Realtors See Bikepaths in Their Future

www.sbbike.org October 2010

Serving Santa Barbara Realtors see bikepaths in their future County We’re a countywide advocacy by Ralph Fertig bikeways, and the benefits and resource organization that promotes bicycling for safe I attended the Pro Walk/Pro of sustainable properties. It transportation and recreation. Bike conference in Chattanooga notes that as the “Generation on September 13-16th, along Y” replaces baby boomers, the How to reach us with our executive director Ed move from suburban to urban Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition France. The conferences are held areas will accelerate. And with PO Box 92047 Santa Barbara CA 93190-2047 every two years. Twenty years it, vehicle miles traveled will phone 962-1479 ago, the emphasis was on facili- decrease as bikes and buses email [email protected] ties for bicyclists. Then about 15 increase. Savvy realtors, it web www.sbbike.org years ago, walking was added to advises, can benefit from this facebook the mix—after all, we have many www.facebook.com/sbbikes shift. And cities, if they wish things in common, and more to retain vitality, will accom- October 5th meeting people walk than bike. modate their young people. Join us for our general meeting: What happened in the last The closing plenary session Tuesday, October 5 decade was rising alarm among featured the National Associa- Madam Lu Chinese Restaurant 3524 State Street our nation’s health professionals tion of Realtors’ Hugh Morris Santa Barbara when an inactive lifestyle sur- who told us that our new al- No-host dinner 6:00 PM passed smoking as the leading Cover of the summer issue of On Common lies are local realtors because Meeting 7:00 PM Ground, published by the National Associa- cause of early death. They knew tion of Realtors, features a smiling bicyclist. they understand what’s hap- Online email list that biking and walking can be pening on the ground. Houses We sponsor a free online email woven into our daily lives, providing multiple in bike and walk friendly areas now fetch $30,000 forum where you can post and long-term benefits, so they came on board. or more than those further from public spaces. read messages about regional The latest group to join us, to my surprise, was Thirty percent of our population wants denser, liv- bicycling issues. To subscribe, a new sponsor for the conference: the National able communities, and that percentage is growing. send an email to: [email protected] Association of Realtors. The summer edition of The trends are clear, and they include more Leave the subject and body their national magazine On Common Ground was bicycling as a crucial part of our urban fabric. The blank. full of articles dealing with the “megatrends” question is how fully will our communities embrace of our communities. Articles tell of healthier the megatrends and provide a better future for us? Join our Coalition lifestyles, decreased driving, car sharing, walk- The answer lies with our elected representatives You can help improve bicycling safety and conditions in able communities, water scarcity, community and what we collectively and individually ask for. Santa Barbara County by joining others in our bicycling advocacy group. See page 6. Bike Film Festival and related events were super successes Street Skills Clinics Jim Cadenhead at Cranky’s Bikes was instrumen- The Santa Barbara Bicycle tal in bringing the Bicycle Film Festival to Santa Coalition offers Street Skills Barbara on September 18th. If that wasn’t enough, Clinics. Details at www.sbbike. he arranged a swap meet and bike polo matches, org/skills/apply.html, or email and valet bike parking. There was a “Kickoff coordinators at streetskills@ sbbike.org. Party” with spinning sprint competition at Elsie’s Tavern the day before, and a “Bikes Rock Party” at Bici Centro program Mercury Lounge the day after. Bici Centro of Santa Barbara From all indications, everything succeeded is our community bicycle program, helping people who wonderfully. It was well promoted by Nick bicycle. Go to www.bicicentro. Welsh’s two-page article “From Geek to Chic” in org, or phone 617-3255. the Santa Barbara Independent on September 16th. The article describes how our local bike culture is changing from recreational sport rides to casual, Quick Release is published utilitarian and imaginative ones. monthly by the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition, PO Box It’s certain that the surge in bicycling will con- 92047, Santa Barbara, CA tinue, although it’s unclear whether the Film Festi- Bicycle polo demonstration matches took place on an 93190. Subscribe for $30 per val will return in 2011. We absolutely hope so. improvised court at the Junior High’s game field. year. Issue # 228. New “Bicycle Friendly Rossini’s Bro-Cart cargo trailer introduced 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, Santa Barbara bicyclist and metal craftsman faculty and visitors. The program provides a Brian Rossini has launched a line of Bro-Cart road map and technical assistance to create cargo trailers for hauling loads attached to great campuses for cycling. 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 Brian Rossini holds a flyer describing options for his new cargo trailer line, one of which is shown. from protruding branches or other objects. Loads up to 170 pounds have been success- (1014 State Street) and WheelHouse (528 Our local UC Santa Barbara is an obvious fully carried. Anacapa Street). Or phone Rossini at 831- winner. They already received recognition You can see samples and order them at 601-6394. We welcome another innovator to as a Bicycle Friendly Business, even though two Santa Barbara bike shops: Cranky’s Bikes our community, and wish him good sales. it was an awkward fit. As for Alan Hancock, Santa Barbara City College, or Westmont, they don’t have the bicycle traffic that UCSB Three big October bike rides has. Nevertheless they might gain inspira- Among all the October bike events, three rides are 39 miles long, start in Santa Barbara. Cost tion from looking at the League’s checklist. particularly worthy of your consideration: $20-$45. The rides will be followed with Read about the program at www.bikeleague. People Powered Ride. October 10. This food, beverages, a raffle, and live music. org/university. 30th annual ride out of Solvang covers the More info http://tinyurl.com/2dblda4. north county wine country and surrounding Santa Barbara Century. October 23. Chose hills. Choice of 100, 60 and 30-mile rides, a 100-mile or 62-mile ride through Santa entry is $50. Info at www.goletabike.org. Barbara, Carpinteria and Goleta beaches Ride on the Wild Side. October 16. Ride at and mountains. Lots of climbing. Half of the your own pace or along with guides to visit profits will benefit our Bici Centro program. areas that Environmental Defense Center Cost is $65. Details and registration www. has fought to preserve. Three rides, 10 to santabarbaracentury.org. Cyclisk erected in Santa Rosa Those who walk into our ture is in the midst of Bici Centro workshop auto dealerships. Santa pass under a fanciful fes- Rosa’s “One percent for toon of welded bike-parts Art” program requires by artists Mark Grieve that 1% of construction and Ilana Spector. The projects support local couple recently teamed to art, and the funding for produce another bicycle- the cyclisk came from a related sculpture, a huge Nissan project. “Cyclisk” in Santa Rosa. Grieve says that it’s The art piece was fab- not a comment about ricated from 340 bikes— bicycles versus cars, and one tricycle. It’s in but a piece that invites the form of an Egyptian viewers to develop their obelisk, 65 feet high and own thoughts and per- weighing 10,000 pounds. ceptions. Somewhere in the jumble You can see more are some bikes that came Grieve/Spector work from Bici Centro. Mark Grieve’s latest sculpture in Santa at www.markgrieve.com/ Rosa will be dedicated on October 10th. Ironically, the sculp- sculpture.html.

Quick Release ~ October 2010 ~ Page 2 October bicycling Our website visitors seek local rides and info by Ralph Fertig events and meetings Our Bicycle Coali- Here is a list of bicycling events in Santa tion website has gone Barbara county. Our website has ongoing through several incarna- updates, details, and live links at www.sbbike. tions since it was first org/meet/meet.html. crafted in 1995 by Gary October 5, Bicycle Coalition General Meeting. Wissman, Robert Bern- October 7, Education Committee Meeting. stein and Ralph October 7, Bike Moves. Fertig. It contains a October 10, People Powered Ride. wealth of information, October 16, Ride on the Wild Side. including all newsletters October 16, Alpha Bike Ride. since 1991. October 16, Solvang Autumn Double Century. However, until Google October 17-22, Bicycle Tour of Solvang Wine Analytics came along, we Country. didn’t know how people October 23, Santa Barbara Century. were finding our site, October 23, Kinetic Sculpture Race. where they were com- October 23, Ride for Youth. ing from, or what they October 23-24, 24 Hours of Halloween. were looking at. Now we October 24-31, Classic Climbs of Santa Barbara. know. Solutions, Cranky’s Bikes, Bicycle Bob’s, SB October 24-29, Morro Bay to Santa Barbara Over a recent one- MTD, SB Visitors Bureau, SB Hikes, UCSB Cycling Tour. month period, August 19-September 18, we Transportation Alternatives Program, SB October 24-29, Santa Barbara and the Santa had 3688 unique visitors coming to our site Mountain Bike Trail Volunteers, and Goleta Ynez Valley Bike Tour. 4404 times. That’s over 140 a day! Valley Cycling Club. No surprises, they are October 26, COAST General Meeting. Where they come from. It’s no surprise all our regional friends. October 26, Bicycle Coalition Board Meeting. that 92% are from the US, and 1% from Can- ada. The remaining 7% came from 64 other Where they go. Some visitors go to one October 27, Ellwood Bridge Workshop. countries. Those with 10 or more visitors, in site page, but many look at multiple pages. October 29-31, YSC Tour de Pink. decreasing order are: UK, Brazil, Germany, The above graph shows that out of all the Switzerland, Australia, Egypt, Norway, and page visits, 61% are to either our Regional Pedicab winery tours the Netherlands. For me, Egypt was totally Biking page or to the many Bike Rides that unexpected. people can print out or follow on their How they find us. Most of our site visi- smart phones. The average time spent on tors, 74%, found us using a search engine, our Regional Biking page was over three mostly Google, although Yahoo, Bing and minutes, double the overall page average. AOL were also used. Another 17% came That’s because it’s crammed with informa- to us from a linked referring website. The tion about our weather, books, maps, bike remaining 9% directly enter a page address, shops, bike clubs, bike rentals, plus bike usually through a browser bookmark. and accessory manufacturers. What sites link to us. As noted above, What it means. My interpretation is that 17% or our visitors come from linked sites, our website sells bicycling to tourists, and of which there are now 95, up significantly to a lesser degree to residents looking for from 65 just a year ago. In decreasing order, bike resources. I believe that the more peo- 94-to-4 referred visitors, the local sites are: ple bicycling here, the greater our safety is, SB Craig’s List, SB Car Free, Bici Centro, the happier hospitality businesses are, and Santa Barbara Pedicab now offers rides for wine Walk and Roll, Hazard’s Cyclesport, Traffic the richer our bicycle culture becomes. tasting. Photo by Sarkes Khachek. Santa Barbara Pedicabs is offering Urban Wine Trail tours. With pick-up and drop-off $200 grants for teachers Election November 2nd at downtown or waterfront locations, com- Teachers of 4th-12th graders in our county Our Bicycle Coalition will hold its election of bined with sustainable transportation, the can apply for funding to help reduce school Officers and members of our Board of relaxed-pace tours can be customized for traffic, cut pollution, or save energy. All Directors during our noon meeting on Novem- any selection of ten local wineries. They cost ideas are welcome, although we hope that ber 2, 2010. Paper ballots will be available $80 for two people over two hours, plus any many programs will improve bicycling. It’s then. A list of candidates will be published wine tasting fees. Your cab and operator sponsored by the Air Pollution Control Dis- in both November Quick Release and online will patiently wait for you, and guard your trict and others. Applications due November at www.sbbike.org/vote.html. Also online will purchases. Check out www.sbpedicab.com or 19th. Go to www.ourair.org/teachers.htm, or be statements from the candidates about phone 910-7334 for details. phone 964-4711 x5281 for details. their qualifications and interests.

Quick Release ~ October 2010 ~ Page 3 Bici Centro activities Elings Park BMX track plans cancelled In early September, facilities where the the Elings Park Foun- present track is. We dation announced hope that the Foun- that 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 sum- Our Bici Centro community bike program is While that means mer program is the offering bicycle services each week. Details no BMX track on the park’s most popular at www.bicicentro.org or phone 617-3255. It’s South Park, it leaves and BMX is now an at 601 East Montecito Street, Santa Barbara. the existing track Olympic sport. g Tuesday, “Learn Your Bike” classes, 7:00- in the North Park in Elings is the only 9:00 PM limbo. track between Santa g Wednesday, open shop 4:00-7:00 PM New plans for the Maria and Camarillo, Young racers take off for another circuit on the g Thursday, open shop 4:00-7:00 PM North Park were pre- so for local kids’ Elings Park BMX Raceway in Santa Barbara. g Saturday, open shop 2:00-5:00 PM 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. Wet Willy Sez Dear Wet Willy: I have a click in my left Alliance ‘thunders’ in a new era in bicycling… pedal that is just getting worse. I tightened and walking organizations the pedal onto the crank arm and that didn’t help, and I’ve never crashed on this by Ed France tive cycling. If you support increased youth education, bici centro public service, and bike so I‘m pretty sure the pedal isn’t dam- This past week was my first visit to either Advocacy for complete streets, then we aged. Any suggestions? — Fast Eddie Pro Walk/Pro Bike or this newly renamed Alliance retreat. Honestly, I was a little need your support to make it happen. Dear Eddie: Tightening the pedal onto surprised to find myself in Chattanooga g Think Beyond the Highway Manual: NY, SF, the crank arm is a good first step as it’s a Tennessee, but I was far more surprised to Portland, and now Dallas and other ‘red- regular source of clicking. But if that’s not find myself amongst leaders from the most state’ cities are innovating to make biking it, look inside the pedal itself for a lack of and walking not just feasible for some, but effective bicycling (and active transporta- lubrication. Lubricating the innards is not safe for all. CitiesforCycling.org illustrates tion, complete streets, walking) advocacy rocket science as all pedals work on the the state of the art improvements of the groups in the continent. I bowed to the same basic principle, but there are many movement. ground and declared “I’m not worthy!, I’m brands of pedals so…check your local li- g After a long courtship, Public Health ties not worthy!…” brary for a good bike repair manual. Zinn the knot with Bike/Walking. There were In all seriousness, the brain trust gath- and The Art of Road Bike Maintenance has more CDC staff at ProBike/ProWalk then an ered tightly for an action packed weekend an extensive section on pedal maintenance influenza outbreak. Check out their recom- of workshops and networking merited an mendation on their website: that Wet Willy uses. Bici Centro can help Homeland Security escort, so valuable to the too! g Is Santa Barbara Slouching? Well, Let me nation is the work of these fine organiza- There are two other click sources for just say there was a whole hell more politi- tions. BTA and Community Cycling Center those of us who ride clipless pedals: where cal leadership out there in some of the deep in Portland, SF Bike Coalition with now south cities then the supposed home of the the pedal cleat attaches to the bike shoe 12,000 members, the former Chicago Bike- environmental movement. The Bike Master and where the cleat engages the pedal itself. land Federation- now Active Transportation Plan has effectively expired, and staff are First, try tightening the cleats to the Alliance, were amongst over 100 leading paralyzed by our schizophrenic political shoes—and be careful to not damage the al- leadership. We could rest on our laurels, bike advocacy professionals. What is impor- len head mounting screws because they are but the movement for safe, complete streets tant for us in Santa Barbara to take home a pain to remove if you do. The click is still would simply pass us by. My lesson: Cities from this exchange are these key findings, there? Go to the bike repair manual again don’t “become” bike/ped friendly. They work compiled below in Ed’s crib notes: and do what it says to tighten the spring damn hard for every last mile of bikeable/ tension adjusting screws on your particular Alliance Lessons for Santa Barbara walkable routes. We have work to do. brand of clipless pedal. These can click if g Children are the Future: Safe Routes to g Membership doubling is doable: Just ask School isn’t a just a group name, it’s a key the spring tension is too low. San Francisco (now at 12,000 members) or goal for every single one of us. The oppor- Still clicking after all that? It may be time Bike Pittsburgh (doubled every year for four tunities to improve neighborhood connec- for new pedals… consecutive years). tivity near schools are good for everyone, g “Wet Willy” is an advice column authored by Strong, Staffed Organizations are Needed: and they will train our next generation—ei- Coalition Vice President Wilson Hubbell. Please to help make our community bike friendly ther to sit in cars or use their own steam. submit any questions you have about cycling for the general population. These are the Unfortunately, the choice isn’t theirs, it’s issues to him at [email protected]. rule, not the exception, in cities with effec- ours.

Quick Release ~ October 2010 ~ Page 4 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:

g 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 cur- This Caltrans drawing shows what the proposed bikepath along the ocean will rent and proposed use of sharrows on city streets. 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 Sur- frider 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, Me- gan Diaz, and Eric Kirsch. Quick Release accepts advertisements. Circulation reaches about We appreciate those who renewed their memberships: James El- 500 people. Ad details and an order form are available online at liott, Jon Lewis and Susan Beatty. www.sbbike.org/QR/ad.pdf .

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Fill out this application or join online at www.bicicentro.org/join Member discounts Bicycle Coalition members ben- Application for Membership efit from discounts. To get your Yes! I want to help make bicycling better for all of us in Santa Barbara County. discount at a shop, take your ❏ Individual, 1 year $30 ❏ Low Income, 1 year $20 ❏ Household, 1 year $45 copy of Quick Release to the ❏ Individual, 2 years $55 ❏ Low Income, 2 years $35 ❏ Household, 2 years $85 shop and show them your ad- ❏ Business, 1 year $100 ❏ Lifetime $1000 dress label or cut out the label name ______and take it. Discount details are at www.sbbike.org/SBBC/who.html. address ______Bicycle Bob’s city, state, zip ______250 Storke Road #A, Goleta phone ______email ______15 Hitchcock Way, Santa Barbara ❏ New membership ❏ Renewal membership Bicycle Connection ❏ Email me Adobe PDF files of Quick Release newsletters instead of printed ones. 223 W. Ocean Avenue, Lompoc Make payable to Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition. Mail to Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition, PO Box 92047, Hazard’s Cyclesport 110 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara Lighthouse Bicycles, Santa Ynez Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition Advisor, Matt Dobberteen, 568-3000 [email protected] phone 688-6385 [email protected] President, Ralph Fertig, 962-1479 Santa Barbara City Main Street Cycles [email protected] Advisor, Kent Epperson, 961-8917 Dru van Hengel, 564-5544 311 East Main Street, Santa Maria Vice President, Wilson Hubbell, 683-1240 [email protected] [email protected] Executive Director, Ed France, 617-3255 Pedal Power Bicycles [email protected] Santa Barbara County 1740 Broadway, Santa Maria [email protected] Matt Dobberteen, 568-3576 Secretary, Erika Lindemann, 569-1544 [email protected] VeloPro Cyclery [email protected] Road repair contacts 633 State Street, Santa Barbara Treasurer, David Bourgeois, 899-3728 Santa Maria Caltrans David Whitehead, 925-0951 x227 5887 Hollister Avenue, Goleta [email protected] www.dot.ca.gov/maintform.html [email protected] Momentum Magazine, save $5 Director, Michael Chiacos, 284-4179 Carpinteria Solvang www.momentumplanet.com/ [email protected] Charlie Ebeling, 684-5405 x402 Brad Vigro, 688-5575 node/4258. Director, Judy Keim, 687-2912 [email protected] [email protected] WheelHouse [email protected] Goleta UCSB 528 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara Director, Byron Beck, 969-1712 Bob Morgenstern, 968-6869 Dennis Whelan, 893-7009 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Advisor, Dru van Hengel, 564-5544 Lompoc [email protected] Larry Bean, 736-1261