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
September 4th meeting Join us on the first Tuesday of the month for our general meeting: Tuesday, September 4th 12:00 noon Santa Barbara Bank & Trust Conference Room 1021 Anacapa Street Santa Barbara
Online email list We sponsor a free online email forum where you can post and read messages that pertain to regional bicycling issues. To subscribe, just send an email message to:
September 2007
Goleta officials pledge safer Old Town On August 8th, 26-year old bicyclist Martin Solis Luna was run over and killed by a right-turning truck in Old Town Goleta. This is the second bicyclist fatality on this stretch of roadway within six years—Antonio Guerca was likewise hit and killed while biking to work on Hollister Avenue in September, 2001. Raising awareness of this new senseless tragedy—plus earlier pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities in Old Town—was the intent of a bicycle memorial ride organized by Bicycle Coalition member Eva Inbar on August 19th. The ride went from Saint Raphael’s Church along Hollister to the site of Martin’s death at Kellogg Avenue where flowers were added to arrangements, votive candles and other tributes already there. Then the ride continued to the Goleta City Hall, where Councilmembers Roger Aceves and Michael Bennett met with the riders. Bennett noted that GOTAC (Goleta Old Town Advisory Council) workshops were held as far back as 1995, long before Goleta became a city in 2002. They generated a workable vision of a revitalized Old Town area where pedestrians and bicyclists would have calmer and safer conditions—like bikelanes, wider sidewalks, safer crosswalks, and
Eva Inbar, left, places flowers at the place where Martin Solis Luna was run over by a truck in Old Town Goleta. Photo by Robert Bernstein.
off-street parking. Both Aceves and Bennett promised to work to get community improvements back on track. According to former Bicycle Coalition president Robert Bernstein who bicycled with the group, they pledged to work on immediate short-term remedies as well as longer-range plans. It’s certainly time to revive that vision of a safer, better Goleta.
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Join our Coalition You can help improve bicycling safety and conditions in Santa Barbara County by joining others in our regional bicycling advocacy group. Together we’ll continue to make a real difference. See page 6 for info.
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 . Quick Release is published monthly by the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition, PO Box 92047, Santa Barbara, CA 93190. Subscribe for $25 per year. Issue # 191.
Triathlons flourish in Santa Barbara county Athletes are diversifying as more swim-bike-run triathlons are taking place in Santa Barbara county. The first race this year was UCSB’s Kendra Chiota Payne Memorial Triathlon (April 15), followed by the Tri-For-Fun Triathlon in Santa Maria (April 28), and then the Santa Barbara Kids Triathlon (July 28). New this year was the Lompoc Sprint Triathlon that took place August 11 and attracted 155 competitors. The venerable and sold-out Santa Barbara Triathlon, a local competition since 1982, again took place on East Beach August 25-26. And to close out the season, the Tenth Annual Carpinteria Triathlon will be held on September 30. The bike legs range from 3 miles for the kids to 34 miles in the Santa Barbara Triathlon. Half the time, the swim is in the ocean, but for the kids and land-locked Budding athletes take off on the cycling leg of the Santa Maria and Lompoc, they used local pools. Pool Santa Barbara Kid's Triathlon. water lacks the buoyancy of salt water, but it’s still wet. For those cyclists who sink in the water and whose knees can no longer take the pounding pavement, many of the events have competitions where you can go for the cycling leg and team up with others who do the rest. Even if you don’t race, go for inspiration and cheer the competitors as they pass by. For details on upcoming races, go to our web site www.sbbike.org and click on “Meetings and Events.”