www.sbbike.org Serving Santa Barbara County We’re a countywide advocacy and resource organization that promotes bicycling for safe transportation and recreation.
June 2010
CycleMAYnia put bike culture into gear From last summer’s idea of expanding Bike Week into a month of innovative bicycle activities, to the actual realization of CycleMAYnia, the process has involved dozens of people and hundreds if not thousands of hours. Our community is stronger and richer because of your efforts. We thank you all!
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
June 1st meeting Join us for our general meeting: Tuesday, June 1st 12:00 noon Location to be announced
Online email list
Tweed Ride
We sponsor a free online email forum where you can post and read messages about regional bicycling issues. To subscribe, send an email to: sbbike-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
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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.
UCSB Bike to Work Day
Street Skills program The Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition offers Street Skills for Cyclists classes. Details at
Cycle Chic Bike Fashion Show
www.sbbike.org/skills/apply. html, or email coordinators at streetskills@sbbike.org.
Kidical Mass Ride
Bici Centro program Bici Centro of Santa Barbara is our community bicycle program, helping people who bicycle. Look at www.bicicentro. org, 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 # 224.
Santa Barbara Bike from Work Blessing of the Bikes
Traffic Solutions’ Bike Commute Challenge As this goes to press in late May, the month-long Bike Commute Challenge consists of 369 bicyclists representing 34 different employers competing for prizes and glory. Employers are grouped into five size categories, and the five leaders so far are Blackbird/Van Atta, Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, Santa Barbara Air Pollution Control District, Yardi Systems, and Santa Barbara City. Will they keep their leads? To find out, follow them at www.trafficsolutions.info/bike-challenge.htm.
Vulnerable user bill dies Last April, the California Assembly Transportation Committee voted down AB 1951, the Vulnerable User Bill. Although many admitted the need to fill in a legal gap, lawmakers couldn’t bring themselves to make drivers more accountable for choices that lead to serious injury of pedestrians, bicyclists and other vulnerable roadway users. You can read about this injustice at the SF Streetsblog http://tinyurl.com/2clzana.
Communities benefit from road bike rides riding events topped Santa Barbara county $240 million. has some wonderg ful paved roads that Riders additionally spent nearly lend themselves to $140 million on food, all kinds of recrelodging, and other ational rides. From the purchases at these 4500-cyclist Solvang events. Century to the 2000Given that data, rider Solvang Prelude we can roughly to dozen-person calculate a regional pampered bicyclist benefit. Assume that tours, we host over 8000 cyclists are 100 annually. Nobody attracted to those has estimated the rides in Santa Barfinancial benefit that bara county. That these rides bring to means that over a our county. However Some of the 780 cyclists take off from Santa million dollars was the Bikes Belong Coali- Barbara’s Ledbetter Beach for the second day of spent on food, lodgtion, a national bicycle the two-day Multiple Sclerosis ride in 2007. ing and related purindustry organization, chases. And event revenue would add $1.8 has collected data from over 1700 US road million. In addition, local bike shops and rerides that can give us an idea of how much lated manufacturers benefit from the sales we benefit. Their 2008 results show: of bikes, accessories and clothing to cyclists g More than 1,700 US recreational road riding enticed by a charity or family ride or tough events were organized during the year. 200-mile challenge, bringing a total to over g 88% of those events were one day long. $3 million. And that’s not including moung About 1.07 million Americans participated tain bike or competitive races or club rides. in those recreational road riding events. Read the Bikes Belong survey at http://bikesg Total 2008 revenue from recreational road belong.oli.us/Surveys/recrides.pdf.
Bicyclist hand-held phone bill amended The senate bill SB 1475 proposed earlier this year to increase fines for drivers and establish them for bicyclists who use hand-held devices to phone, text or email has been altered. It now proposes reduced fines for bicyclists, but keeps them higher for motorists. The bill language, amended four times since its introduction last February 13th by Senator Joe Simitian, says this about bicyclists: “Prohibits a bicyclist from riding a bike while using a handheld wireless device, text messaging, or using any wireless communications device in any manner. In doing so, the bill establishes a base fine of $20 for an initial violation of using a handheld phone and $50 for subsequent violations. Specifies the fines imposed will be the total amount collected, and that no other penalties, assessments, surcharges fees, or any other charges will be imposed.” The bill has more hurdles before it becomes law: we’ll be following it. Quick Release ~ June 2010 ~ Page 2
Bike-sharing meeting On May 19th, representatives from Gravity Cycles, bike-sharing system consultants, came to Santa Barbara. The City’s Dru van Hengel arranged a meeting with a cross section of interested parties, most of whom are Bicycle Coalition members. David Clark and Russell Altman described their business as one that tailors a system to community needs and budget. They described two that they’re installing in Boulder, Colorado. One has six enclosed bike corrals at transit stops with bikes available for a day at a time. The other is a traditional “high turnover system” where many people rent the same bike throughout the day. Most everybody at the meeting felt that a bike-sharing system would be successful at least in the city of Santa Barbara, and possibly elsewhere in the South Coast. The challenges involve choosing an appropriate technology, arranging locations, setting up subscriptions, monitoring bike conditions, servicing everything, and paying for it all. Gravity Cycles is willing to proceed further in investigating our specific requirements.
Wet Willy Sez Dear Wet Willy: I sometimes get cuts in the tread of my bike tires and have learned to place a patch on the inside of the tire casing (where the cut is) to keep the cut from expanding. Is there anything I can put in the tread cut on the outside of the tire so that it is not exposed to the road or trail? — John Dear John: This is a problem that most cyclists encounter sooner or later. Wet Willy has used a black rubber-like product that is intended to seal motor vehicle windshields to, instead, seal tread cuts on bicycle tires. The stuff is packaged in a toothpaste type tube and is available from your local auto parts store. One tube should last you the rest of your life! I’ve also heard that Super Glue / Krazy Glue type products work well in tread cuts, but have no personal experience with them. Basically, almost anything that fills the cut and stays in place when you ride should work, provided that there is a patch (also know as a “boot” on the inside of the tire casing). With some bike tires becoming as expensive as car tires, finding something that works in tread cuts is more important than ever. Thanks for asking the question! “Wet Willy” is an advice column authored by Coalition Vice President Wilson Hubbell. Please submit any questions you have about cycling issues to him at wilsonhubbell@aol.com.
California bike-friendly rank drops—again! Ouch, this hurts. The League of American Bicyclists identifies cities, businesses, and states as their degree of “bicycle friendliness.” The state ranking in now in its third year, and other states continue to surpass us on the ladder of achievement. In 2008, California ranked 7th. Last year, we slipped to 14th place. And the latest ranking released in mid-May shows us now in 19th place. Six states clambered up the ladder of friendliness over us: MD, FL, KS, MA, MI and VA. Only Illinois slipped more than California did. The League looks at several measures of bicyclist support in each state, derived from their 95-question survey. California ranked great in legislature, good in infrastructure, good in enforcement, average in policies, programs, below average in evaluation, and lousy in bike education. Read results at http://tinyurl.com/2b74j7m.
Bike/walk to school mode share stabilizes by Ralph Fertig
We’re all painfully aware that children are no longer biking or walking to school like they did decades ago. The good news is that the decline in active trips has apparently stabilized over the past 14 years according to the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS). The graph at the right shows how children aged 5-14 have traveled to school over the past 40 years The NHTS, sponsored by the US DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics and Federal Highway Administration, collects data on travel by Americans. It gathers trip-related data on mode of transportation, duration, distance and purpose of trip, plus related demographic, geographic and economic data. While only 12% of students aged 5-14 in 2009 biked or walked to school, part of that low share reflects the increasing distance they have to travel. In 1969, 41% students lived within a mile of school; today only 31% live that close. Out of today’s 31% who live within a mile of school, 38% of them do bike or walk. This means that virtually none of the others living more than a mile from school bike or walk—they all travel by auto or bus. So if we want more active travel for children, schools must be closer to residences. Deb Hubsmith, director of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, stated “we must work together with school systems to site schools near the children they serve, so that distance will no longer be such a barrier to making the active choice for the trip to school.”
Even for those elementary and junior high schools within a mile of homes, the 38% who currently bike or walk represent a decline since 1969 when 88% of those nearby students biked or walked. Today’s close-in students who are driven are an obvious target for shifting to a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle. That potential for growth is a challenge for safe routes to school funding offered to us by the US government, California, and our county’s new Measure A half-cent tax. There is a potential increase in federal funding because the 6-year transportation act is being renewed later this year. Hubsmith states, “There is so much momentum across the country to get children more physically active and healthy. We must ensure that Congress provides additional funding so that more schools can benefit from Safe Routes to School funds to make the necessary safety improvements.” You can read about the NHTS surveys at http://nhts.ornl.gov/index.shtml. And the national Safe Routes to School website is at www.saferoutespartnership.org.
Dealing with “stranger danger” Anybody who is working to encourage children to actively travel to school and elsewhere in their community will have to contend with protective parents who cite possible abduction or molestation by strangers as the reason for driving their children around. Here are some ways to address their fears. There is safety in numbers, so find walking or biking buddies, or join a walking school bus or bicycle train led by adults. g More eyes on the street, both adult and children, mean safer streets. Don’t surrender the streets to possible criminals—take the streets back. g
It’s important to teach children how to deal with uncomfortable or potentially dangerous situations. g Depriving children of freedom is not the answer—teach them responsibility and self defense skills appropriate for their age. g
It’s important to keep in mind that nearly all kidnappings are not stranger related but are custody battles. Stranger kidnappings do happen, but they are magnified out of proportion by sensationalistic media, distorting society’s perceptions. Finally, the Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that rates of violent crimes against 12–19 year olds have declined by 38% between 1973 and 2003. Quick Release ~ June 2010 ~ Page 3
Cranky’s Bikes now open for business
Register for July LCI training seminar
by Jim Cadenhead
Reservations will be accepted through the middle of June for the July 23-25 League Certified Instructor (LCI) training course. With certification, you will qualify to teach bicycle safety education in the US under the auspices of the League of American Bicyclists. The instructor for this course is Chris Quint from Long Beach. In order to qualify, you have to have taken either our Street Skills for Cyclists class or another League of American Bicyclists (LAB) “Traffic Skills 101” class. The training seminar costs $200. 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.
My name is Jim Cadenhead, I grew up in Portsmouth, Virginia. My first bike was a little, white thing, a hand-me-down from god-knows-where. I loved it. At age six, I got my first 20”—a Huffy that I had to mount with help from a kitchen pot as a step-stool. As a kid, I rode everywhere, then at 13 switched to BMX bikes. It didn’t impress the girls like I hoped, instead it got me hooked in bikes, breaking bike and body parts in the process. Gradually, I expanded to mountain bikes, and then road rides that included a solo cross-country tour in 1997.
Bici Centro activities
Rebecca Long chats with a customer outside Cranky’s Bikes, 1014 State Street in Santa Barbara.
I started working at bike shops at 16. A bike messenger for 9 years. Mountain bike tour guide summers. Bicycling magazine’s test group mechanic. Teacher for LA’s Bicycle Kitchen community bike shop. Started bike shop Orange 20 Bikes. Rode through Japan with my girlfriend, Rebecca Long. The riding in and around Santa Barbara is incredible. It could easily become our nation’s cycling capital. However, we probably won’t do it without the benefit of a large umbrella organization that represents all of us and provides a political pulpit that soapboxes, club rides, and complaining cannot. I joined the Bicycle Coalition because we need an organization 10,000+ people strong. We need an organization that pushes for cyclists’ rights—rights as traffic, rights to yield at stop signs, rights to ride off-road, rights to ride skateparks, rights to safe routes to school, and much more. At Cranky’s, our philosophy is simple: If you love your bike, you will ride it more. We want you to be happy and have a great time. Come by and visit us at 1014 State Street, and check www.crankysbikes.com any time. Quick Release ~ June 2010 ~ Page 4
Our Bici Centro community bike program is offering extensive 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 2:00-5:00 PM
Kids’ summer biking
The weekly BMX Summer Camp at Elings Park will take place eight times this summer. Here are some 2009 BMX camp bikers.
Bicycling opportunities for young people abound this summer in our county, both week-long camps and single day events. Details at www.sbbike.org/youth/youth.html. Kidical Mass Santa Barbara, June 26 and August 28, sponsored by Marin Sigurdson. The free rides start at different locations and go to different places.
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Summer Cyclers, June 14-18 and June 21-25, sponsored by Santa Barbara Parks & Recreation, our Bicycle Coalition, and Bici Centro. Ages 10-14. Pedal to different parts of Santa Barbara as a group while learning bike handling skills. Santa Barbara Junior High, 9:00 AM-12:00 noon.
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Safety Town, every week June 14-August 2, sponsored by Soroptimist International. Ages 4-5. Learn bike and walking safety, plus challenging situation behavior. Learn bike and walking safety, plus challenging situation behavior. At six schools—Foothill, Franklin, Aliso, El Camino, Isla Vista, and Santa Ynez Valley Presbyterian Preschool, 8:30 AM-12:00 noon.
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June bicycling events and meetings Here is an abbreviated listing of bicycling events in Santa Barbara county. Our website has ongoing updates, details and live links at www.sbbike.org/meet/meet.html. June 1, Bicycle Coalition General Meeting. June 3, Education Committee Meeting. June 3, Bike Moves. June 5, National Trails Day. June 7-11, June 14-18, June 21-25 and June 28-July 2, BMX Summer Camp. June 14-18 and June 21-25, Summer Cyclers. June 14-18, Just Ride Camp for Individuals with Special Needs. June 22, COAST General Meeting. June 25-27, Wine Country Bike Trek June 26, Kidical Mass Santa Barbara. June 29, Bicycle Coalition Board Meeting.
Mountain Bike Skills Camp, July 5-9, July 12-16 and July 19-23, sponsored by Elings Park and Bici Centro. Ages 7-14. Experienced instructors guide bikers through the basics of trail etiquette, riding skills and bike maintenance. Daily 9:00 AM-12:00 noon.
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BMX Summer Camp, every week, June 7-August 2, sponsored by Elings Park. Ages 5-12. The BMX camp is designed for riders of all levels and abilities. Improve basic skills, learn track etiquette and get a great workout. 9:00 AM-3:00 PM.
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Street Skills for Cyclists Class, July 15 and 17, sponsored by our Bicycle Coalition. Ages 14 and up. Learn how to ride confidently with traffic in an urban setting. At the Granada Garage Bikestation, Santa Barbara.
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UCSB forges ahead with bicycling assessment and improvements Thanks to the Associated Students BIKES committee, self-imposed student fees, and a supportive administration, bike facilities on the large campus are keeping up with an increasing demand. Over 10,000 students, staff and faculty bike on campus, creating bikepath congestion when classes change. The AS BIKES committee has been increasingly active since we founded it in 1998. They survey needs through tabling campus “Bike Gripe” sessions, seek online suggestions, monitor bike rack usage, work with the Campus Security Organization in tagging and impounding abandoned bicycles,
Crowded bike parking near the UCen may be eased with added capacity under the fig trees to the east.
and bike around campus checking conditions first hand. Over the past two years, new bike racks have been installed, parking areas created, paths repaved, tree root damage fixed, and obstructing planters removed. Work is typically done during academic breaks. Coming up this summer are three projects: replace racks and shrubbery at the Student Resources Building, resurface the bikepath west of South Hall, and resurface the Storke Tower bicycle roundabout. You can join the BIKES meetings, or follow their progress at www.as.ucsb.edu/bikes.
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 WheelHouse, Santa Barbara g Santa Barbara Bikes To-Go, Santa Barbara g Tailwinds Bicycle Club, Santa Maria We welcome these new members: Michael Iza, William Edelstein, Bill Wellman, Allison Trimble, Laura & Bernie Donner, Howard Booth, Paula Rodriguez, Kirsten Zecher, John Pierpont, Mikki Jee, Benjamin Preston, David Burby, Scott Bull, Warren Crone, Leann Turner, Rogelio Gonzalez, Rafael Murillo, Noel Nunez, Nik Hladyniuk, Juan Esquivas, Hector Avila, Anna Acuna, Fernando Estevez, and Eric Wilder. And we appreciate those who renewed their memberships: Thomas Matthais, Erik Wright, Evan Minogue, Dru van Hengel, Tracey Singh, David Lawson, Earl Johnson, Diane Wondolowski, Mike Abbott, Andy Cranmer, Ken Jurgensen, Jim Heaton, Michael Chiacos, Jocelyn Quick, Michael Kwan, Nicola Gordon, Fran Cerami, Kim & Peter Shingle, Jean Thompson, and David Ramsthaler.
May Coalition meeting topics Our May 4th monthly Bicycle Coalition meeting was held at noon in downtown Santa Barbara, with 15 people talking about these topics: g Wilson Hubbell showed photos and talked about bike touring in Portugal. He and his wife toured for two weeks, finding good roads. g Sarah Grant announced that 70 video cameras will soon be installed to manage traffic flow at Santa Barbara intersections. g People talked about the large turnout at Santa Barbara’s Earth Day, with successful outreach efforts and new memberships. g Everybody was encouraged to attend and tell others about Cycle MAYnia events and Traffic Solutions’ Commute Bike Challenge. g Jim Cadenhead described his newly-opened bike shop “Cranky’s Bikes” in Santa Barbara. He is an avid supporter of our advocacy efforts. g Ralph Fertig announced that we will co-sponsor the Environmental Defense Center’s social hour on May 14th.
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 ~ June 2010 ~ Page 5
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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