QUICK RELEASE www.sbbike.org Serving Santa Barbara County We’re a countywide advocacy and resource organization that promotes bicycling for safe transportation and recreation.
How to reach us Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition PO Box 92047 Santa Barbara CA 93190-2047 phone 568-3046 email info@sbbike.org web www.sbbike.org
April 1st meeting Join us on Tuesday, April 1st for another evening meeting. Help us celebrate and improve bicycling during 2003: Sizzler Restaurant 5555 Hollister Avenue Goleta, California 6:00 No-host dinner 7:00 Meeting
Online email list We sponsor an online email forum where you can post and read messages that pertain to regional bicycling issues. It’s easy and free. To subscribe to our general forum, just send an email message to: sbbike-subscribe@topica.com
Leave the subject line and body of the message blank. That’s all!
Join the Coalition You can help improve bicycling safety and conditions in Santa Barbara County by joining others in our own regional Bicycle Coalition advocacy group. Together we will continue to make a real difference. See page 6 for details.
For sale: video & flag We’re pleased to offer our own video “Decide to Ride.” It’s about a young woman who learns to bike commute to work. It’s only $18 (tax and US shipping included) from us, address above. Plus, we’re selling Bike Week flags, 4’x6’ heavy nylon, terra cotta and white. They’re $33 plus tax. Look at this PDF file: www.sbbike.org/art-home/ flag.pdf
April 2003
UCSB & County plans effect bicyclists As years of planning head toward finalization this year, they will definitely effect thousands of bicyclists in the University of California Santa Barbara and This shows the new bikepath on the north side of the housing, and roundabouts on the south. adjacent areas. We have many concerns, identified by the Bicycle On March 5, a “scoping meeting” was held to deCoalition’s Ralph Fertig and UCSB’s Dennis Whelan: termine final concerns before heading into the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) stage for two related • By moving the El Colegio bikepath north of the projects: UCSB's new San Clemente student housing new housing, bicyclists may shun the longer route and changes to adjacent El Colegio Road. and fill up the street instead. The San Clemente project will house 976 graduate • Although both El Colegio Road designs call for students in a four-block complex north of El Colegio bikelanes, how safely will students navigate roundabouts in the 2-lane design, and dodge buses between Los Carneros on the west and Stadium Road stopped in the bikelane in the 5-lane design? on the east. The County will change the road itself— • Whereas the present bikepath crosses Stadium to either a 5-lane road with bikelanes and signalized Road with good sight distances for motorists and intersection control; or a 2-lane road with bikelanes, bicyclists, the new design hasn’t determined where parallel parking, bus pull-outs, and roundabouts. and how it will cross the street, but likely it will be worse. An ideal solution is a tunnel under the road. • What will happen to bicyclists in the new bikelanes when they continue west of Los Carneros Road? Currently, there are no bikelanes there at all. • Where will El Colegio bikelane traffic go at the University entrance? How will the lanes deliver bicyclists to and from on-campus paths? • Where will thousands of bicyclists go during two years of construction? Can the new path be constructed first? The current bikepath parallel to El Colegio Road accommodates thousands of bicyclists each school day.
Highway improvement funding suspended They are still going ahead, but later than expected. California’s spending cuts have led the Transportation Commission to temporarily suspend funding for over 20 projects in Santa Barbara County, some of which effect bicyclists. Thanks to Caltrans’ Pat Mickelson for information of projects that effect us: • Tunnels under Highway 101 at Cabrillo Boulevard in Montecito and Cacique Street in Santa Barbara. • New bikeway west of Highway 217 in Goleta. • Wider shoulders and repaving of Highway 246 between Buellton and Lompoc. • Wider shoulders and repaving of Highway 166 between Santa Maria and Guadalupe.
A draft version of the EIR will be available for public comment in a few months. We’ll be scrutinizing it and let everybody know what they can do to help.
Buy a Bike Week flag Our 4’x6’ Bike Week Flag has a white bicyclist logo on a terra cotta color background. It’s heavy nylon with two grommets at the top for hanging. It’s a deal at $30 plus tax and postage. Want one? Write a check to Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition for $35.33 per flag (or $33.00 if it’s going to a non-California address), mail to Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition, PO Box 92047, Santa Barbara, CA 93190-2047. Tell us where to ship it and include a phone number just in case.