’t be either rejected out of

hand or adopted blindly with the

predictable stakeholder blowback

and wasteful expenditure of tax

dollars. I believe that education

and enhanced enforcement

for both drivers and cyclists/

pedestrians would go a lot further

and be more readily achievable for

implementation than wholesale

engineering changes. In short, my

idea of “Vision Zero” would be

tailored specifically to our town and

conditions rather than a template

that works in other cities and

cultures. Let’s have that discussion.

to intersection turning lanes are part

of the public domain and not to be

parceled out to narrow number of

interests in the proximity.

The Mesa

SB’s first downtown bike corralRead about the bike corral

installed on Canon Perdido and

future sites being considered in

“Corralling Momentum.”

*Continued on sbbike.orgRead candidates’ thoughts on

proposed routes on the Mesa and the

possibility of a bike share program

in Santa Barbara in Full Candidate

Questionnaire.

10 Quick Release Fall 2015

CRISTINA CARDOSO: Yes, I strongly

support both

projects.

Many of our

residents depend on bicycles

for transportation both from

economic reasons and because

of the lack of parking.

District 3

BIKE THE VOTE

SBBIKE asked D3 candidates:

SHARON BYRNE: I need

to study this in

more detail. The

WS to DT route

seems achievable, as I understand

it. The north and south routes

proposal is encountering very stiff

opposition from WS neighbors

on Chino and San Andres. There

IS a great N-S route on Castillo

and Bath, and I use that heavily.

CATHY MURILLO: Yes. I

have always known

that speeding,

traffic congestion,

and scarcity of

parking are issues for the Westside

neighborhoods (the most dense in

the City). But now that I am going

door-to-door and speaking to

my neighbors about their specific

streets, I am painfully aware how

the very quality of their lives are

impacted by “too many cars” and the

need for bicycle accommodation.

I support improving both the

Westside-to-Downtown and

North-South connectivity. I have

heard much support for making

Chino Street a Bike Boulevard. Also,

I must take credit for initiating the

update of the Bicycle Master Plan

– in collaboration with members of

the Transportation and Circulation

Committee. There are so many

benefits to encouraging residents

to use bicycles as transportation:

better physical health, reduction

of carbon emissions, creating

more space on the roads for

people who must use their cars.

Loma Alta D

r.

WestsideO

rtega

Robbins St .

Monte

c ito

US 101

State

*

How will you work to implement BMP projects in District 3 once the plan is passed?

What other ideas do you have for improving bicycling in Santa Barbara citywide?

(b) to establ ish a strong bicycle route that connects the North and South s ides of the

Wests ide. Do you support or have ideas for these projects?

Two goals of the draf t B icycle Master Plan are (a) to establ ish a strong bicycle route from the

Wests ide to Downtown and

Continued on sbbike.org

de la Vina

www.SBBIKE.org 11

BIKE THE VOTE

SBBIKE asked all candidates: Should Santa Barbara…

BYRNE: Yes. If you don’t know

where you’re going, you’ll never

get there, so setting a goal for zero

fatalities or serious injuries is a

great target and gets the collective

consciousness moving towards

achieving it. I also got the Milpas

Community Association to endorse

adopting Vision Zero here.

CARDOSO: Yes. I strongly support

Vision Zero. I do not agree that

achievement of zero deaths should

require 10 years.

MURILLO: Yes. Helping the public

get from one place to another—

safely and with minimal impact

to the environment—has always

been a priority in my public service.

Vision Zero has a simple message

and goal: Here are the numbers of

people hurt or killed on our streets;

let’s reduce those numbers. At the

Council hearing in May, decision

makers could support the proposal

with ease. I’m committed to the

City adopting the best practices

proven to work elsewhere to

increase both safety and circulation

for pedestrians, bicyclists, and

motorists. Santa Barbara should be

second to none.

Adopt Vision Zero?

BYRNE: Yes. There is already

interest in doing this at places

like the Shop Café on Milpas, and

I’ve pushed for it where there’s

interest. We need to be careful in

planning the locations, as some

merchants will protest any loss

of parking, especially if they only

have one or two on-street spaces.

CARDOSO: Yes. Bicycle[s] will

be used more if owners have a

safe place to secure them.

MURILLO: Yes. Support from local

businesses and residents is key, as

they know best what serves their

needs, in terms of commerce,

traffic, and livability. Bike corrals

are a solid investment for the City

as they will help increase business

profits from both new and existing

customers, as well as reduce traffic

and parking congestion. A bonus is

that pedestrians have more sidewalk

space because the bicycles are on

the street.

SBBIKE doesn’t endorse

a specif ic candidate. But

we do endorse educating

yourself and voting.

Westside

*

Continued on sbbike.orgRead candidates’

thoughts on the

possibility of a bike

share program in

Santa Barbara in

Full Candidate

Questionnaire.

More thoughts on bike sharesRead a classic article by Ralph Fertig in the spring 2015 QR, page 5.

Create more bike corrals?

12 Quick Release Fall 2015

EDUCATION

“I Did It! I Really Did It!”by Kayln Noe

“H ow’s our speed?” I ask over my shoulder.

“Good. They’re close behind us,” Ally answers after she turns to look

over her own shoulder. “We could even go faster,” she hints, adding that

pedestrians should be more careful before stepping across

the bike path.

It’s only our fourth day of biking, and Ally’s already thinking like a real

bicyclist. Just four days ago, her only bike experience was from her

childhood training wheel days. Now we’re heading to Bici Centro after

a successful kayaking outing.

Behind us riding tandem are Johnny and TJ, along with solo riders

Alejandro and Hector. Ally, Johnny, and Alejandro shared the desire to

learn how to ride a bike. One obstacle that prevented these students

from learning earlier is the need for modifications and less traditional

approaches to both bikes and instruction – which SBBIKE provided.

For any teenager or adult, working on a skill many of their peers

accomplished during childhood is courageous. These three young

adults had varied goals for our week, but all aimed for greater self-

confidence, a sense of independence, and a new experience.

Alejandro, who started at SBCC this fall and wants commute to campus,

prepared for our week of biking with Bici Centro’s Biking 101 and

Saturday Street Skills series. Ally’s phobia of biking is gone. During the

week, she’s ridden three different types of bikes. Her “I did it! I really did

it! I rode a bike!” helps us remember the excitement of that feeling and

why we want to share it. For Ally and I, being able to ride the Extracycle

opens up a whole new world. We’ll be borrowing it from Bici Centro’s

bike library to accomplish our daily activities. And getting to the harbor

to do Ally’s favorite activity, kayaking, will now be a breeze.

By Friday, all three students are biking like they’ve been doing this for

years. Behind Hector on the tandem, Johnny is smiling and laughing

like he was just told a hilarious joke. Alejandro is asking when he can

practice biking next week. A look of sheer satisfaction on her face – she

just rode a solo bike without training wheels – Ally takes out her phone

to text photos to her mom and aunt, too excited to wait.

Rather than an end, this is really just the beginning of these students’

“biking lives,” and I’m excited to see where it takes them.

Trio of Young Adults Learns to Ride

Johnny Scott-Bartz and LCI/SBBIKE board member Hector Gonzalez enjoy a summer ride.

Since camp, Alejandro Coss and Ally Hoerl have been volunteering at Bici Centro on Tuesdays, an activity they plan to continue.

Ally Hoerl and Kayln Noe cruise on the Extracycle from the Bici Centro bike library.

SBBIKE hosted a weeklong summer camp for three students of paraeducator Kayln Noe, who worked with them first at Santa Barbara High and now at WIN, a transition program at Santa Barbara City College. Noe and her students are grateful for SBBIKE/Bici Centro’s support, bikes, helmets, expertise, and volunteers, and especially for League Certified Instructor Hector Gonzales, who Noe calls “the main engine in this project.”

www.SBBIKE.org 13

FEATURE

W hat’s better than biking 100 miles of coastal Santa

Barbara? Knowing that your doing so means big

donations for local nonprofits.

The Santa Barbara 100, formerly the Santa Barbara

Century, is the only not-for-profit athletics event in the

city. The October 17, 2015, race will be its sixth year,

and the SB100 board has upped its

game. While it made $52,000 for its

beneficiaries—local charities—last

year and $200,000 over the past five,

organizers have set their sights on

$100,000 this year. The many changes,

all geared to meeting that goal, include

a new logo to go with the new name,

upgrades for the onsite event, and

raising entry fees to market value.

After event costs, all the money

raised (read your fees) will go to the

organizations that are the event’s

beneficiaries. No salaries are paid. No

event production company is hired to

organize the race. What that means

is people volunteering their time and

expertise. “We are an all-volunteer

board,” says Marketing and Sponsorship

Director Tricia Middleton. “It’s unique, in

that all of our efforts directly support charities. … It’s why

the event was created six years ago, to help others.”

That means, she says, “Investment in this event pays huge

dividends.” The event’s beneficiaries can attest. The Santa

Barbara Bicycle Coalition (SBBIKE) received $21,000

last year, bringing the total of support the coalition has

received from the race to $100,000. The coalition’s

growth owes much to this support says SBBIKE Executive

Director Ed France. “Youth bicycle education as we’ve

grown it, for example, wouldn’t have been possible

without this generous, ongoing support,” he notes.

Other recipients of SB100 2015 will be Cottage Children’s

Medical Center, where the support will help cover

Cyclists Climb Gibraltar, SB100 Climbs New Heights for Local Charities

expenses for children whose families are unable to fully pay for their

health care; Emory Foundation, which supports grieving families

and funds an annual scholarship for local nurses specializing

in pediatrics or neonatal care, and the Andrew Popp Memorial

Scholarship Program, which assists in educating students from the

slums of Uganda and Kenya.

“It’s crucial for an event to back up our

community’s ecological commitment

on any level,” Middleton says. “We can

stop watering our lawns, we can drive

electric vehicles, we can preserve

our environment, but we have to

invest in our youth, and we have to

invest in our established organizations

that pave the way for more bike

lanes, outreach to disadvantaged

youth, and provide meaningful

solutions to our local problems.”

Another way SB100 invests in youth is by

waiving fees for its local youth cycling

programs—the Echelon Junior Cycling

Team and the newly created Riviera Youth

Bike Team, which aims “to create a long-

term positive impact on the health and

fitness of ‘at-risk’ children by developing and fostering a connection

to cycling.” Middleton can’t wait for the day of the event “when we

can recognize the fastest climbers in the Gibraltar Challenge awards

but also recognize our local youth for their great accomplishments.”

The SB100 is recognized nationally for its beauty and challenge.

Its three courses included the 100-miler, with 9,000 feet of

climbing (including the 7-mile time trial up Gibraltar Road); the

100-kilometer; and the 34-mile course. Says OutsideOnline.com

of the first course, “[it] will hurt more than a little…. But it’s all kinds

of Southern California magic.”

Want to be a part of the magic? Register online as soon as spots

are available. Or sign up to volunteer alongside SBBIKE.

“It’s crucial for an event to back up our community’s ecological commitment on any level. We can stop watering our lawns, we can drive electric vehicles, we can preserve our environment, but we have to invest in our youth, and we have to invest in our established organizations that pave the way for more bike lanes, outreach to disadvantaged youth, and provide meaningful solutions to our local problems.”

—Tricia Middleton, SB100

100 Miles for $100 K

14 Quick Release Fall 2015

In November, Santa Barbara will hold its first District Election.

Voters whose home addresses are in Districts 1, 2, and 3 (see

maps, pgs. 6, 8, and, 10) will vote in the councilmember who

will serve their district. (Voters in the remaining districts will be

voting in the next election.)

Vote in November District Elections

RegisterBy mail. Request your voter registration card online or by

calling 800-722-8683. Mailed cards must be received by (not

postmarked on) Oct. 19.

Online at registertovote.ca.gov until midnight on Oct. 19

Vote Mail your ballot to PO Box 61510 SB, CA 93160.

Drop off your ballot, from 7 am to 8 pm Nov. 3, to:

Ballots are mailed to registered voters in D 1, 2, and 3

Deadline to register to vote

Oct. 5.

Oct. 19

Nov. 3. Election day! (Ballots must be postmarked or dropped off by this date.)

District 1 – Franklin Neighborhood Center

(1136 E. Montecito St.)

District 2 – Holy Cross Catholic Church (1740 Cliff Dr.)

District 3 – Calvary Baptist Church, Sizer Hall

(736 W. Islay St.)

All districts – City Hall, lobby (735 Anacapa St.)

Additional times for this location are Oct. 27–30,

7:30 am to 5:30 pm; Oct 31, 8 am to 5 pm;

Nov. 2, 7:30 am to 5:30 pm

Vieja Valley Rides

Vieja Valley Elementary students cycle

along a route many use to get to and

from school. They’re ending a Bici

Familia event held at the beginning of

the school year, where students and

parents learned about safety on the

road and practiced safe handling skills

on the blacktop. The event was part of

a response by school administration,

SBBIKE, and COAST to a collision

involving two students on bikes en route

to school in the spring (both received

slight injuries and are okay now).

Read more about the event in “Vieja

Valley Elementary Hosts Successful

Family Bike Night” by Andie Bridges at

sbbike.org. Photo by JOHN ROUSSEAU.

WANTED

Contact: Bici Centro (Wed–Fri, 12–7 pm, and Sat, 12–5 pm) at 434 Olive St.

Your Reward: A tax-deductible donation receipt and the knowledge your donation is going toward making Santa Barbara a better place to bike for everyone!

Description: Old clunkers collecting dust. Dilapidated bikes. Bike stuff.

Last sene: Your garage

Alias:Your used bikes.

Volunteer with SB Open StreetsIt’s almost here! The third annual Open Streets is coming

to Santa Barbara on October 24. Want to volunteer with

the event where designated streets are transformed into

a free, safe, and family-friendly

recreation and fitness zone? Go to

sbopenstreets.org/volunteer and

click on the “sign up genius” link.

www.SBBIKE.org 15

Yanonali St

Garden St

Cabrillo Blvd

Milpas St

Corona Del Mar

S. Quarantina StState St

Anacapa St

Castillo St

Yanonali St

CABRILLO

Calle Cesar Chavez

Cabrillo Blvd

Harbor

Bird Refuge

SB Zoo(special entrance)

DolphinFountain

StearnsWharf

Harbor Shops

East Beach Grill

Activate

Kid-U-Cate

Rock &

Skat

e

Mot ivateJu

bil a

te

Rejuvenat

eHealth Fair

YMCA Partic

ipat

e

Celebrate

Saturday, October 24 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Sponsored by: Coordinated by: Marketing assistance provided by:

B u i ld i n g St r o n g C o m m u n i t i e s

GLOB

AL GOOD IMPACT

Closed to cars and open to fun activities for the whole family!

For a full list of ACTIVITIES, visit:sbopenstreets.org/participate

Santa Barbara Bicycle CoalitionPO Box 92047Santa Barbara, CA 93190-2047

SBSANTA BARBARA BICYCLE COALITION

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