Quickrelease winter2015

Winter 2015 • Volume 24 / No. 4

SANTA BARBARA BICYCLE COALITION

QuickRelease

BOARD

Our Vision The Santa Barbara Bike Coalition (SBBIKE) 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.

Letter from the Editor One phrase jumped out at me as we were compiling this issue— social inclusiveness. It’s one of Connecting Our Community campaign’s core messages about why well-engineered cycling and walking infrastructure is important to an entire community.

And the phrase speaks to my heart, as I suspect it must for many of us at the Santa Barbara Bicycling Coalition.

I Googled “social inclusion” and read about breaking down the barriers that separate groups of people from each other and some groups from information and resources.

Courtney Dietz, President David Hodges, Vice President David Bourgeois, Treasurer Byron Beck Robert Caiza Sue Carmody Hector Gonzalez John Hygelund Mike Vergeer

STAFF Ed France, Executive Director Ed@sbbike.org Christine Bourgeois, Education Director edu@sbbike.org Shawn Von Biela, Shop Manager shop@bicicentro.org Howard Booth, Membership Coordinator howard@sbbike.org Joey Juhasz-Lukomski, Volunteer Coordinator Joey@sbbike.org Sam Franklin, Avocacy sam@sbbike.org

One Canadian government site, in part, defined a socially inclusive society as “one

GOVT. LIAISONS & ADVISORS

where all people feel valued” and “their differences are respected.”

Matt Dobberteen, Advisor County of Santa Barbara mattdobberteen@gmail.com

In this issue, the coalition launches the transformation of its newly purchased building into a community center that welcomes all and is a model for sustainable resource availability. Its advocacy heads strive toward the implementation of infrastructure changes that will make our roads and transportation systems safer for every user— cyclists, walkers, and motorists alike. The coalition spreads its education efforts into the North County. Bici Centro opens up its third shop at Santa Barbara City College (the second Bici is at Santa Barbara High School). Twenty local youth receive shiny bicycles for Christmas. And a four-year program (decades in the making if you trace Iluminando la Noche’s roots) designed to make a large and largely invisible group of our cycling community visible reaches its highest numbers. And while the annual light distribution has helped thousands of riders to be seen better at night, it has also worked to bring these cyclists and their needs to light. Data from this year’s annual survey will allow the group to speak its desires as the city determines what

Kent Epperson, Advisor Traffic Solutions kepperson@sbcag.org Teresa Lopes, Advisor City of Goleta tlopes@cityofGoleta.org Ralph Fertig, President Emeritus (deceased)

GRAPHIC DESIGN Cynthia Stahl, info@cynstahl.com

EDITOR Holly Starley, editor@sbbike.org

infrastructure changes Santa Barbara will see over the coming decade and beyond.

CONTACT US

As I envision the many arms of the coalition opening and spreading ever

506 E. Haley St. Santa Barbara, CA 93103

wider and further—geographically, demographically, and politically— to include more and more of the community, I think, Yep, this is something I want to be a part of. This is social inclusiveness.

Inclusively yours,

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

CONTRIBUTE Holly Starley, QR editor COVER PHOTOS – Santa Barbara cyclists. Just a few of a series of portraits featuring the community’s cyclists that the photographer took at the bike light giveaway on SB’s west side. By STEPHEN LEWIS. BACK IMAGE – New lights! By PAUL WELLMAN.

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Quick Release Winter 2015

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

Thank you, Business Members and Supporters DI A MON D ME MBE R S

P L AT I N UM ME MBE RS

GOLD & C ARBON FI BE R ME MBE R S Marcia Burtt Gallery

T ITA N I UM ME MBE R S

Santa Barbara Cruisers S I LV E R & ALUM I NUM ME MBE R S

Rincon Cycle

CapCranks

BRONZE AND STEEL MEMBERS The Dirt Club Ebike Santa Barbara HelloHarvest Hoffman Architecture Horny Toad John Jones Precision Wheels Kendrick Consulting

Mesa Architects Mesa Business Association Revolution Coaching LLC Pacific Pedalers/ Santa Barbara Pedicab Pedal Born Pictures Pedal Power Bicycles

Race Corps REI Service Objects True Nature Landscape Architecture We Bike Electric Waynes Pro Bike

www.SBBIKE.org

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COMMUNITY CENTER

$50K BOOSTS COMMUNITY CENTER REVITALIZATION “We’re talking solar panels, permaculture planning, rain-water harvesting, water efficiency strategies … capital improvements that will transform our building from a useable space (with some problems) to a vibrant community center that’s comfortable and accessible for everyone—just like we want our bike paths to be.” —Ed France

Families, DIY mechanics, volunteers, commuters, cycling enthusiasts—all part of SBBIKE’s community on a typical day at Bici Centro, the DIY shop and hub of the community center. Photo by HECTOR GONZALEZ

Hutton Parker Foundation Grant Gets SBBIKE Plan Rolling toward 2016 completion date

community center that’s comfortable and accessible for everyone—just like we want our bike paths to be.”

S

A local architect is helping to map the requirements necessary to not just make improvements but do so in a way that brings the building fully up to code, which France calls a significant but worthwhile process. “As a community center, our concern for safety is paramount,” he notes.

BBIKE’s community center renovation project is the Hutton Parker Foundation’s most recent beneficiary. The foundation, which has

invested in local community (“instead of Wall Street” per its motto) for the past sixteen years, has granted the project $50,000.

And this isn’t the first time the foundation has been behind Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition’s plans for its new building. Hutton Parker, a local real estate guru, coached SBBIKE’s leaders through last year’s building purchase. Through the relationship built then, SBBIKE applied for the grant, and Hutton Parker’s board of directors reopened the capital support fund that made it possible.

Thus, the proverbial ball is rolling, and SBBIKE is revitalizing its new building—creating an inclusive community center that supports all people-powered transportation and is a model of sustainability. “We’re talking solar panels, permaculture planning, rain-water harvesting, water efficiency strategies,” says SBBIKE executive director Ed France.

The project will prioritize “capital improvements that will transform our building from a useable space (with some problems) to a vibrant

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Quick Release Winter 2015

While the $50,000 isn’t quite enough to bring the project to fruition—that’ll take more like $200,000— the coalition is in communication with other local foundations and philanthropic leaders, such as Sarah Miller McCune. The McCune Foundation, a longtime supporter, has already stepped in with a gift through its President’s Fund. With such support, the renovated facility could be open by early 2016.

Not that it’ll ever be closed for long. France says closures will be minor and will involve different portions of the space during late 2015. The Bici Centro workspace will be available on an ongoing basis through shifting its location within the complex.

ADVOCACY

City: “Does SB Support Bike/Walk-Friendly Changes?”

SBBIKE’s Sam Franklin on answering, “Yes!”

W

Connect Message

hat does winning a campaign take? SBBIKE Connecting Our Community

Good cycling infrastructure:

campaign (Connect) coordinator Sam Franklin and a group of advocates

•

Boosts local business

and volunteers asked this over an intense weekend. More specifically, they

•

Benefits the community’s health

examined how to convince city officials a majority of Santa Barbarans support

•

Promotes social inclusiveness

infrastructure changes necessary for a safe and connected bicycle network.

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Makes all forms of transportation safer for everyone

The city’s Bike Master Plan (BMP), fifteen-year planning for cycling infrastructure, is due for an update. City council, unsure of where the community stands, has

Infrastructure designed to protect

decided to take a year to find out—hiring a consultancy firm to conduct a public

pedestrians and cyclists is a safety

input process. As Franklin puts it, “They don’t want to make changes perceived

benefit for motorists. Better bikeways

as not popular.”

will benefit all Santa Barbarans. This is

Franklin believes community members who are aware of why infrastructure changes are necessary, will support them. But the issue isn’t on everyone’s radars.

The Alliance for Biking and Walking’s Winning Campaigns seminar encouraged advocates to define the issue—identify the problem and frame what you want to change—before talking solutions. “The core problem is that data for traffic collisions show Santa Barbara is the most unsafe city in the state compared to cities its size,” says Franklin. In other words, “Too many people are getting hit on bikes.” A secondary problem is the perceived lack

“Data for traffic collisions show Santa Barbara is the most unsafe city in the state compared to cities its size … Our roads should be designed in such a way that we end up with zero fatalities. Nothing else trumps this. This is larger than just for cyclists.” —Sam Franklin

Connect’s message to the community, and whether it’s also the community’s message to the city over the next few months will guide infrastructure planning for the coming decade and beyond.

Public Input Timeline •

materials, such as flyers and videos, explaining the issue •

Peter Brown, Public Works Mobility coordinator, says that’s not necessarily the case,

Spring – Public inquiry via neighborhood summits, intercept surveys , and online surveys (English and Spanish)

of public interest. “Politicians believe there isn’t enough public support for changing our infrastructure.”

Now – Preparation of

•

Summer – Analysis of the data, summary, and plan formation

though it may have been six to twelve months ago. “Since then, a couple of the

This process will be the primary factor

opposers have listened and educated themselves,” he explains, concluding, “We’re

in determining the BMP’s focus, says

anticipating council support.”

Public Works Mobility Coordinator

Regardless of where the council stands, the results of the yearlong public input process will majorly impact the BMP, says Brown.

Peter Brown. It’s intended to find out what the community as a whole needs, “and not just the cycling community,”

Connect, with its ever-broadening group of supporters, intends to show that

he explains. “It will engage people who

improving our bicycle infrastructure “isn’t about serving a tiny group of cyclists but

primarily drive and walk around town to

about a generally accepted consensus on how creating better

determine what they want in terms of

infrastructure benefits all.”

improving transportation options.”

Good cycling infrastructure boosts business and improves health, social

As for the options, “We know from a

inclusiveness, and most importantly safety. “Our roads should be designed in such

technological or engineering standpoint

a way that we end up with zero fatalities,” says Franklin. “Nothing else trumps this.

what they are,” Brown says. “It’s a

This is larger than just for cyclists. Better bikeways will also help pedestrians

matter of how those align with what the

and car drivers.”

community is looking for.”

www.SBBIKE.org

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OUTREACH

1,000+ New Lights

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560 participants from Carpinteria, Goleta, and Santa Barbara received new sets of light at the November 2014 distribution.

Systematic Distribution Makes Safety Impact More than 1,000 new lights are lighting up Santa Barbara County nights thanks to Iluminando La Noche (Light up the Night), SBBIKE’s annual light distribution. This fourth giveaway saw 560 cyclists, who received sets of lights and answered questions about their cycling usage and needs.

Howard Booth, SBBIKE’s membership coordinator, points out that, while a lot of bike coalitions host annual lowincome light giveaways during the “fall back” time change, most give away fifty to seventy-five lights. “With our numbers,” he says, “we’re hitting a really significant part of the population.” (South Coast cyclists number in the several thousands, so each systematic distribution over the past four years has reached 10– 15 percent of that population.)

“We’re actually having a major impact on lighting up the night,” says Booth. And that means a major impact on safety.

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Quick Release Winter 2015

These graphs, just two of a series created from the surveys collected at the mos bicycles., Graphs by DANIEL FISHBEIN

OUTREACH

s Light SB Nights

Photos from left to right, by PAUL WELLMAN, STEPHEN LEWIS, and HECTOR GONZALEZ.

st recent distribution, show who the recipients are and how they’re using their

Survey Sheds Light on Commuters’ Needs Over the years, SBBIKE volunteers have surveyed the cyclists who’ve received lights, determining who is in this group and their needs and desires. The emerging picture shows the group is young (the highest numbers were in their thirties), predominantly male, and riding to work or school.

This last data point sets the group apart from a broader group of cycling cohorts, notes Booth. “Most of the people we’re seeing, this is their only means of transportation. This is how they get there—to work, to school, to wherever they need to get.”

Understanding who’s getting the lights and what type of riding they’re doing is important to better serve these commuters’ needs. What’s more, participants this time around were asked to choose, from four infrastructure options, what type of bicycling paths they’d like to see. The results will be a part of informing the city what the community wants when it comes time to revise the Bicycle Master Plan at the end of 2015. (See page 5.)

www.SBBIKE.org

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EDUCATION

$12K GRANT A STEP IN NORTH COUNTY EXPANSION

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hen SBBIKE Education Director Christine Bourgeois learned of a grant that would aid the coalition’s expansion into the

North County, she jumped on it. While she’s more than impressed with bicycling education’s momentum in the region, she’s also painfully aware of its lack of resources. Lompoc’s, for example, is the only Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program.

The $12,000 grant, allocated for Santa Maria and awarded by the Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation, will continue the Pedal Power programs that have been going since 2012 at three junior highs— Fesler, Tommie Kunst, and El Camino—and expand them; allow for the hiring of a part-time education coordinator; and enable outreach into schools and businesses.

“We really want to grow bike education there,” says Bourgeois.

Santa Maria boasts six League Certified Instructors (LCIs), four of

The spring 2014 Pedal Power students at Tommie Kunst designed their own T-shirts. Photo by CHARLOTTE BELYEA

them teachers. Two more educators, including Fesler’s assistant principal, have signed up for LCI training in April.

While the grant is earmarked solely for Santa Maria, Bourgeois sees it as a step toward moving into other cities, like Guadalupe, Santa Ynez, and Buellton. In

“The North County is sounding more progressive than Santa Barbara.”

—Christine Bourgeois

fact, last week, SBBIKE sent in a pre-application for Measure A funding to expand through the region.

“What’s going on there already is pretty exciting,” says Bourgeois.

JOB OPENING

Santa Maria’s bike club Tailwinds is providing SBBIKE support and “pushing us to do more.” Plans to bring bike education into junior high PE classes are underway. “The North County is sounding more progressive than Santa Barbara,” notes Bourgeois.

“Wait,” she says, “there’s more.” Having heard of a high school already offering bike education, she had to see for herself. At Santa Maria’s Pioneer High School, she found fifty cruisers and a massive, two-lane, on-campus course that simulates traffic, where students learn the rules of the road and get a fitness credit.

Bourgeois hopes Measure A funding will help this seven-yearold program, whose fleet is getting old and funding dwindling.

“People want bike education in the North County,” concludes Bourgeois, “and the bike coalition needs to provide it.”

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Quick Release Winter 2015

Details: Education Coordinator needed on a contract basis (20h/week), at $15+/h DOE, in Santa Maria, CA Description: SBBIKE is looking for a motivated individual who will grow the existing Santa Maria area youth cycling education programs and develop adult bike education and outreach for businesses.

Check out the posting at http://bicicentro.org/ news/3206487 for a full list of responsibilities and qualifications.

How to apply: Please send résumé and cover letter to edu@sbbike.org and attach your résumé as a PDF. Telephone inquiries won’t be accepted. All materials should be received by February 13, 2015.

SHOP

BICI CENTRO GOES TO COLLEGE

By Kevin McClintock

T

hanks to a partnership between the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition and Santa Barbara City College, Bici

Centro has been selected to open the college’s first bike shop. Inside a shed next to the bridge on east campus, the Do It Yourself (DIY) shop is alive and well, hosting the same affordable bicycle repair and education users have come to expect from Bici Centro. As enrollments continue to grow at SBCC, infrastructure like this could be key in equalizing the accessibility gap between bicycles and other forms of transportation. And students like those in SBCC’s bike club, who have utilized the mobile bike shop to actively promote Bici Centro, understand the demand for bike repair on campus.

“The goals are to reduce the demand for parking, reduce congestion, improve air quality, and identify the most sustainable longterm transportation practices for SBCC. When properly applied, commuting by bicycle can, thankfully, accomplish all of these at once, not to mention the Kevin McClintock, a founder of SBCC’s bike club. individual benefits of health and happiness for the rider.”

The bike shop’s arrival stems from an update to the college’s alternative transportation plan. The goals are to reduce the demand for parking, reduce congestion, improve air quality, and identify the most sustainable longterm transportation practices for SBCC. When properly applied, commuting by bicycle can, thankfully, accomplish all of these at once, not to mention the individual benefits of health and happiness for the rider. Prior to the shop’s opening, a bicycling safety course for staff and faculty was held at the bike shop. When asked why they didn’t opt to ride their bicycles to SBCC, the group cited reasons like a malfunctioning bike, safety concerns, and the steep hills surrounding the campus.

While the addition of the shop certainly can’t eliminate the hills, it will offer classes and information on bike repair, riding safety, route planning, and theft prevention.

Geography and cycling instructor Mike Vergeer, who taught the course, commented, “The great thing about this expanded effort at SBCC is that our shop and programs on campus address all of these concerns. We’ve got the antidotes!”

SBCC’s campus bike shop is open from 10 am–2 pm, Monday–Thursday and hopes to serve as a hub for the future development of a bike friendly campus for the entire SBCC community.

Faculty advisor Mike Vergeer speaks to faculty and staff about the new oncampus DIY bike shop. Photo by SERGIO GARCIA

www.SBBIKE.org

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SHOP

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SHOP VOLUNTEERS WRENCH UP A CHRISTMAS SURPRISE As part of the second annual A Bike 4 Christmas, twenty youngsters received bicycles refurbished

by SBBIKE volunteers. All under the age of ten and selected by the Franklin Neighborhood Center, the riders received helmets and instructions on safe riding. Several of them learned how to ride for the first time!

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(1) Learning to ride (2) New bike and helmet (3) The Christmas giveaway fleet (4) Helmet fittings. Photo by HECTOR GONZALEZ

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Quick Release Winter 2015

SHOP/MEMBERSHIP

Members: Check Your Mailboxes Are you a member of SBBIKE? Your friendly mail carrier will soon be delivering your all-new membership card!

Besides the inherent pride of being a card-carrying member, the card will net you discounts at an everincreasing host of local shops, restaurants, and hotels.

Look for a list of those businesses on SBBIKE’s website.

Double the Bici Bici Centro has more than doubled its hours. All are welcome to use the shop’s DIY stands, tools, and assistance from volunteer mechanics and tackle those projects to stoke out your bike! Bici will now be open Wednesdays through Fridays from noon – 7 p.m. and Saturdays from noon – 5:00 p.m.

While those with the know-how can grab a stand and work at their own pace, you don’t have to know what

Join and Renew

you’re doing to use Bici’s stands. Volunteers will be on hand to help you learn about taking care of your own

APPLICATION FOR 12-MONTH MEMBERSHIP

bike.

The extended hours mean more time to get your donation on. Those bicycles that your kids no longer ride? They can be part of the refurbished

o o o o o o o

Individual, 1-yr $30 Individual, 2-yr $55 Household, 1-yr $45 Household, 2-yr $85 Business Bronze, 1-yr $100 Business Silver, 1-yr $250 Business Titanium, 1-yr $500

fleet for SBBIKE’s youth earn-a-bike programs. Your former ride taking up space

o Business Gold, 1-yr $1,000 o Business Platinum, 1-yr $2,500 o Business Diamond, 1-yr $5,000 o Bike Shop Steel, 1-yr $100 o Bike Shop Al, 1-yr $250 o Bike Shop Ti, 1-yr $500 o Bike Shop C fiber, 1-yr $1,000 o Donate

name

in the garage? It could be transformed into someone’s brand-new commuter bike. In-kind donations—of bikes, parts, and all things bicycles—are accepted during all

(business)

shop hours.

address

Volunteer days on Tuesdays—when the work of volunteer

city,state,zip

wrenchers supports SBBIKE’s projects, programs, and outreach—are also extended. Volunteers can come by

phone

from noon – 7 p.m. No experience required!

Plus, the shop/community center is a great place to hang out for cyclists of all types and interest levels. Stop in and get the latest on community cycling events, upcoming classes, and volunteer opportunities. Get involved with efforts to improve cycling and walking infrastructure throughout our county and mingle with friends.

The shop’s entrance is at 434 Olive Street between Haley

email Make check payable to the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition PO Box 92047 Santa Barbara, CA 93190-2047 for membership details:

www.sbbike.org/join

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

and Gutierrez. See you soon.

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