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 facebook facebook.com/sb-bicycle
May 4th meeting Join us for our general meeting: Tuesday, May 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 about regional bicycling issues. To subscribe, send an email to:
May 2010
CycleMAYnia takes the stage Nearly a year in planning, the South Coast’s month of events called “CycleMAYnia” is about to shower the world of bicycling upon us. There are events nearly every day of the month of May, and sometimes several in succession. The event list below only hints at the richness and variety of the bicycle experiences about to wash over us. Just go to www. cyclemaynia.org to find event descriptions, costs, Harvest Cycle Kidical Mass Bike Tune Up & Ride for Kids Cycle Chic Bike Fashion Show Burner Bike Ride Bike Moves Mesa Spring Festival Bike-to-Bikestation Day Wave on your bike day UCSB Bike to Work Day
times, locations, and other information. Many people have been involved in crafting the CycleMAYnia overview and individual events. One person however, Kent Epperson, took the lead when he brought San Luis Obispo people here to describe their bike event structure last fall. What happens this month depends on your participation, so choose what you wish, and bike on!
Bike Bazaar Handmade Bike Show Tweed Ride Bike to School Day Bike from Work Day Re-Cycled Jewelry Workshop Bike Touring in France & Calif Gran Reventon de Bici Centro Tour de Tent Santa Barbara Criterium
Downtown Ice Cream Ride SBCC Students Ride Bachelors on Bikes Auction Film Fest Insomnia Full Moon Ride Pedaleando Hacia las Estrellas Navigating Urban Roadways WheelHouse Cargo Cat Scavenger Hunt
sbbike-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
Leave the subject and body blank.
Join our Coalition You can help improve bicycling safety and conditions in Santa Barbara County by joining others in our bicycling advocacy group. See page 6.
Street Skills program The Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition offers Street Skills for Cyclists classes. Details at www.sbbike.org/skills/apply. html, or email coordinators at streetskills@sbbike.org.
Bici Centro program Bici Centro of Santa Barbara is our community bicycle program, helping people who bicycle. Look at www.sbbike. org/bici/BiciCentro.html, or phone 617-3255. Quick Release is published monthly by the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition, PO Box 92047, Santa Barbara, CA 93190. Subscribe for $25 per year. Issue # 223.
Santa Barbara’s Earth Day is environmental success for providing them, and Over 31,000 people came to Bob McFarland for to the 40th annual Earth delivery. By offering Day celebration in Santa bike parking, we mitiBarbara over two days gated traffic congestion April 17-18th. Hosted by and encouraged people the Community Environto discover how good mental Council, the event responsible and active was the nineteenth in transportation can be. which our Bicycle CoaliWe signed up nine tion participated. new Bicycle Coalition Earth Day 1992 was members, ran a survey our first event after we about improving bicywere founded in midcling (see page 3), and 1991. We offered bike completed 145 free check-ups, info and bike bike check-ups. Our displays for three years. Over 1000 bicycles were valet parked over the two days, thanks go to mechanics overflowing our enclosed parking area at Alameda Park. Then in 1994, we added Wilson Hubbell, Geoff valet bike parking. Grow, Baron Corpuz, and the SB Middle School Again this year, we had information tables, free Bike Monkeys. Christine Bourgeois staffed a bike bike check-ups, and a large valet bike parking area education table, while Ralph Fertig worked our that served to promote the upcoming CycleMAYnia information booth. Without the help of those plus month of bicycling events. many other bike volunteers, Earth Day could have This year, we were fortunate to use 15 Goleta not reached out so widely to our community. Valley Cycling Club racks. Thanks to the GVCC
Mark Sapp wins SB Car Free grand prize Santa Barbara Car Free program had raffle prizes for those who came car-free to the Earth Day celebration. The Grand Prize winner was Mark Sapp, a Bicycle Coalition supporter since 2001. He won Amtrak Coast Starlight train tickets for two to Seattle. Mark and his wife Nancy Mulholland are already looking forward to enjoying the “roomette” accommodation, fresh dining car cuisine, and wi-fi on their way to visit relatives in the Seattle area. It couldn’t happen to a more deserving couple.
Cycling survey for women and girls The Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals is seeking comments from women and girls on cycling issues. The survey takes 15 minutes, and the results will help determine what is needed to encourage women to bicycle more often. Just go to: www.surveymonkey.com/s/womencycling
before May 15th Learn about the APBP at www.apbp.org.
Cycling Roundtable brings groups together On April 15th, a group of 24 individuals gathered in Santa Barbara to consider the good, the bad, and possible improvements in our entire bicycling culture. They represented bike shops, mountain bikers, competitive cyclists, transportation bicyclists, government staff, ride organizers, and advocates. It was organized by The city’s Dru van Hengel solicits ideas about improving bicycling, as Sarah Carson Blume. A num- Grant writes them down. ber of questions were While nothing was decided, all agreed posed to the group by Dru van Hengel, like that the gathering was an excellent exercise “What is good about our bike community? What is bad? What threats exist? What and should lead to future cross-communimight an ideal bicycle-friendly community cation because we have so many common look like? What might be the benefits of it? interests.
Bicycle Coalition kicks off membership drive by Michael Chiacos
Bicycle use and culture is exploding in Santa Barbara! Census data show a 60% increase in commuter bicyclists over 1990. Our own counts show a 16% increase in bicyclists over the last 4 years. Bici Centro has cranked into full gear and is helping thousands of bicyclists while serving as a hub for bicycle culture. CycleMAYnia is about to kick off with 33 events in the month of May, everything from a Cycle Chic Fashion Show, to a Cargo Cat ride, Bike Bazaar, Bachelors on Bikes Auction, and many more. However, one thing remains constant, for the last 10 years, Bicycle Coalition membership has hovered around 200 members. We are using CycleMAYnia to launch our 2010 Membership Drive, where we boldly seek
100 new members. Board members are competing to ask our friends, acquaintances, and bikers on the street to see who can bring in the most new members. We are asking you to help us! Special membership flyers will be available at CycleMAYnia events, take a stack to give to your friends. Members get great discounts at bike shops, Quick Release, and add power to our advocacy and outreach efforts. We also have new online membership capability at www. bicicentro.org. Whoever brings in the most new members will win a $100 gift certificate to Bici Centro. Please take a moment now to think of your many bicyclist friends that aren’t yet members and contact them to help us reach our goal!
Traffic Solutions’ Bike Commute Challenge It’s not too late to sign up for a team in the Commute Bike Challenge to win great prizes. The Challenge is a competition that runs for all of May, with five member teams making roundtrips by bike instead of car. Each day, team members log their rides on the Challenge website. At the end of May, the team with the highest number of eligible days wins the grand prize, and other top teams receive additional prizes. Quick Release ~ May 2010 ~ Page 2
You can create your own team from co-workers or friends, or join an existing team if they allow it. Each team of five must have at least two “converts” who are either bicyclists who have not participated in previous Team Bike or Commuter Challenges, or someone who has not biked more than once a week on average this year. Further details and registration at www. trafficsolutions.info/bike-challenge.htm.
LCI training seminar coming July 23-25th An opportunity to become a League Certified Instructor (LCI) is coming to Santa Barbara in July. With certification, you will qualify to teach bicycle safety education in the US. The instructor for this three-day course is Chris Quint from Long Beach. We need at least 10 participants to hold the seminar. In order to qualify, you have to take our Street Skills class (see below) or another League of American Bicyclists (LAB) “Traffic Skills 101” class. The training seminar costs $200. Thanks to the Goleta Valley Cycling Club, however, two scholarships are available if the person agrees to teach a school bike rodeo. Contact Eva Inbar at 964-0472 or eva_inbar@cox.net about them. Registration is required at least a month before the seminar. For general seminar details, contact Christine Bourgeois at 899-3728 or cbarreb@gmail.com. To learn about the LAB education programs, go to www.bikeleague.org.
Skills class May 20-22nd
Earth Day visitors want more bike lanes At our Earth Day information booth, we offered visitors a survey, essentially asking them what would improve local bicycling conditions the most? They voted with five “bike bucks” that they deposited in five designated boxes, or wrote some other action and put it in the “Other” box. The results are shown in the graph, indicating that more bike lanes on city streets are the highest priority with 33% of all votes. In 2008, an identical survey was run at Earth Day. “More bike lanes” was likewise the top improvement then, but it garnered a larger 36% of all votes. In addition, “Maintain streets better” moved up 3%, and “Slowing speeding motorists” declined by 4%. Perhaps the most significant change between 2008 and 2010 was that “Other” write-in votes increased from 7% to 15%. This may come from a greater recognition of the myriad challenges that people on bicycles face, coupled with a desire to tell our elected officials what they need. Extra write-in items that had more than one vote are, in decreasing vote numbers: More bike paths and new cycle tracks Bicyclist-friendly planning and oversight g Education of motorists, bicyclists, police g Maintain paths and lanes g Extra bike racks on MTD buses g g
Women and bicycling Street Skills participants listen to safety instructions during their Saturday class ride.
Every other month, we offer our Street Skills for Cyclists Class, and the next one is on May 20th and 22nd. You’ll build confidence as you learn how to cope better with traffic in an urban setting. The class will help you foresee and avoid accidents, be visible day and night, position yourself in traffic, cross freeway bridges, equip your bike, and lots more including on-road riding on Saturday. The class will be held at the Granada Garage Bikestation, 1219 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara. Online info and online registration at www.sbbike.org/skills/apply.html. Email any questions to streetskills@sbbike.org.
Last October, Scientific American published an article by Linda Baker that said to boost urban bicycling, figure out what women want. Getting people out of cars and onto bicycles has long vexed environmentally conscious planners. In the US, twice as many men make cycling trips as women. In Germany and the Netherlands, the ratio is nearly equal. Because women are more averse to risk than men, it translates into an increased demand for safe bike infrastructure as a prerequisite, especially travel to practical urban destinations. While men typically take the most direct route, women choose a longer trip if it includes quiet “bike boulevards” or paths separate from traffic. New York and Portland are installing new separated facilities as a way to broaden the cycling demographic. Why not here? Read it at http://tinyurl.com/kpmzdt.
Bike lanes on Milpas Street Maintain Modoc Street bike lanes g Promote bike to school and “bike trains” g Enforce cell phone and sidewalk biking laws g More biking events. g g
There were 24 other write-in suggestions that had one vote each. Among those were: A bike-sharing program Lighting along Beachway g Subsidize Bici Centro g More bulb-outs g Spanish language bicycling classes g Fewer red curbs g Trim trees, shrubs overhanging bike lanes g Bike lanes on Anacapa, Santa Barbara Streets g Better bike storage on Amtrak trains g Cite delivery trucks parked in bike lanes. g g
Overall, it gives us a lot to consider in upcoming community bicycling programs and projects, from governments, individuals and businesses. Thanks to all who voted.
Coalition now offers online memberships It has taken us over two years to craft an online means of joining our Bicycle Coalition, maintaining membership information, and paying via credit card. However, it is now operational. Potential members can now join via our Bici Centro site www.bicicentro.org/join. Once a member, you can later login to renew or update contact information like address or phone number. We will not sell or give that information to any other organization without your permission.
Wet Willy Sez Wilson Hubbell’s “Wet Willy” was off bike touring in Portugal instead of writing another column, but promises to return in June. Quick Release ~ May 2010 ~ Page 3
Willie wows audiences
Portland leads the way to sustainability
How the WheelHouse won a silver award
by Ralph Fertig
Willie Weir, right, with Bicycle Coalition president Ralph Fertig after the UCSB performance. Photo by Robert Bernstein.
Adventure Cyclist Willie Weir gave two unmatched story telling performances in Santa Barbara and UCSB on April 20th and 22nd to delighted audiences. People laughed and teared as they followed Willie’s biking the world with both joyous and heart-wrenching adventures. Robert Bernstein wrote afterwards, “The bicycle is so ‘innocent’ it can bring out the worst in people, but most of the time it brings out the very best in people!” About 60 turned out at UCSB, and 140 in Santa Barbara where the Library’s Faulkner Gallery was filled. Willie is an exceptional person who not only bestowed his worldclass performances on us for free, with voluntary entrance donations going to our Bicycle Coalition, but he also gave us $5 out of every copy of his book Travels with Willie that he sold and signed afterwards. If you missed the performances, you can still buy his excellent book and have him sign it at his website www.willieweir.com.
Recently, the Portland OR City Council unanimously voted to fund $600 million for its Bicycle Master Plan. It includes 700 miles of new bikeways. City Commissioner Nick Fish said, “This will make bicycling a cornerstone of Portland’s sustainable transportation system. As a father of a 6 year old, this is particularly exciting for me.” Critics say the city can’t afford to spend $600 million on bike infrastructure. However Mayor Sam Adams said that the city can’t afford not to invest in the ambitious plan, saying it would be virtually impossible to meet the city’s livability and environmental goals without it. After the vote, the Mayor then immediately announced $20 million funding to kick start the city’s program. Portland is a city of 600,000. Today it has 6% of its workers commuting by bike to jobs and through their ambitious Bicycle Master Plan, they intend to make bicycling 25% of all trips by 2030. By comparison, the city of Santa Barbara has 5.2% people commuting to their jobs. We have one sixth the population of Portland. So the obvious question is whether $100 million would increase our bicycling trip share to 25% to reach Santa Barbara’s livability and environmental goals too?
May bicycling events and meetings
Carpinteria seeks bike-friendly status
Here is a list of bicycling events in Santa Barbara county, except for the CycleMAYnia events described on page 1. Our website has ongoing updates, details, and live links at www.sbbike. org/meet/meet.html.
Carpinteria may be applying for Bicycle Friendly Community status from the League of American Bicyclists. City councilmember Kathleen Reddington has asked the city manager to consider applying. The 2000 US Census showed that 2.3% of Carpinteria workers biked to their jobs. Out of seven cities in our county at the time, they were second only to Santa Barbara, and had nearly eight times the US average of 0.4%. Just filling out the application will let the city know how far they have gone in providing good and safe conditions for their residents who choose to bicycle.
May 1-31, Traffic Solutions Bike Challenge. May 2, Cow Pie Classic. May 4, Bicycle Coalition General Meeting. May 6, Education Committee Meeting. May 8, Mesa Springfest. May 9-14, Vines to Coast Cycling Package. May 10-16, SPF 450 Camp. May 16 -21, Central Coast Bike Tour. May 17-24, Bike Flags in Santa Barbara. May 18, Bike to School Day. May 20-22, Street Skills for Cyclists Class. May 25, Bicycle Coalition Board Meeting. May 30-June 4, Classic Climbs of Santa Barbara.
Quick Release ~ May 2010 ~ Page 4
Erik Wright and Evan Minogue tend to their bike business at the WheelHouse.
The WheelHouse bike shop in Santa Barbara was incorrectly described in last month’s newsletter as having won a Bronze Level award as a Bicycle Friendly Business. They did better than that—it was Silver Level that was awarded by the League of American Bicyclists last March. Owner Erik Wright described what they do to deserve the award. Their five employees all bike to work. They support our Bicycle Coalition, Bici Centro and CycleMAYnia. Bike-in films are shown there during the summer, and they offer bike parking for the Saturday Farmers’ Market that takes place across the street from their shop. Their emphasis is on bicycles and accessories for everyday travel and transport of goods. Wright did say that they possibly got a lower rating because they have no employee showers, there are no adjacent bike paths or lanes, and they have no identified person to help workers commute. Overall, congratulations to the WheelHouse that joins UCSB as one of two Santa Barbara county Bicycle Friendly Business.
Bici Centro activities Our Bici Centro community bike program is expanding their services. Below are hours for various groups. Info at www.bicicentro.org or phone 617-3255. g Monday, volunteers only, 4:00-8:00 PM g Tuesday, youth only, 3:00-6:00 PM g Tuesday, “Learn Your Bike” classes, 7:009:00 PM g Wednesday, Spanish-speaking only, 4:007:00 PM g Thursday, open shop 4:00-7:00 PM g Friday, Mechanics Modules, 7:00-9:00 PM g Saturday, open shop 1:00-7:00 PM
Coalition asks Caltrans to fund planning in SB City and County Caltrans has a program called “CommunityBased Transportation Planning” that funds planning for transportation projects. In March and April we urged Caltrans to fund proposals submitted by both the County and City of Santa Barbara. The county applied for a planning grant for the Hollister Avenue transportation corridor and the Santa Claus Lane area. In part we wrote, “The Hollister corridor can better accommodate mobility and accessibility to the many destinations along it. A possible bike/ped bridge over Highway 101 would greatly facilitate trips on foot and
bicycle, shortening them by over a mile and improving public safety by avoiding on/off freeway ramps at the two alternative bridges. Destinations like the Page Youth Center, shops along Hollister, and San Marcos High School could become more accessible.” Separately, the city of Santa Barbara wants to update its Bicycle Master Plan. We wrote, “The City of Santa Barbara’s Bicycle Master Plan, written in 1998, has served to propel the city’s bicycle commuting from 3.2% in 1990 to 5.2% in 2008, according to US Census Bureau data. Many of the Bicycle Master Plan recommendations
for facility improvements have been accomplished by the city over the past decade or two, and it’s time to update the Plan to accommodate increasing demand and ethnographic changes. We heartily encourage you to fund the City’s request for a Community-Based Transportation Planning grant to reach out to current and potential bicycling members of our community, especially Hispanics and others who perhaps have been under-represented in the past.” We hope that both jurisdictions receive Caltrans support for their planning. It will be a few months until we hear the results.
We thank our active members
Please thank and support these Bicycle Coalition business members: g Bicycle Bob’s, Santa Barbara g Nett & Champion Insurance Services, Santa Barbara g Pedal Power Bicycles, Santa Maria g Dr J’s Bicycle Shop, Solvang g Hazard’s Cyclesport, Santa Barbara g Chris King Precision Components, Portland, Oregon g Santa Barbara Pedicabs, Santa Barbara g Santa Barbara Bike Repair, Santa Barbara g WheelHouse, Santa Barbara g Santa Barbara Bikes To-Go, Santa Barbara g Tailwinds Bicycle Club, Santa Maria We welcome these new members: Stan Roden, Karen Blakeman, Brad Laister. Eric Lohela, Patti Lobenberg, Michelle Kendall, Jill Murray, Mark Schaedler and Teresa Fanucchi. We appreciate those who renewed their memberships: Grant House, Ed Easton, Bill Strauss, Curtis Ridling, Keith Coffman-Grey, Burt Romotsky, Nathan Pfaff, Rosie Dyste, Alex & June Pujo, David Lawson, Diane Wondolowski, Greg Janée, Nicola Gordon, Kim & Peter Shingle, Howard Howe, Michael Kwan, Arlene Allen, Chris Sobell and Carol Tokar.
April Coalition meeting topics Our April 6th monthly Bicycle Coalition meeting was held at Rusty’s Pizza in Santa Barbara, with 17 people talking about these topics: g Ralph Fertig described the upcoming presentations by Willie Weir. g J.C. Simmons described cycling and advocacy in the Thousand Oaks area, including their school system bike safety instruction. g Byron Beck showed photos and talked about the Seattle community bike program. g Baron Corpuz announced that he will be opening BikeStop 3.0 in Victoria Court in Santa Barbara. g Lori La Riva talked about opportunities for CycleMAYnia events. g Ralph Fertig described how Isla Vista will close a street and create a bikepath through Estero Park. g Jim Cadenhead introduced himself. He’s from LA, active in community bike programs there, and moving to Santa Barbara to open a new bike shop. g Christine Bourgeois described our ongoing bike education programs.
Quick Release accepts advertisements. Circulation reaches about 500 people. Ad details and an order form are available online at www.sbbike.org/QR/ad.pdf . Quick Release ~ May 2010 ~ Page 5
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
SANTA BARBARA, CA PERMIT NO. 647
P.O. Box 92047 Santa Barbara, CA 93190-2047
MEMBERSHIP IS VALID IF LABEL BELOW SAYS “MEMBER”
Is an address label missing? Put your name here by joining the Bicycle Coalition and have Quick Release delivered directly to you!
Fill out the application below or join online at www.bicicentro.org/join
Application for Membership Yes! I want to help make bicycling better for all of us in Santa Barbara County. ❏ Individual, 1 year $25 ❏ Student/Senior, 1 year $12 ❏ Household, 1 year $40 ❏ Individual, 2 years $45 ❏ Student/Senior, 2 years $22 ❏ Household, 2 years $75 ❏ Business, 1 year $100 ❏ Business, 2 years $180 ❏ Lifetime $1000 name _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ address _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ city, state, zip _______________________________________________________________________________________________ phone ___________________________________ email _____________________________________________________________ ❏ New membership ❏ Renewal membership ❏ Email me Adobe PDF files of Quick Release newsletters instead of printed ones. Make payable to Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition. Mail to Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition, PO Box 92047,
Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition President, Ralph Fertig, 962-1479 sb-ralph@cox.net Vice President, Wilson Hubbell, 683-1240 wilsonhubbell@aol.com Secretary, Erika Lindemann, 569-1544 eglindemann@gmail.com Treasurer, David Bourgeois, 899-3728 daveb@alumni.caltech.edu Director, Michael Chiacos, 284-4179 mchiacos@cecmail.org Director, Judy Keim, 687-2912 jkpedpad@aol.com Director, Byron Beck, 969-1712 Byron@solidrockconstruction.com Advisor, Dru van Hengel, 564-5544 dvanhengel@SantaBarbaraCA.gov
Advisor, Matt Dobberteen, 568-3000 l_bean@ci.lompoc.ca.us matt@cosbpw.net Santa Barbara City Advisor, Lori La Riva, 961-8919 Dru van Hengel, 564-5544 llariva@sbcag.org dvanhengel@SantaBarbaraCA.gov Executive Director, Ed France, 617-3255 Santa Barbara County edfrance@bicicentro.org Matt Dobberteen, 568-3576 matt@cosbpw.net Road repair contacts Santa Maria Caltrans David Whitehead, 925-0951 x227 www.dot.ca.gov/maintform.html dwhitehead@ci.santa-maria.ca.us Carpinteria Solvang Charlie Ebeling, 684-5405 x402 Brad Vigro, 688-5575 cebeling@ci.carpinteria.ca.us bradv@cityofsolvang.com Goleta UCSB Bob Morgenstern, 968-6869 Dennis Whelan, 893-7009 morgenstern@cityofgoleta.org dennis.whelan@planning.ucsb.edu Lompoc Larry Bean, 736-1261
Member discounts Bicycle Coalition members benefit from discounts. To get your discount at a shop, take your copy of Quick Release to the shop and show them your address label or cut out the label and take it. Discount details are at www.sbbike.org/SBBC/who.html. Bicycle Bob’s 250 Storke Road #A, Goleta 15 Hitchcock Way, Santa Barbara Bicycle Connection 223 W. Ocean Avenue, Lompoc Hazard’s Cyclesport 110 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara Lighthouse Bicycles, Santa Ynez phone 688-6385 Main Street Cycles 311 East Main Street, Santa Maria Open Air Bicycles 1303 State Street, Santa Barbara Pedal Power Bicycles 1740 Broadway, Santa Maria VeloPro Cyclery 633 State Street, Santa Barbara 5887 Hollister Avenue, Goleta Momentum Magazine, save $5 www.momentumplanet.com/ node/4258. WheelHouse 528 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara