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 www.facebook.com/sbbikes
October 5th meeting Join us for our general meeting: Tuesday, October 5 Madam Lu Chinese Restaurant 3524 State Street Santa Barbara No-host dinner 6:00 PM Meeting 7:00 PM
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: 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.
Street Skills Clinics The Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition offers Street Skills Clinics. 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. Go to 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 $30 per year. Issue # 228.
October 2010
Realtors see bikepaths in their future by Ralph Fertig bikeways, and the benefits I attended the Pro Walk/Pro of sustainable properties. It Bike conference in Chattanooga notes that as the “Generation on September 13-16th, along Y” replaces baby boomers, the with our executive director Ed move from suburban to urban France. The conferences are held areas will accelerate. And with every two years. Twenty years it, vehicle miles traveled will ago, the emphasis was on facilidecrease as bikes and buses ties for bicyclists. Then about 15 increase. Savvy realtors, it years ago, walking was added to advises, can benefit from this the mix—after all, we have many shift. And cities, if they wish things in common, and more to retain vitality, will accompeople walk than bike. modate their young people. What happened in the last The closing plenary session decade was rising alarm among featured the National Associaour nation’s health professionals tion of Realtors’ Hugh Morris when an inactive lifestyle surwho told us that our new alCover of the summer issue of On Common passed smoking as the leading lies are local realtors because Ground, published by the National Associacause of early death. They knew tion of Realtors, features a smiling bicyclist. they understand what’s hapthat biking and walking can be pening on the ground. Houses woven into our daily lives, providing multiple in bike and walk friendly areas now fetch $30,000 long-term benefits, so they came on board. or more than those further from public spaces. The latest group to join us, to my surprise, was Thirty percent of our population wants denser, livable communities, and that percentage is growing. a new sponsor for the conference: the National The trends are clear, and they include more Association of Realtors. The summer edition of bicycling as a crucial part of our urban fabric. The their national magazine On Common Ground was question is how fully will our communities embrace full of articles dealing with the “megatrends” the megatrends and provide a better future for us? of our communities. Articles tell of healthier The answer lies with our elected representatives lifestyles, decreased driving, car sharing, walkand what we collectively and individually ask for. able communities, water scarcity, community
Bike Film Festival and related events were super successes Jim Cadenhead at Cranky’s Bikes was instrumental in bringing the Bicycle Film Festival to Santa Barbara on September 18th. If that wasn’t enough, he arranged a swap meet and bike polo matches, and valet bike parking. There was a “Kickoff Party” with spinning sprint competition at Elsie’s Tavern the day before, and a “Bikes Rock Party” at Mercury Lounge the day after. From all indications, everything succeeded wonderfully. It was well promoted by Nick Welsh’s two-page article “From Geek to Chic” in the Santa Barbara Independent on September 16th. The article describes how our local bike culture is changing from recreational sport rides to casual, utilitarian and imaginative ones. It’s certain that the surge in bicycling will continue, although it’s unclear whether the Film Festival will return in 2011. We absolutely hope so.
Bicycle polo demonstration matches took place on an improvised court at the Junior High’s game field.
New “Bicycle Friendly University” program At the Pro Walk/Pro Bike conference, the League of American Bicyclists announced something new—a Bicycle Friendly University program. Similar to their Bicycle Friendly Cities, Businesses and States, the new program recognizes institutions of higher education for promoting and providing a more bicycle-friendly campus for students, staff, faculty and visitors. The program provides a road map and technical assistance to create great campuses for cycling.
Our local UC Santa Barbara is an obvious winner. They already received recognition as a Bicycle Friendly Business, even though it was an awkward fit. As for Alan Hancock, Santa Barbara City College, or Westmont, they don’t have the bicycle traffic that UCSB has. Nevertheless they might gain inspiration from looking at the League’s checklist. Read about the program at www.bikeleague. org/university.
Rossini’s Bro-Cart cargo trailer introduced
Santa Barbara bicyclist and metal craftsman Brian Rossini has launched a line of Bro-Cart cargo trailers for hauling loads attached to bicycles. The carts come in three sizes with choices of wheel diameter, finishes, and hitch types. Custom variations are invited. A distinguishing feature is wheel protection from protruding branches or other objects. Loads up to 170 pounds have been successfully carried. You can see samples and order them at two Santa Barbara bike shops: Cranky’s Bikes
Brian Rossini holds a flyer describing options for his new cargo trailer line, one of which is shown.
(1014 State Street) and WheelHouse (528 Anacapa Street). Or phone Rossini at 831601-6394. We welcome another innovator to our community, and wish him good sales.
Three big October bike rides Among all the October bike events, three rides are particularly worthy of your consideration:
People Powered Ride. October 10. This 30th annual ride out of Solvang covers the north county wine country and surrounding hills. Choice of 100, 60 and 30-mile rides, entry is $50. Info at www.goletabike.org. Ride on the Wild Side. October 16. Ride at your own pace or along with guides to visit areas that Environmental Defense Center has fought to preserve. Three rides, 10 to
39 miles long, start in Santa Barbara. Cost $20-$45. The rides will be followed with food, beverages, a raffle, and live music. More info http://tinyurl.com/2dblda4. Santa Barbara Century. October 23. Chose a 100-mile or 62-mile ride through Santa Barbara, Carpinteria and Goleta beaches and mountains. Lots of climbing. Half of the profits will benefit our Bici Centro program. Cost is $65. Details and registration www. santabarbaracentury.org.
Cyclisk erected in Santa Rosa Those who walk into our Bici Centro workshop pass under a fanciful festoon of welded bike-parts by artists Mark Grieve and Ilana Spector. The couple recently teamed to produce another bicyclerelated sculpture, a huge “Cyclisk” in Santa Rosa. The art piece was fabricated from 340 bikes— and one tricycle. It’s in the form of an Egyptian obelisk, 65 feet high and weighing 10,000 pounds. Somewhere in the jumble are some bikes that came Mark Grieve’s latest sculpture in Santa from Bici Centro. Rosa will be dedicated on October 10th. Ironically, the sculpQuick Release ~ October 2010 ~ Page 2
ture is in the midst of auto dealerships. Santa Rosa’s “One percent for Art” program requires that 1% of construction projects support local art, and the funding for the cyclisk came from a Nissan project. Grieve says that it’s not a comment about bicycles versus cars, but a piece that invites viewers to develop their own thoughts and perceptions. You can see more Grieve/Spector work at www.markgrieve.com/ sculpture.html.
October bicycling events and meetings Here is a list of bicycling events in Santa Barbara county. Our website has ongoing updates, details, and live links at www.sbbike. org/meet/meet.html. October 5, Bicycle Coalition General Meeting. October 7, Education Committee Meeting. October 7, Bike Moves. October 10, People Powered Ride. October 16, Ride on the Wild Side. October 16, Alpha Bike Ride. October 16, Solvang Autumn Double Century. October 17-22, Bicycle Tour of Solvang Wine Country. October 23, Santa Barbara Century. October 23, Kinetic Sculpture Race. October 23, Ride for Youth. October 23-24, 24 Hours of Halloween. October 24-31, Classic Climbs of Santa Barbara. October 24-29, Morro Bay to Santa Barbara Cycling Tour. October 24-29, Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley Bike Tour. October 26, COAST General Meeting. October 26, Bicycle Coalition Board Meeting. October 27, Ellwood Bridge Workshop. October 29-31, YSC Tour de Pink.
Pedicab winery tours
Santa Barbara Pedicab now offers rides for wine tasting. Photo by Sarkes Khachek.
Santa Barbara Pedicabs is offering Urban Wine Trail tours. With pick-up and drop-off at downtown or waterfront locations, combined with sustainable transportation, the relaxed-pace tours can be customized for any selection of ten local wineries. They cost $80 for two people over two hours, plus any wine tasting fees. Your cab and operator will patiently wait for you, and guard your purchases. Check out www.sbpedicab.com or phone 910-7334 for details.
Our website visitors seek local rides and info by Ralph Fertig
Our Bicycle Coalition website has gone through several incarnations since it was first crafted in 1995 by Gary Wissman, Robert Bernstein and Ralph Fertig. It contains a wealth of information, including all newsletters since 1991. However, until Google Analytics came along, we didn’t know how people were finding our site, where they were coming from, or what they were looking at. Now we know. Over a recent onemonth period, August 19-September 18, we had 3688 unique visitors coming to our site 4404 times. That’s over 140 a day! Where they come from. It’s no surprise that 92% are from the US, and 1% from Canada. The remaining 7% came from 64 other countries. Those with 10 or more visitors, in decreasing order are: UK, Brazil, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Egypt, Norway, and the Netherlands. For me, Egypt was totally unexpected. How they find us. Most of our site visitors, 74%, found us using a search engine, mostly Google, although Yahoo, Bing and AOL were also used. Another 17% came to us from a linked referring website. The remaining 9% directly enter a page address, usually through a browser bookmark. What sites link to us. As noted above, 17% or our visitors come from linked sites, of which there are now 95, up significantly from 65 just a year ago. In decreasing order, 94-to-4 referred visitors, the local sites are: SB Craig’s List, SB Car Free, Bici Centro, Walk and Roll, Hazard’s Cyclesport, Traffic
Solutions, Cranky’s Bikes, Bicycle Bob’s, SB MTD, SB Visitors Bureau, SB Hikes, UCSB Transportation Alternatives Program, SB Mountain Bike Trail Volunteers, and Goleta Valley Cycling Club. No surprises, they are all our regional friends. Where they go. Some visitors go to one site page, but many look at multiple pages. The above graph shows that out of all the page visits, 61% are to either our Regional Biking page or to the many Bike Rides that people can print out or follow on their smart phones. The average time spent on our Regional Biking page was over three minutes, double the overall page average. That’s because it’s crammed with information about our weather, books, maps, bike shops, bike clubs, bike rentals, plus bike and accessory manufacturers. What it means. My interpretation is that our website sells bicycling to tourists, and to a lesser degree to residents looking for bike resources. I believe that the more people bicycling here, the greater our safety is, the happier hospitality businesses are, and the richer our bicycle culture becomes.
$200 grants for teachers Election November 2nd Teachers of 4th-12th graders in our county can apply for funding to help reduce school traffic, cut pollution, or save energy. All ideas are welcome, although we hope that many programs will improve bicycling. It’s sponsored by the Air Pollution Control District and others. Applications due November 19th. Go to www.ourair.org/teachers.htm, or phone 964-4711 x5281 for details.
Our Bicycle Coalition will hold its election of Officers and members of our Board of Directors during our noon meeting on November 2, 2010. Paper ballots will be available then. A list of candidates will be published in both November Quick Release and online at www.sbbike.org/vote.html. Also online will be statements from the candidates about their qualifications and interests. Quick Release ~ October 2010 ~ Page 3
Bici Centro activities
Our Bici Centro community bike program is offering bicycle services each week. Details at www.bicicentro.org or phone 617-3255. It’s at 601 East Montecito Street, Santa Barbara. Tuesday, “Learn Your Bike” classes, 7:009:00 PM g Wednesday, open shop 4:00-7:00 PM g Thursday, open shop 4:00-7:00 PM g Saturday, open shop 2:00-5:00 PM g
Wet Willy Sez Dear Wet Willy: I have a click in my left pedal that is just getting worse. I tightened the pedal onto the crank arm and that didn’t help, and I’ve never crashed on this bike so I‘m pretty sure the pedal isn’t damaged. Any suggestions? — Fast Eddie Dear Eddie: Tightening the pedal onto the crank arm is a good first step as it’s a regular source of clicking. But if that’s not it, look inside the pedal itself for a lack of lubrication. Lubricating the innards is not rocket science as all pedals work on the same basic principle, but there are many brands of pedals so…check your local library for a good bike repair manual. Zinn and The Art of Road Bike Maintenance has an extensive section on pedal maintenance that Wet Willy uses. Bici Centro can help too! There are two other click sources for those of us who ride clipless pedals: where the pedal cleat attaches to the bike shoe and where the cleat engages the pedal itself. First, try tightening the cleats to the shoes—and be careful to not damage the allen head mounting screws because they are a pain to remove if you do. The click is still there? Go to the bike repair manual again and do what it says to tighten the spring tension adjusting screws on your particular brand of clipless pedal. These can click if the spring tension is too low. Still clicking after all that? It may be time for new pedals… “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.
Quick Release ~ October 2010 ~ Page 4
Elings Park BMX track plans cancelled In early September, facilities where the the Elings Park Founpresent track is. We dation announced hope that the Founthat it was scrapping dation will somehow plans for developing include BMX in new its south part of the plans, especially Santa Barbara park. since the BMX sumWhile that means mer program is the no BMX track on the park’s most popular South Park, it leaves and BMX is now an the existing track Olympic sport. in the North Park in Elings is the only limbo. track between Santa New plans for the Maria and Camarillo, North Park were pre- Young racers take off for another circuit on the so for local kids’ Elings Park BMX Raceway in Santa Barbara. sented at the same sake, let’s hope that time as South Park, and they showed other the Foundation will keep them close to home.
Alliance ‘thunders’ in a new era in bicycling… and walking organizations tive cycling. If you support increased youth education, bici centro public service, and Advocacy for complete streets, then we need your support to make it happen.
by Ed France
This past week was my first visit to either Pro Walk/Pro Bike or this newly renamed Alliance retreat. Honestly, I was a little surprised to find myself in Chattanooga Tennessee, but I was far more surprised to find myself amongst leaders from the most effective bicycling (and active transportation, complete streets, walking) advocacy groups in the continent. I bowed to the ground and declared “I’m not worthy!, I’m not worthy!…” In all seriousness, the brain trust gathered tightly for an action packed weekend of workshops and networking merited an Homeland Security escort, so valuable to the nation is the work of these fine organizations. BTA and Community Cycling Center in Portland, SF Bike Coalition with now 12,000 members, the former Chicago Bikeland Federation- now Active Transportation Alliance, were amongst over 100 leading bike advocacy professionals. What is important for us in Santa Barbara to take home from this exchange are these key findings, compiled below in Ed’s crib notes:
Think Beyond the Highway Manual: NY, SF, Portland, and now Dallas and other ‘redstate’ cities are innovating to make biking and walking not just feasible for some, but safe for all. CitiesforCycling.org illustrates the state of the art improvements of the movement.
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After a long courtship, Public Health ties the knot with Bike/Walking. There were more CDC staff at ProBike/ProWalk then an influenza outbreak. Check out their recommendation on their website:
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Is Santa Barbara Slouching? Well, Let me just say there was a whole hell more political leadership out there in some of the deep south cities then the supposed home of the environmental movement. The Bike Master Plan has effectively expired, and staff are paralyzed by our schizophrenic political leadership. We could rest on our laurels, but the movement for safe, complete streets would simply pass us by. My lesson: Cities don’t “become” bike/ped friendly. They work damn hard for every last mile of bikeable/ walkable routes. We have work to do.
g
Alliance Lessons for Santa Barbara Membership doubling is doable: Just ask San Francisco (now at 12,000 members) or Bike Pittsburgh (doubled every year for four consecutive years).
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Strong, Staffed Organizations are Needed: to help make our community bike friendly for the general population. These are the rule, not the exception, in cities with effec-
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Children are the Future: Safe Routes to School isn’t a just a group name, it’s a key goal for every single one of us. The opportunities to improve neighborhood connectivity near schools are good for everyone, and they will train our next generation—either to sit in cars or use their own steam. Unfortunately, the choice isn’t theirs, it’s ours.
g
La Conchita path appeal denied
September Coalition meeting notes Our September 7th monthly Bicycle Coalition meeting was held at the Granada Garage, with 12 people talking about these topics: Jim Cadenhead described the upcoming Bicycle Film Festival and other events before and after the 5 film screenings. g Ralph Fertig talked about Google Analytics’ data of our website. g Brian Rossini showed one of his bike trailers and described the process and thought that goes into fabricating them. g Wilson Hubbell talked about the suggested avoidance of Harris Grade Road by cyclists, and the strong reaction to it. g Ralph Fertig described the proposed agreement among UCSB, Goleta and the County over compensation for University growth. g Wilson Hubbell talked about Caltrans installation of rumble strips on Highway 246, and his discussions with Caltrans about them. g Ralph Fertig and Dru van Hengel talked about Santa Barbara’s current and proposed use of sharrows on city streets. g
This Caltrans drawing shows what the proposed bikepath along the ocean will look like. A ramp at the right leads to the beach and a tunnel to La Conchita.
The Highway 101 widening project from Carpinteria to Mobil Pier in Ventura County includes a multipurpose path along the ocean. The project was appealed by a Mussel Shoals’ resident and the Surfrider Foundation who want the path along the railroad instead. Wilson Hubbell and Ralph Fertig emailed their thoughts and support to Caltrans’ Carlos Montez before the September 21st Ventura County Supervisors meeting. When all was considered, the Supervisors voted unanimously to keep the path on the ocean side. They agreed with the Coastal Commission and Caltrans that the ocean is preferable because people would walk there, the cycling would be more scenic, and it would avoid tricky bikepath designs at La Conchita. Caltrans said that they have a path sweeper, so keeping it clean will be part of ongoing maintenance. Whether the Supervisors’ decision will be appealed remains to be seen.
Help needed to staff rest stop Our Bicycle Coalition has agreed to help staff a rest stop for the Saturday, October 23rd Santa Barbara Century. We’ll be at the high point of the ride, at Camino Cielo and Gibraltar Road, where cyclists will be especially appreciative of our help—and the views up there are spectacular. Ralph Fertig is coordinating the stop, and he’s seeking others to help for about six hours. If you can help, email him at sb-ralph@cox. net. Profits from the ride will benefit our Bici Centro program.
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 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: Kali Cowgill, Nathan Alley, Megan Diaz, and Eric Kirsch. We appreciate those who renewed their memberships: James Elliott, Jon Lewis and Susan Beatty.
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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 stdaveb@gmail.com 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, Kent Epperson, 961-8917 Dru van Hengel, 564-5544 kepperson@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 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