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
July 5th meeting Join us on the first Tuesday of each month for our general meeting: Tuesday, July 5th Rusty’s Pizza 15 East Cabrillo Blvd Santa Barbara 6:00 PM No-host dinner 7:00 PM Meeting
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@topica.com
Leave the subject line and body of the message blank. That’s all!
Join the Coalition
GVCC supports bicycling community The Goleta Valley Cycling Club has for years returned to the community what it has gained from dedicated volunteer work for its annual People Powered Ride each October. This year, club members voted to support community projects at their Annual Meeting on June 19th. We are very grateful that again our Bicycle Coalition has been the recipient of their funding to support our projects. GVCC members gave money this year to: • $1000 for partial funding for a laptop computer and projector for our CycleSmart program instructors to use. • $903 for 288 flashing LED lights for us to distribute to low-income residents who bike to South Coast jobs. • $800 to purchase two bicycles, locks and helmets for children selected by the Goleta Boys and Girls Club. • $1500 to the Santa Barbara Mountain Bike Trail Volunteers to purchase items from their wish list of trail maintenance tools, GPS systems, BOB trailers and bike bells. • Separate donations totalling $1181 to four organizations with no specific project designa-
tions: the League of American Bicyclists, Rails to Trails Conservancy, California Association of Bicycling Organizations—and to us too!
If you want to learn more about the GVCC, possibly join members on their rides, or participate in their award-winning People Powered Ride on October 9th, go to www.goletabike.org. Or look for their newsletter South Coast Breeze in bike shops.
SB designated “Bicycle Friendly Community” The League of American Bicyclists has renewed its designation of the City of Santa Barbara as a Bicycle Friendly Community at the silver award level. It resulted from a renewal application from the City’s Dru van Hengel, and corroborating comments from local bicyclists. Santa Barbara was one of 16 cities that were recognized last May for their superior bicycling conditions and programs. Currently, there are 49 communities designated as “Bicycle Friendly.”
Santa Barbara experiments with traffic calming Are Santa Barbara’s “interim traffic calming” approaches beneficial to bicyclists, or do they create conflicts as motorists share the narrowed roadway space with them? Dru van Hengel, Mobility Coordinator for the City of Santa Barbara, asked for our help in evaluating temporary set-ups at
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.
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.
July 2005
Larry Good (right) interviews the City’s Tully Clifford at the Olive/Sola intersection as videographer Chris Bell captures it for the July edition of “Inside Santa Barbara” TV show.
four intersections during the last weeks of June. These temporary arrangements have emerged from the Saint Francis Neighborhood Traffic Management program that community residents have been crafting for months. They target intersections that people have identified as problem areas where motorists endanger others. One bicyclist reported being squeezed by motorists as he passed through a test narrowing section at Garden and Islay Streets. It’s possible that the proposed arrangement doesn’t slow motorists down to bicyclist speeds, or that the bicyclist does not take the lane as he approaches the constrictions. City engineer Tully Clifford explained that, if adopted, the final “bulb-out” version will consist of low curbs that bicyclists can travel closer to than the current folding barricades. There are many advantages of traffic calming measures if they are applied correctly: slower motorists, less pollution, and less noise. Current trial measures consist of small roundabouts, curb bulb-outs, and center islands. If you have any thoughts or recommendations on bicyclist safety, contact van Hengel at 5645544 or DVANHENGEL@SantaBarbaraCA.gov.