Quickrelease Fall 2013

Fall 2013 • Volume 23 / No. 2

SANTA BARBARA BICYCLE COALITION

QuickRelease Falling into Activism Connecting the South Coast for the next generation / 5

SB BIKE

SANTA BARBARA BICYCLE COALITION

BOARD

Our Vision The Santa Barbara Bike Coalition (SB Bike) vision is that Santa Barbara will be a leader in creating a bicycle-friendly community and transportation system. Extensive on-road and separated bikeways, a coordinated transit system, parking, and amenities allow us to enjoy a culture where the majority of daily trips include a bicycle. As a result, our community is healthier and encourages balanced living within our resources.

Universal cycling education for all ages supports the development of safe and respectful road behaviors from both motorists and cyclists. Widespread community and political support for bicycling is in place. By 2040, because it is a cycling-centered county, Santa Barbara is both a great place to live and work and a nationally acclaimed cycling destination, boasting a year-round calendar of successful, fun, and inclusive events.

STAFF Ed France, Executive Director Ed@sbbike.org

Letter from the Editor A Dutch cyclist’s video recently decried US cycling culture, pointing to a lack of both safety (US bikers are thirty times more likely to get injured than their Dutch counterparts) and understanding of what bicycling could be. “Cycling doesn’t seem to be taken seriously,” the Dutchman says. “People cycle on specific tracks and not to get from A to B.”

PHOTO BY BRENDA HATTINGH

Michael Chiacos, President Carmen Lozano, Vice President Courtney Dietz, Vice President David Bourgeois, Treasurer Byron Beck Robert Caiza Hector Gonzalez Tim Burgess John Hygelund Mike Vergeer David Hodges Sue Carmody

He elaborates on a frightening lack of cycling infrastructure and drivers without a clue how to

accommodate bikes, meaning that commuting is only for the brave. Bikers who do cycle for transportation, he says, are forced to race heavy traffic with little to no protection. The video longs for “a more relaxed variety [of cycling] with which more people can identify.”

Two points struck me: (1) how diligently many are working toward Santa Barbara becoming a biking community like the one this Dutch cyclist envisions and (2) how imperative those efforts are. In this QR issue, read the words of community members dedicated to activism and volunteerism; see a new law and a new lane and the growth of biking culture among our youth and families; and learn about plans for infrastructure to connect the South Coast. This is all groundwork – a frame on which the future of SB’s biking culture is being built, a future where cycling is safe for everyone.

Christine Bourgeois, Education Director edu@sbbike.org Shawn Von Biela, Shop Manager shop@bicicentro.org Howard Booth, Membership/Volunteer Coordinator volunteer@sbbike.org

GOVT. LIAISONS & ADVISORS Matt Dobberteen, Advisor County of Santa Barbara mattdobberteen@gmail.com Kent Epperson, Advisor Traffic Solutions kepperson@sbcag.org Sarah Grant, Advisor City of Santa Barbara sarahgrant@mac.com Teresa Lopes, Advisor City of Goleta tlopes@cityofGoleta.org Ralph Fertig, President Emeritus Sb-ralph@cox.net

GRAPHIC DESIGN Cynthia Stahl, info@cynstahl.com

What the Dutch cyclist doesn’t point out in his video, perhaps because it seems too obvious, is that when communities embrace cycling as a normal means of transportation for all, they’re offering solutions, plural. Imagine the reduced carbon footprint, imagine the improved health, imagine the liberation for families of limited

EDITOR Holly Starley, editor@sbbike.org

CONTACT US

financial means, imagine the slowing down and the coming together.

506 E. Haley St. Santa Barbara, CA 93103

Happy fall, happy activism, happy imagining!

PO Box 92047 Santa Barbara, CA 93190 www.sbbike.org 617-3255

Holly Starley, QR editor COVER PHOTO BY JOHN ROUSSEAU. This young cyclist, riding at SB Bike’s 2013 East Side Rides, is among the next generation of riders—the generation we’re advocating for.

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Quick Release Fall 2013

CONTRIBUTE Your time: www.bicicentro.org/volunteer In-kind: www.bicicentro.org/wishlist Financially: www.bicicentro.org/donate

It’s that time of year again! The fourth

CONTENTS

annual Santa Barbara Century will

Why Getting Involved Matters / 4 Connecting the South Coast / 5 SB Bike Executive Director Honored / 6 Bike Culture at SB High / 7 Bici Familia / 8 The Ride for His Life / 9 Hooked on Volunteering / 10 You Can Help / 11

be held October 19, 2013. Three rides—the 100-mile Century, the 100-kilometer Metric Century, and a 34-mile Foothill course—offer cyclists gorgeous beach and mountain views and a challenging ride (the climbs are 9,600 feet, 4,000 feet, and 2,200 feet respectively). All net proceeds from the event will go to local charities. To find out more or register, visit http://www.santabarbaracentury.org/.

The Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition and Bici Centro would like to thank all our supporters and business members!

Celebrating a Century finish PHOTO BY DANIEL GIRARD.

CENTURY VOLUNTEER BIKE LIGHT Rock star Century volunteer, Doris Phinney, reminisces on a long history of cycling and supporter fellow cyclists.

WHY VOLUNTEER? For many years, the Goleta Valley Cycling Doris Phinney and her husband, Owen, at the start of a cross-country trip. As Doris put it, “We are dipping our wheels in the Pacific Ocean to begin our trip to Boston, where we dipped our wheels in the Atlantic.”

Club put on the People Powered Ride in the Santa Ynez Valley. We distributed

the profits from that ride to local bicycle organizations. The SB Century is the perfect fit to pick up where the PPR ended. Our rest stop on East Camino Cielo offers the most incredible views, and the riders who tackle Gibraltar to get to our rest stop are very appreciative of our food offerings.

GVCC prides itself on serving up a variety of homemade foods, including baked goods, salads, and fruit. We have enough volunteers to provide friendly service and assistance to those who need it.

FAVORITE CENTURY MOMENT: Having participated in many century rides, beginning in 1978 with my first 100-mile ride and also the first People Powered Ride, I’d have to say that not having to wait in a long line for the restroom is one of my favorite moments. Starting with the 1978 PPR and for several years after, very few women rode centuries. The men had to wait in long lines; it always brought a smile to my face. Of course, now lots of women ride centuries, and I’m proud of that fact.

Eye Specialists of SB Roddick foundation Rincon Cycles www.SBBIKE.org

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ADVOCACY

Activism: Why Getting Involved Matters

By Timbo Stillinger The QR caught up with local cycling advocate

them because there is no official bike lane. My goal for Santa Barbara

Timbo Stillinger to ask why advocacy is

bike infrastructure is to develop roadways that give every type of user

meaningful to him and what we as biking

ample space, therefore preventing bike–car conflicts. I want to see Santa

enthusiasts should prioritize when it comes to

Barbara roads safe by design—and to see bike safety prioritized, instead

advocating for our community. Here’s what

of compromised.

Stillinger had to say: I love to bike. Whether it’s bike commuting to and from school, cruising downtown to meet friends, or mountain biking on the Santa Barbara trails, bicycling is the best way for me to travel around Santa

For me, the most important aspect of bike infrastructure is improved bike safety through smart street design … I want to see Santa Barbara roads safe by design— and to see bike safety prioritized, instead of compromised.

Barbara. Biking is fun,

To act on my desire for improved bike safety, I have become involved in the local transportation planning processes by attending city council meetings and reviewing road improvement plans. I encourage Santa Barbara cyclists to join me in advocating for safe

it offers great exercise, and it is far better than

cycling in our town—whether it be on the trails, in your neighborhood,

sitting in traffic or paying for gas. Because biking

or commuting throughout the county. Bike safe and have fun!

is such an integral part of my life, advocating for safer bike infrastructure is also very important to me.

Three Feet to Protect Bicyclists A new law a long time in the

For me, the most important aspect of bike

making has been passed in

infrastructure is improved bike safety through

California. AB 1371, signed by

smart street design. Well-designed streets at the

Governor Jerry Brown in late

local level allow cyclists to feel safe and have fun

September, establishes the

while biking. The current design of many roads

“Three Feet for Safety Act,”

in Santa Barbara County creates situations that place cyclists in danger, where a driver may hit

Join SB Bike’s Advocacy Committee Attend monthly meetings on each second Thursday.

Learn more at www.bicicentro.org/Advocacy.

requiring drivers to provide The “Three Feet for Safety Act,” is designed to protect cyclists from being crowded out by vehicles driving too close for comfort and safety.

three feet between their vehicle and cyclists or to slow down if unable to do so. This

new law establishes fines for drivers who don’t give bikers the three feet, higher for those in violation when involved in a collision.

The act has come to fruition after a seven-year campaign, “Give Me 3,” when Assemblyman Pedro Nava began working on a safe passing law to improve safety for the growing number of cyclists in the state and five years after UCSB triathlete Kendra Payne was killed by a truck while riding on Santa Barbara’s Gibraltar Road.

The law will come into effect in September 2014.

To read more about AB 1371, visit http://www.bicicentro.org/news?mode=PostView&bmi=1397195.

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SB BIKE

Quick Release 2013 SANTAFall BARBARA BICYCLE COALITION

ADVOCACY

Connecting the South Coast

By Ed France

Imagine stepping out from your door, hopping on your bike, and quickly getting into a safe, low-stress bikeway that gets you from your neighborhood right to your destination, without having to mix in with any high-speed traffic. Your neighbors who previously thought bicycling in town was “too dangerous” feel safe to hop on a bike for a trip to the closest frozen yogurt establishment. Kids can access their schools, safe from the gauntlet of a.m. rush-hour traffic. An enjoyable ride with the whole family doesn’t require a drive to the beach path, but starts from home. Imagine—a connected, safe, and comfortable South Coast bikeway network, of layered bicycle boulevards, bike lanes, and the next generation of protected, separated bikeways.

This collective dream of many of us is realizable, and not just for the die-hard cyclists (many of us reading right

Haley Lane!

now) but comfortable for anyone, bicycling can become

We asked. The city acted. As

mainstream. The benefits are reduced congestion; living

of September 26, the busy,

within our resources; and healthy, happy Santa Barbarans.

one-way, east-west connector,

The Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition is working to make

Haley Street (in front of Bici

this happen, by cataloging the current state of every

Centro Headquarters) will be

bicycle route in the South Coast, studying every last

safer for bicyclists, thanks to

existing bicycle path planning document, and forecasting

a newly striped bike lane. A recent bike count found that

the various bicycle master plan efforts among our multiple

less than ten women and no children were biking on Haley,

jurisdictions. SB Bike is looking for your input to help make

which had no lane designated for bikes. As oft-touted by

our vision whole. Together, we can then promote our

bike safety advocates, women are the indicator species

vision and its manifold benefits to the community at large,

for cycling. Hopefully, this new lane will help women and

and build support for our pedaling movement!

children feel safer using this connector route.

other cities are leading the way. By making bike routes

www.SBBIKE.org

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ADVOCACY

COAST Honors SB Bike Director One of Santa Barbara County’s primary movers for sustainable transportation solutions recently lauded SB Bike’s first executive director, Ed France, for his work toward its quest. Each year, the Coalition for Sustainable Transportation (COAST) selects “a person or organization that has made significant strides” toward viable solutions to receive its prestigious Barry Siegel Award.

COAST points to France’s vision, ability to inspire, and numerous achievements through dedicated effort. Seven years ago, France cofounded Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition’s well-loved DIY shop, Bici Centro, where cyclists can find affordable parts and qualified assistance to repair their own bicycles, purchase newly refurbished rides courtesy of the shop’s many volunteers, and find a joyous

Ed France receives the Coalition for Sustainable Transportation’s prestigious Barry Siegel Award on September 26 at COAST’s Fall Gathering. PHOTO BY CHRISTINE BOURGEOIS

camaraderie built on shared passion and effort. As COAST’s Caitlin Carlson says,

for Latino cyclists, including an annual light

France and friends “created a financially sustainable social enterprise model

distribution, family days, and the Taller Móvil, a

that addressed the lack of bike shops catering to low-income clients and to

mobile bike repair station.

those who wanted to ‘work-trade’ or ‘do-it-yourself.’”

And the coalition has upped its activism as Now, the shop is the home base for the coalition’s education and

France leads members on a journey toward

community outreach. Over the years, SB Bike has taught numerous groups

fulfilling his passion for safe, sustainable

(adults, children, families, work groups, and more) about all things cycling,

infrastructure that not only supports but

with classes ranging from traffic safety to cycling skills to bike repair and

promotes a community made for cycling.

maintenance. The coalition has hosted a range of outreach programs

COAST cites France’s recent leadership of a campaign to add bike lanes on Hollister Avenue in Old Town Goleta. SB Bike recently asked the

We Want You

Want to become part of the solution? Want to stand up and be counted? Want to be part of the community? The Santa Barbara Bike Coalition would love to count you among its members! Join today at www.bicicentro.org/join. (See pages 10 and 11 for more information about membership and its benefits.)

city for a bike lane (and the city provided it) that will improve safety on the city’s busy Haley Street. The coalition is currently advocating for infrastructure that will connect the South Coast.

And France is the man for the job. Writes Carlson, “France has the gift of being both a visionary leader and a capable facilitator. He is extremely personable and friendly, and knows how to inspire and mobilize people. He speaks Spanish; he is a great bike mechanic, and a great networker.”

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Quick Release Fall 2013

EDUCATION

Bike Culture at SB High A look inside Santa Barbara High School’s Bike Club (SBici) is a great way to see the shift happening in our county—from vehicular transportation to a growing bike culture based on sustainability and community.

SBici is a service group that fixes up bikes for kids who don’t have bikes. “We take donations [to SB Bike] and work on those donated dead bikes,” explains SB Bike liaison Mike Vergeer. (Junior high students who participate in SB Bike’s earn-a-bike safety, skills, and maintenance program, Pedal Power, are the recipients of these refurbished rides.)

Club members earn community service hours. “And after they pour in a bunch of service hours, they get a chance to earn a bike themselves,” notes Vergeer. They can customize and paint their rides, decking them out with nice parts and their own style. Members also participate

Faculty advisor and Dons Net Cafe director “Ms. B” (Lee Knodel) and SBici president Sergio Garcia. PHOTO

BY CHRISTINE BOURGEOIS.

in bike education classes and bike valet for community events.

The club has its own shop on the high school campus— the former auto shop hub. SB Bike volunteers cleaned up and refurbished the space, which is located at

Once high schoolers from SB High’s bike club put in the hours to fix bikes for younger cyclists, they’ll have the opportunity to earn and stoke out their own trusty steeds. PHOTO BY CHRISTINE BOURGEOIS.

the school’s Nopal Street entrance next to the MAD academy.

Vergeer and fellow SB Bike board member Byron Beck are the co-liaisons for the coalition, and Lee Knodel, lovingly known as “Ms. B,” who directs Dons Net Cafe, a wide-reaching youth service group, is the faculty advisor. This year’s SBici president is Sergio Garcia.

SBici meets every Thursday from 3–4:30 p.m. Any student can join.

Community members who are interested in supporting the club can contact Vergeer at mvergeer@yahoo.com. The club’s current needs are (1) a water dispenser, (2) a speaker system that can be plugged into an iPod or computer, (3) snacks, or (4) community members who’d be interested in joining the club for

SBici members earn service hours and hone their wrenching skills by fixing up youth bikes to be used for SB Bike’s Pedal Power series for junior high students. PHOTO BY CHRISTINE BOURGEOIS.

group rides.

Bici Centro LEARN YOUR BIKE !

SB Bike’s popular adult mechanic series teaches participants all about caring for and repairing their own bicycles. The seven-week series takes a new focus each week. Topics include tires, rims, and flats; truing wheels; getting down with the drive train; and more. This fall’s series begins October 17. For more details or to register, visit http://www.bicicentro. org/events and click on “Learn Your Bike! Adult Class Series” on Oct. 17.

www.SBBIKE.org

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SPANISH OUTREACH

Bici Familia: Skills Classes, Helmets, and Lights for Families MAYOR HELENE SCHNEIDER SHOWS OFF HER NEW BICI CENTRO TATT. On September 14, SB Bike teamed with key community stakeholders to teach families cycling safety skills. At the second annual Family Day and Health Fair held at Santa Barbara Junior High, hosted by the city of Santa Barbara, SB County, the Santa Barbara Unified School District, and the Santa Barbara County Education Office, the coalition offered two free bilingual skills courses. PHOTO BY

Course completed. All participants who completed a bike skills class received a free bicycle helmet purchased by SB city from SB County Public Health Department, a bilingual certificate, and a free set of lights.

PHOTO BY SUE CARMODY

CHRISTINE BOURGEOIS

SB Bike Education Director Christine Bourgeois chases down a skilled new rider who learned so quickly he didn’t know how to stop. Young cyclists participated in a rodeo organized

by COAST and taught by local certified League Cycling Instructors, reveling in the opportunity to show off their skills riding around Safetyville. (Adults were able to practice bike handling skills on the blacktop as well, aided by two certified League Cycling Instructors and thanks to eight Breezer bikes provided by SB city.) PHOTO BY BARRY REMIS

A broken arm didn’t stop this bike monkey from participating. SB Bike and a group of Bike Monkeys from Santa Barbara Middle School offered free tune-ups for participants with

Happy faces. Smiles all around made the day enjoyable for participants and volunteers alike.

bikes. PHOTO BY SUE CARMODY

Loaner bikes for the rodeo.

For young participants who didn’t have bikes, SB Bike provided twenty-one loaner bicycles courtesy of Adams Elementary School.

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Quick Release Fall 2013

New bike! A few participants won cool new rides.

Councilmember Bendy White and school board member Monique Limón pose with one of the raffle winners.

SPANISH OUTREACH

The Ride for his Life

By Howard Booth Juan Castillo is

Help Light the Night

fifty-three and rides to live and lives to ride. In 2003, he listened to his primary care physician tell him that he was overweight, had high cholesterol and high

Juan Castillo at the Tour de Cure

blood pressure, and unless he changed his diet and started exercising, he’d be a diabetic within three years. Juan believed his doctor but didn’t know what to do. His wife and family loved him by feeding him the food he loved. In July 2006, he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. He knew he had to make a change from his couch potato lifestyle, but what and how?

He remembered the Fuji bike that he’d gotten for American Express points and never ridden. Juan started riding—at first short distance, but soon he was riding longer and longer distances with the encouragement of family, friends, and fellow riders in the Santa Barbara area. Last year, Juan rode the eight-mile Tour de Cure course in the pouring rain. Crossing the finish line with the cheers of hundreds of dedicated supporters in his ears was the most

As the time change approaches and darkness falls earlier and earlier (often during cyclists’ commute home) SB Bike’s Spanish Language Outreach Committee is preparing for the second annual Iluminando La Noche. Over the course of five evenings from November 4 to 8, the committee hopes to hand out 700 sets (1,400 lights) to help low-income cyclists become more visible.

To help hand out lights and interview cyclists (one resource SB Bike uses to guide its activism arm toward meeting the cycling community’s needs), contact Carmen Lozano at www.bicicentro.org/ Spanish.com.

Lights will be distributed at the following locations from 5:30 until they’re gone (usually around 6:30):

Mon, Nov 4, Milpas Tues, Nov 5, Carpinteria Wed, Nov 6, Old Town Goleta Thurs, Nov 7, Downtown SB Fri, Nov 8, Milpas

moving moment of his life. It still brings tears to his eyes to remember the ride of (for) his life.

Join SB Bike’s Spanish Language Outreach Committee The outreach committee meets monthly (third Thursday, 7 p.m. at Bici Centro, 506 E. Haley St). All are welcome, and for those who are bilingual or who want to learn Spanish, this is a great space to tune up or practice your language skills. Learn more at www.bicicentro.org/Spanishcom.

www.SBBIKE.org

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BICI SHOP

From Cobwebs … Hooked on Volunteering

By Gary Cook The QR asked one of Bici Centro’s regular, dedicated volunteers, Gary Cook: What does volunteering at Bici Centro mean to you—what do you receive from this work and why would you encourage others to join the Bici volunteer crew?

Here’s what Cook had to say: I started volunteering sometime last fall at Bici Centro on Tuesday volunteer nights. Everybody has his or her own reasons for volunteering, like giving back to the community, learning new skills, creating new friendships, or gaining a sense of personal satisfaction. For me, it’s all that. Plus, I just like to work on bikes.

I can even remember my job that first day. After a brief chat

Gary Cook, wrenching at one of Bici’s Tuesday volunteer nights.

and introduction to the shop, Ed [France, SB Bike executive director] says to me, “Here is a bike that was literally rescued from the landfill and needs a little work. You can work on that.”

I turned around and saw an old ten-speed bike with dead weeds woven through the spokes, rusty handlebars without tape, gears filled with cobwebs (along with a few diehard spiders), and a chain so rusty it wouldn’t bend.

Seriously? Are you kidding me? There was a reason it was

BUY A REFURBISHED BIKE… BECOME A MEMBER!

junked, you know. But I’ll give it a shot.

After three hours of scrubbing, degreasing, new brakes, cables, tires, chain, and some fresh oil here and there, I had transformed this hunk of scrap metal into an acceptable ride.

YOU GET… • 10% Discount on the Bike!

• A free SB BIKE Water Bottle!!

• A set of SB BIKE lights for safe riding at night

Admiring the transformation, I knew I was hooked and have been coming back nearly every Tuesday since then.

VOLUNTEER The Bici Centro Community Bike Shop runs on the power of volunteers. The shop crew is a dedicated group of skilled mechanics who work with Bici’s diverse population of cyclists and deal with all kinds of major and minor repairs.

If you love to fix bikes and work with people who are learning to fix their own bikes, Bici Centro is the place for you!

Come on out to our first Tuesday of every month shop for new volunteers.

Learn about the shop, get your hands greasy and have some pizza!

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Quick Release Fall 2013

DONATE!

End of Year Appeal

You Can Help Build a South Coast Bikeable for All! It’s been a good year for active transportation.

We discovered that bicycling on the South Coast has continued to grow, doubling in mode share proportion since 2005: 6.9 percent mode share Woot! Woot! The governor signed a three-foot passing distance law for cyclists. The Eastside in SB and Old Town Goleta are both moving forward on long neglected bicycle facilities.

Both sides of our county are now getting connected by bikeways. Santa Maria launched a bike path bridge over the SM River connecting to SLO County. Similarly,

Your donation can help create a South Coast that is bikeable for everyone! This youngster climbs onto his first bike, thanks to the SB Sports Drive, a collaboration between the Bike Monkeys from SBMS, members of SBici (bike club at SBHS), and bilingual volunteers from the Santa Barbara Bike Coalition.

Santa Barbara is tired of taking a backseat while other communities become leaders in livable, bikeable, healthy and safe places to live. It’s our turn. It’s our time.

you will be able to ride to Ventura—in this year—for the first time in fifty years without riding on the freeway, thanks to the Rincon to Mussel Shoals bike route.

Perhaps even more importantly, the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition is preparing to develop a comprehensive vision that will not only represent all the input of our members and partners but that we will have the resources to advocate for

#

APPLICATION FOR 12-MONTH MEMBERSHIP o o A Business Gold Individual, 1-year $30 membership includes o Individual, 2-year $55 advertising! o Household*, 1-year $45 o *Household and Household*, 2-year $85 Business memberships o Business*, 1-year $100 may include up to four o Business Gold*, 1-year $250 members.

Donate

name

and the ability to achieve. Santa Barbara is tired of taking a backseat while other communities become leaders in livable, bikeable, healthy and safe places to live. It’s our turn. It’s our

(business)

time.

address

We’ve been able to build a thriving community center

city,state,zip

around bicycling. We’ve been able to establish a nationally recognized education program throughout our county schools—all this in just a few years. It’s time to turn our focus to the infrastructure we need to meet the demand of a growing bicycling population. We’ve taken advantage of a great summer internship program to set the stage for a strong multiyear advocacy effort. With your support, as part of our end of year appeal, we will meet a financial match to establish a winning campaign effort and achieve a Santa Barbara South Coast bikeable for all! NOW IS OUR TIME!

phone email Make check payable to the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition PO Box 92047 Santa Barbara, CA 93190-2047

www.sbbike.org The Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation, so donations are tax deductable as allowed by law.

SB BIKE

SANTA BARBARA BICYCLE COALITION

www.SBBIKE.org

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SB BIKE

SANTA BARBARA BICYCLE COALITION

Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition PO Box 92047 Santa Barbara, CA 93190-2047