Winter 2013 • Volume 23 / No. 3
SANTA BARBARA BICYCLE COALITION
QuickRelease
Rolling to the Future A once-in-a-generation opportunity / 5
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 The holiday season is a time when people seek connection. We’re infused with gratitude and hope. We give a little more, open our hearts a little more. We come together, we celebrate, and we imagine possibilities. Santa Barbara’s cycling community is a microcosm in which I see that spirit of hope and togetherness 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
merging. In this issue of the QR, SB Bike unveils its plans for transforming our coastal cities into a place where
society’s ills are met in a real and profound way. A community is uniting to make a difference in a world that is rapidly changing (and not always in ways we might like), a world where it’s too often easy to get lost in the crowd and the speed—to feel hopeless against the complexities we face. The transformation the coalition’s campaign will bring about is the exact opposite of this; it’s simple and brilliant, and it can involve everyone. It’s a slowing down, a significant changing of the way we move through this world, through our communities. It’s a connecting of neighborhoods and people. Here in these pages, too, are stories of people gathering to provide for the needs of and connect in a personal way with their neighbors and of people finding unique, individual ways to be a part of the solution to societal issues.
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
EDITOR I am deeply grateful to witness and help share the vision that is coming to fruition
Holly Starley, editor@sbbike.org
because these individuals and groups join together and interconnect and hope.
CONTACT US
Happy connections,
506 E. Haley St. Santa Barbara, CA 93103 PO Box 92047 Santa Barbara, CA 93190
Holly Starley, QR editor
www.sbbike.org 617-3255
CONTRIBUTE COVER PHOTO BY CARSON BLUME. Bikeways, the South Coast, neighborhoods, people—it’s all about connections. This gentleman was the one of seven hundred folks SB Bike volunteers connected with at the annual bike light giveaway this fall.
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Quick Release Winter 2013
Your time: www.bicicentro.org/volunteer In-kind: www.bicicentro.org/wishlist Financially: www.bicicentro.org/donate
CONTENTS Connecting Our Community / 4 Trek Backs South Coast Transformation / 5 A Bike 4 Christmas / 6 Illuminating Connections / 7 Trailer Talk / 8 Farewell to Car / 9 I Will Bike 10,000 Miles … / 10 Be a Part of the Transformation / 11
The Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition and Bici Centro would like to thank all our supporters and business members!
John Burke, president of Trek Bicycle Corporation; Martha Roskowski of People for Bikes; and SB Bike Executive Director Ed France discuss Connecting Our Community, a campaign that will not only change the game for cycling in the South Coast but is a “simple, cost-effective solution in a complex world.” PHOTO BY JEFF CLARK PHOTO.
VOLUNTEER BIKE LIGHT
Cynthia lives less than 2 miles from where she was born and has traveled as far as 2,481 miles away, yet has never left the country. According to her memory and possibly the Goleta Union School District, she is an award winning artist. Her first bike was a used turquoise Sears Spyder, she owns the first bike she ever rode on, and has lived car free for over five years. Her bucket list: learn to surf.
Cynthia Stahl is a Rock Star volunteer with a capital R. She turns out for Santa Barbara Bowl bike valet and bike builds at Bici Centro. What makes her special is that she usually brings yummy homemade desserts to share with other volunteers! And you’ve probably noticed that SB Bike now has a consistent visual image. The high quality look and pizzazz of our Web site, Quick Release, SB Bike flyers, program banners, and the Connecting Our Community campaign are all part of Cynthia’s visual magic.
Business Gold Members Telegraph Brewing Agility Capital SB Middle School Chatenever Ceramics Rincon Cycle American Riviera Bank Eye Specialists of Santa Barbara Montecito Bank and Trust The Towbes Group Dons Net Cafe BPW (Bartlett Pringle & Wolf) Velo Pro Pedego Electric Bikes Business Members Hazards Cycle Sport Pacific Pedalers Hoffman Architecture Mesa Business Association Landmark Global Santa Barbara Chicken Ranch Service Objects Horny Toad Pedal Born Pictures Mesa Architects REI Isla Vista Food Coop
Thanks, Cynthia. You help us roll!
www.SBBIKE.org
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ADVOCACY
Connecting Our Community: Santa Barbara Rolls toward National Cycling Leadership The Santa Barbara Bike Coalition (SB Bike) is rolling rapidly toward its first-year goal of a multiyear campaign that will establish Santa Barbara as the national leader in bicycling. In short, the Connecting Our Community campaign will bring safe bicycling infrastructure to the entire community. The campaign is responding to a growth in daily commuters and cyclists who want to ride, which the community’s current bikeways simply can’t accommodate. To do so, the coalition intends to raise $100,000 for the first year—a goal it is already a third of the way to meeting (see page 5). In the last decade, bicycling rates have doubled on the South Coast (from Carpinteria to Goleta). Safe bicycling infrastructure has not kept pace. Research
Goleta
The campaign will build a total of 120 miles of paths, lanes, and bicycle boulevards.
has shown that a majority of people want to bike but are concerned that roads and intersections are not safe for themselves and their loved ones. Today, the South Coast mode share is only 7 percent. And the coalition says that is due to three primary shortcomings in our bikeways. First, only 17 miles of sporadic, protected bike paths currently exist. Second, only half of the Coastal Route has been completed. And third, with the 35 miles of existing bicycle lanes, there are no complete routes. Creating Our Community’s vision is clear. Those seventeen miles of protected paths will become sixty. The campaign will build a total of 120 miles of paths, lanes, and
Santa Barbara
bicycle boulevards. By 2020, 20 percent of all trips will be made by bicycle, and that will increase to 40 percent by 2040! In the process, Santa Barbara will become the number one bicycling city in the nation. Connecting Our Community will make it possible for everyone from ages eight to eighty to bike safely to and from anywhere along the county’s South Coast. “But that’s just numbers,” says SB Bike volunteer coordinator Howard Booth. “Our kids should have a great place to ride, even if we don’t.” To make that happen, the coalition plans to bring in powerful new infrastructure, such as green lanes, and to establish strong bicycle policies well before public works projects begin. All said and done, the complete bicycling network will reach every neighborhood. And cycling will grow dramatically, reducing congestion and helping Santa Barbara reach its communities’ health, safety, and environmental goals. What’s the number one key to bringing this dream to the community? It’s just that— community. Booth says SB Bike plans to spread the word loud and wide. “The key to making advocacy work is a larger, louder voice from our members.” To become a part of Connecting Our Community, see page 11 or visit www.sbbike.org to contribute and become an SB Bike member.
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Carpinteria
ADVOCACY
Trek Backs Rare Opportunity to Transform SB “We believe bikes are a simple
degradation, congestion, and
solution in a very complex
health.
world,” says John Burke, president of Trek Bicycle
Roskowski pointed out
Corporation. That’s why
another fringe benefit.
he and his wife, Tania, are
Protected bike lanes, she
getting behind Connecting
said, attract businesses to
Our Community (CC), Santa
downtown areas and make a
Barbara Bicycle Coalition’s
city vibrant.
campaign to transform the bikeways of the South Coast.
A Game Changer
Also on board is People for
Roskowsi spoke to cycling’s
Bikes, a national advocacy organization. At a December CC fundraiser held at the Burkes’ Montecito home,
growth nationwide—over
(From left to right) Michael Chiacos, SB Bike President; Gregg Hart, SB City the last decade, biking has Councilman; John and Tania Burke of Trek Bicycling and Trek Travel; SB Mayor Helene Schneider, and SB Bike Executive Director Ed France. PHOTO increased in eighty-five of BY JEFF CLARK PHOTO
the hundred largest metro
People’s Martha Roskowski
areas, and driving by people
challenged the community to “leverage a way
ages sixteen to thirty-four decreased by 23 percent—and called protected
better Santa Barbara for everyone.”
bikeways “a game changer.”
A Rare Opportunity
As Burke noted, protected lanes indeed changed the game in New York City, where a new bike share program boasted 50,000 rides in one day in
SB Bike is up for the challenge. The coalition’s
a city once thought unrideable.
campaign is poised to take advantage of what Executive Director Ed France calls “a once-in-a-
Santa Barbara, they say, has what it takes to change its game. Burke
generation opportunity to improve our quality of
spoke to the community’s amazing qualities—topography, weather, and
life through bicycling.”
people—but added that it’s not yet a biking leader. “There’s a difference between where it is and where it can be,” he said. “And that’s exciting.”
Bike Master Plans (BMPs) describe longrange planning for developing a city’s cycling
Support and Speak Up
infrastructure over the coming fifteen years. Currently, all five jurisdictions affecting the South
Two things will make CC possible—speaking up and financial support.
Coast are updating their BMPs—a rare opportunity. Burke, Roskowski, and France urged everyone to send letters to the
A Simple Solution
editor and write to representatives, attend meetings, and talk about the campaign with neighbors and friends.
Connecting Our Community will create a community where everyone can cycle “without
Eighty-five people attended the event and together contributed $15,431;
worrying about close calls, without fear,” France
People for Bikes contributed $8,000; and the Burkes gave an undisclosed
said.
amount, ensuring that CC is well on its way to its first-year goal of $100,000. To add your contribution, see page 11 or visit www.sbbike.org.
And more cycling will have a ripple effect—Burke’s simple, cost-effective solution. The complex issues
“You all will do fabulous things,” Roskowski said. “You have the potential
he’s talking about are things like environmental
here, so go!”
www.SBBIKE.org
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OUTREACH
Santa in Santa Barbara: Christmases Past and Present By Anonymous Bici Volunteer In the so called “Food Basket of The World,” it would surprise most people that some families of the San Joaquin Valley go without a traditional Christmas. Growing up in this area of great abundance, I am all too familiar with the embarrassment of returning to school after the Christmas holidays and not being able to share in the “What did you get for Christmas?” revelries. The world we know as a child is incredibly small, and any gift, however insignificant, is a tremendous joy and blessing. In the winter of 1983, the dry spell of no toys for Christmas ended. On what appeared to be a normal trip to the grocery store, my parents made a turn into a nondescript strip mall, where we entered a dusty office of sorts. There were old office partitions and various chairs of different shapes and sizes for
The twenty-three members of Horny Toad, a local clothing company, pose for a group shot after a bike build at Bici Centro. The team refurbished six youth bikes for the holiday giveaway.PHOTO BY HOWARD BOOTH
us to sit on. This office felt cobbled together with hand-me-down parts, presumably from the vestiges
Finally some toys for Christmas!
of better offices. We were waiting, for I didn’t know what, until a woman said they were ready for us. My
This year, as a member of the Santa Barbara Bike Coalition, along with
sister and I were led through the maze of partitions
the volunteers at Bici Centro, we have the opportunity to help spread
until we reached the back of the office.
some Christmas cheer to children who may otherwise go without Christmas presents. With the help of the City of Santa Barbara for the
There, sitting in what must have been his temporary
purchase of new helmets and the Franklin Neighborhood Center for
office away from the North Pole, sat Santa, with all
selecting families on the Eastside, we will give away twenty-five to thirty
his might and glory. My sister and I looked at each
refurbished bicycles to young children in the community. Although Bici
other and then at Santa and then at my parents (who
Centro lacks the shine and polish of a fancy toy store or a pretentious
were wearing coy smiles) and then again at each
shopping mall, we have the dusty, homegrown feel of a good nonprofit
other, before we ran and jumped up on Santa’s lap!
outfit, down to the used, mismatched office chairs.
A Bike 4 Christmas On Saturday, December 21, at 10:00 a.m., Bici Centro, a project of the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition (SB Bike), hosted its first “A Bike 4 Christmas” event at the community DIY bicycle repair shop located at 506 E. Haley St. The SB Bike/Bici Centro anonymous volunteer behind the “A Bike 4 Christmas” project is hoping that it will become an annual event involving more partners and volunteers to fulfill the dream of many young children in our community. For more information, visit www.bicicentro.org/events.
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OUTREACH
Connection … Outreach … Lights! The third annual light giveaway of SB Bike’s Spanish Language Outreach—Iluminando La Noche (Light Up the Night)—was a shining success. This fall, volunteers connected with over seven hundred cyclists from Old Town Goleta to Carpinteria. That means 1,400 more lights on the road, loads of additional data on the cycling community’s needs, and priceless connections like those captured in these photos from the event. PHOTOS BY CARSON BLUME
www.SBBIKE.org
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EDUCATION
Trailer Talk: Bringing More Bikes to the People By Courtney Dietz
Fleet Launch Dylan Carmody gives his thumbs-up of approval at the first group mountain bike ride, this one at Elings Park, for Santa Barbara High’s bike club (SBici). PHOTO BY CHRISTINE BOURGEOIS.
We love hearing stories of kids in our community taking charge and making things happen, and Dylan Carmody is no exception. When Dylan, now a junior, was a freshman at Santa Barbara High School, he joined SBici, the school’s bike club, where members work on donated, recycled bicycles and can earn a free bike of their own.
Please join us for the launch of the new Mobile Youth Bike fleet on January 23, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. at SB Bike’s headquarters (506 East Haley Street)!
After a few years working with SBici, said Dylan, “I enjoy the feeling of safety
The ribbon cutting ceremony will
that I can fix my own bike when something goes wrong. I want to share that.”
celebrate the new trailer and fleet. High
Last year, in a conversation with Ed France of SB Bike (SBici’s Community Partner), the two discussed getting a trailer to bring more bikes to more kids, and Dylan stepped up to help lead the charge. With the help of fellow SBici member Enma Munez, Dylan partnered with Santa Barbara born filmmakers Jacob and Isaac Siegel-Boettner and turned their screening of Singletrack High into a fundraiser. The team pitched the idea to local businesses and individuals and helped raise $12,000 in a few short months, enough to
school students from SBici (SBHS’s bike club) will share their story of how they made it happen. Refreshments will be served after the ribbon cutting ceremony. Thank you to all our sponsors who listened to our motivated youth.
purchase a trailer stocked with mountain bikes, tools, and spare parts. When asked what motivated him to get involved, Dylan’s answer was simple yet heartfelt. “I was excited about giving a bunch of kids who may not be able to afford or have the ability to ride their bikes [that opportunity]. I want to see more kids out riding.” SB Bike has since purchased a sleek new trailer that will be adapted to hold fifteen bikes. The sides are still a blank canvas, waiting to be filled with bicycle imagery inspiring passersby as it rolls through town. The trailer will enable SB Bike to bring cycling programs to even more schools and also introduce kids to mountain biking in the backcountry. What’s next for Dylan? He’s hoping to attend February’s Youth Bike Summit in New York with other students from SB Middle School and SB High School, learning even more about how to spread his love of cycling. Thank you, Dylan! 8
Quick Release Winter 2013
SB Bike Executive Director Ed France and Bici Centro Volunteer Omari Fuller show off the new trailer that will bring new cycling opportunity to youth across the county. PHOTO BY HOWARD BOOTH.
COMMUNITY/SHOP
FAREWELL CAR! BIKING AND THE WORKING LIFE By Simon Kiefer I have always loved to ride—always. As a child
supports my commuting commitment by granting me two additional
growing up in Michigan, my bike was my ticket to
vacation days per year.
freedom. I rode nearly every day, unless it snowed. My love of riding has continued through adulthood.
My increased commuting caused me to reconsider my car at first as
If I wasn’t commuting regularly, then I would leave
irrelevant and then later on as an expensive nuisance. I sold it, thinking
a bike at the office to use to get to meetings and
that borrowed/rented cars and my motorcycle would serve my shrinking
lunchtime excursions. For many years, my 1978 Fuji
driving needs.
12-speed served as my office bike. Wherever I went, I never locked it up, figuring that, if someone were so desperate to steal a bike like that, they deserved to have it. I finally ended up donating it to BiCi Centro. I then made a renewed commitment to commuting and rewarded myself with a shiny new touring bike,
My job periodically takes me to downtown Los Angeles. Instead of battling traffic, I ride off to the Amtrak station with my overnight gear packed into my panniers. Amtrak does not charge for bikes, but does require that riders make reservations for their bikes in advance. (Discounted rail tickets are available through www.SantaBarbaraCarFree. org.) Arriving in downtown LA by early evening, I typically find little car
complete with disk brakes, fenders, and panniers.
traffic on the streets. Some hotels allow you to keep your bike in your
My former employer, the City of Santa Barbara,
room and allow you to check it with the concierge if you are checking out
supported my commuting commitment by paying
before your train leaves.
my membership to Bikestation Santa Barbara—a safe, dry place to park my new bike, shower, and
A giddy sense of liberation akin to what I felt growing up continues to
use a day-locker—located at the Granada Garage.
grab me every time I strap on my helmet and launch off on another ride.
My current employer, the County of Santa Barbara,
It’s a very good life.
Looking for that perfect New Year’s resolution? Get a
refurbished bike from Bici Centro! Along with the trusty new steed, you’ll get a
Bikes for Sale at Bici
year-long SB Bike membership, which comes with an SB Bike water bottle, a set of SB Bike lights, and a 10 percent discount on the bike to boot!
www.SBBIKE.org
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COMMUNITY/ SHOP
How to Bike Commute 10,000 Miles By Cameron Brick Step 1: Sign up with a company that doesn’t have enough parking. It seemed negative at the time, but it got me on the bike. Now I’m glad. Step 2: Focus on comfort. Get a bike that fits. Focus on your hand position and seat. Buy technical clothing that will breathe and keep you at the right temperature. When being on the bike feels good, it’s easy to get on. When it feels bad—you’ll choose the car. It can be very comfortable! Step 3: Now that you’re riding, make it even better. You’re saving on gas, maintenance, and parking; invest those extra dollars on saddlebags and lights. Now you can use your bike for most errands, comfortably carry heavy items, and ride at any hour. I carry clothes, food, and documents every day, and I love my saddlebags. Other benefits will come with time. Fitness is a natural reward from cycling. Every time you get on your bike, making the choice to ride gets easier. Step 4: Identify regular trips that you can take by bike, and commit to them. It could be a weekly Tuesday event. For me, it’s biking to work. At first, it was effortful to choose the bike. Now, it’s no effort at all. It’s simply how I get to work. In the evening, I drive my car. But those five hundred trips a year to work and back—those I spend on a beautiful, protected bike path. Yesterday I heard an egret make a croaking call near Goleta Beach. Didn’t know they
Cameron Brick at his celebratory gathering, marking his having pedaled 10,000 miles! PHOTO COURTESY OF CAMERON BRICK
even made noise! Can this be compared to sitting on the 101? Sometimes I’m tired or not feeling well, and it’s harder to bike. But I can ride most days, and you know, that makes a difference. Recently, I celebrated
Follow SB Bike and Bici Centro on Facebook
10,000 miles bike commuting with friends from the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition. The milestone wasn’t my goal; it was just a natural bonus to this lifestyle. I’m healthier, calmer, and more awake when I start work. I think I’ll be riding for a long time. See you out there!
SB Bike Members … and Counting! 600 500
Last April, there were 300; now there are 500. Our goal—600 by next April.
300
Join the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition and help
as represented by SBBC’s Membership/ Volunteer Coordinator Howard Booth’s head
us double our numbers! April 2013
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Dec. 2013
April 2014
CONTRIBUTE
Help Connect Our Community It’s Last year, we asked for your support to build
2020 and 40 percent by 2040.
on Haley Street a vibrant home for our cycling community. Today, the Bike Coalition and
That’s why we need you. With your financial
our Bici Centro Community Bike Shop have a
support, we will raise $100,000 to support the
headquarters—with its very own bike lane at the
first year of this multiyear campaign. But we
front door to boot.
need more than your financial support. We
Goleta
need you to help us reach out to residents in your Our mission is larger than a building. With your
neighborhood, local businesses, and elected officials.
support, we are making cycling possible for
You can do that by becoming an SB Bike member,
everyone in Santa Barbara County. We will now
joining our Advocacy Committee, or attending
Connect Our Community!
bicycle outreach meetings in Carpinteria, Santa
Santa Barbara
Barbara, and Goleta. With your skills, knowledge, With this goal in mind, now it’s time to turn our
experience, and commitment, we can achieve our
focus to the safe bike routes required to meet the
goal.
demands of the growing pedal-powered movement we’ve helped nurture. We envision that our
Get involved; your support will help us generate the political
multiyear advocacy effort will make sure that Santa
will and widespread public support that will be required to
Barbara becomes the number one bicycling city in
Connect Our Community. We need your membership, your
the nation, meaning everyone from ages eight to
voice, and your contribution.
Carpinteria
eighty can bike safely to and from anywhere along Let’s roll—together!
the county’s South Coast. Our vision is that, together, we can make it a reality that 20 percent of all trips are made by bicycle by
name
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(business)
$100
address
$250
city,state,zip
$500 $1,000
phone
$
enclosed is my check payable to the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition
Please charge my Visa/Mastercard
#
Take Action Contribute to the Matching Fund, your voice and become a member online: www.sbbike.org Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition PO Box 92047 Santa Barbara, CA 93190-2047
Exp.
SB BIKE
SANTA TA A BARBARA BA BICYCLE COALITION
The Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition is a nonprofit 501(c) (3) corporation, so donations are tax deductable as allowed by law.
www.SBBIKE.org
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SB BIKE
SANTA TA A BARBARA BA BICYCLE COALITION
Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition PO Box 92047 Santa Barbara, CA 93190-2047
Connecting Our Community
Increase from 17 to to 60 miles of protected path Build a total of 120 miles of path, lanes and bicycle boulevards