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 962-1479 email info@sbbike.org web www.sbbike.org
October 4th meeting Join us on the first Tuesday of each month for our general meeting: Tuesday, October 4th Santa Barbara Bank & Trust Community Room 1021 Anacapa Street Santa Barbara, California 12:00 noon
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@lists.riseup.net
Leave the subject line and body of the message blank. That’s all!
October 2005
Coalition develops its position on Measure D renewal With the countywide “Measure D” half-cent transportation tax up for renewal soon, the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition is working to ensure that bicycling projects receive a share of an estimated $1 billion over the probable 30-year life of the tax. At our September 6th general meeting, and at our Board of Directors meeting on the 12th, we considered what we could do. It was agreed that we should coordinate our efforts with the Coalition for Sustainable Transportation (COAST) to craft a common platform. While we came to no consensus, four main areas rose to the top: • Complete Streets. Also called “routine accommodation,” this means serving all users in street design and construction, including all bicyclists, motorists and pedestrians. • Safe Routes to School. Although some funding currently comes from the state, and more will come from the federal government (see next page), the demand for safety near our schools outstrips funding. Out of 24 project categories considered by county voters on the Measure D assessment survey, a Safe Routes to School program ranked fourth highest. • Bikes and Commuter Rail. We can copy what is successful in Japan and Europe where thousands bike to train stations, then take the train to work or school. Bike parking costs a fraction what car parking does, and takes a tenth the space. Closer to home, the San Francisco Bay Area commuter CalTrain service has a popular bicycle car on each train for 16 or 32 bicycles, giving commut-
ers the point-to-point convenience of driving. • Biking Trails. Multipurpose paths that provide travel separate from motorists are very popular. A great example is the proposed bikepath along the Union Pacific Railroad in the South Coast. How these might play out to the voters is suggested by the Measure D assessment survey (now online at www.sbbike.org/docs/Measure-D.pdf). Voters in different parts of our county (graph above) favor different bicycling projects to different extents. Those differences are not great, with favoring ranging from 65% to 87% of likely voters, suggesting that, as part of a Measure D renewal package, the 67% needed to pass will be achieved. Carefully watch what’s happening these few upcoming months. And keep in mind that most trips congesting our streets and highways are short ones that lend themselves to conversion to bicycling with proper facilities and marketing.
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.
Kids get bike lights in Carpinteria
Our CycleSmart program The Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition’s CycleSmart bicyclist education program offers bicycling skills classes for school children and adults. Look for details of upcoming classes inside Quick Release, or contact our Co-coordinators Dru van Hengel and Erika Lindemann by email CycleSmart@sbbike.org.
These youngsters arrived with their parents by bike to get their free lights.
Kids on bicycles in Carpinteria are now safer thanks to several community organizations. The city’s second Kids Safety Awareness Day on September 3rd was sponsored by the Carpinteria Education Foundation, the Sheriff’s Carpinteria substation, and local community groups. Last year, 500 young riders got bike helmets, and this year they had front and rear lights installed on their bikes. Bicycle Coalition president Ralph Fertig went there and was pleased to see whole families arriving by bike, kids wearing last year’s helmets, and ready to have their bikes outfitted with safety lights. According to Senior Deputy Mike McCoy, about 250 light sets were installed on bicycles. We heard about it fairly late this year, but perhaps in 2006 we can be active participants.