COAST and SBBIKE have advocated for more than a decade for the creation of a safe, people-focused and car free stretch of State Street...an inviting and exciting downtown plaza that welcomes ALL people--pedestrians, cyclists, skaters, the mobility-challenged, young and old, local and tourist--to bring our community together. When the pandemic hit and the City created a promenade for economic recovery, we applauded; suddenly our dream could be coming true! We know there is more to be done to make the dream a long-term reality.
We love what has developed, but are disheartened that the ‘Wild West’ of the Promenade has fostered an abundance of negative discourse and even a few dangerous actions towards cyclists on State Street. We understand some pedestrians feel unsafe with bike riders and skateboarders sharing their space. Likewise, cyclists feel unsafe when pedestrians walk out in front of them. There has been a palpable air of disdain (and disrespect) from members of both groups, some questioning if bicycling should remain on the Promenade. We all need to put ourselves in each other's shoes, listen, learn and have empathy. ‘We’re ALL on State Together!’ Why do bikes belong on State? There are more people biking downtown now than ever before…families, friends, residents and tourists alike. Riding on State Street creates a more active and vibrant downtown culture. Bikes equal more business; nearly 50% of downtown retail and restaurant patronage arrives by bike and business owners see the myriad benefits bikes bring. People choosing to ride bicycles help our environment; more downtown visits by bike mean less Greenhouse Gas emissions. Bikes also help hundreds of locals COMMUTE to work every day. Finally, State Street is the ‘SPINE’ of the S.B. bicycle network as defined by our City’s 2016 Bicycle Master Plan. There is no other safe and direct way to get to and from Stearns Wharf. Indeed, it is imperative the State Street corridor remains open to ALL people…on foot and on wheels. We all just need the space to be there together, yet apart. With outdoor dining encroaching far into the street, some feel as though their State Street was taken away; that it’s not for them anymore. No one should feel inadvertently excluded. We ask City officials to implement modified rules for sharing public space during COVID-19 and to make ‘people traffic flow’ improvements (perhaps a center two-way bike lane) along the Promenade as soon as possible so the entire community can feel safe, welcome and included. It is our public space - let’s keep it that way!
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by Barry Remis July 23rd was a milestone day for Santa Barbara as City contractors completed most of the new traffic pattern restriping of East Cabrillo Blvd, from Ninos Dr. to Los Patos Way. As part of the City’s Vision Zero Strategy implementation, this project, that both COAST and SBBIKE advocated in support of, introduces three MAJOR safety improvements to the corridor:
A few of the veteran East Beach volleyball players I spoke with did have some concerns about the new parking configuration, finding it somewhat challenging to back in straight into a space without readily-visible references to the lines on the pavement (which can't be seen unless the driver angles their rear-view mirrors down to see them). A younger gentleman wondered how, if he had difficulties, elderly drivers may fare when faced with the new challenge of back-in parking. A valid point. Others had lingering wonder of the future congestion factor along E Cabrillo with only two travel lanes instead of four. City Transportation staff feel confident after studying traffic volumes and flow that back-ups shouldn't occur more frequently than they already do, and with the eventual infrastructure improvements at the 101/Railroad overpass interchange (including a new roundabout at Los Patos Way/Channel Dr.), traffic flow should be improved. Some important notes:
OK, enough words...take a look at the new Vision Zero improvements with all these photos I took, and then…get out there and try it for yourself! Get on your bike and ride the new and improved E Cabrillo Blvd. or drive to the beach to try out the new back-in angled parking. Let’s Celebrate Improved Safety...and thanks to the City of S.B. for getting us there! By Robert Else
COAST is busy campaigning for a people-centered State Street! On April 4th, we hosted a successful “Reimagine State Street” event at the Impact Hub as part of the First Thursday celebration. We wanted to gather feedback on a future State Street pedestrian mall and talk to people about COAST and State Street in general. We put up three large Post-It sheets with the heading “Do You Favor A Pedestrian Mall on State Street?” and drew 3 vertical columns: Yes, No, and Maybe. We also provided markers and smaller Post-Its for comments. The Yes column filled up, so we put up an additional large sheet on the other side of the whiteboard, which also filled up. There was not a single No. Major themes were desires for musicians and other street performers and artists, street vendors, more benches and places to relax, outdoor dining, activities for kids, and more color, street art and murals. People also commented on opportunities for mixed-use buildings and affordable housing, and suggested more experimental street closures to motor vehicles. We estimate about 75 people attended; you can see their comments at bit.ly/2VU9HVU We also displayed photos and a continuous slide show of pedestrian malls from other cities; we got many “I’ve been there and it’s great!” comments on those malls. On April 19th—21st, COAST cosponsored the City’s Experiment Weekend on State Street. This novel event started on a Friday night with a light and music show in the State Street underpass. On Saturday, two blocks of State Street were opened to people having fun while being closed to auto traffic. People loved it and business in adjacent stores and restaurants was up by 15%. On Sunday, the weekend concluded with a pop-up showcase. What a great event! We should do this more often. By Judi Shor and Steve George
Four years is a long time to wait for a reply! That was the case for active COAST members and New Town Goleta Safety [NTGS] co-chairs, Steve George and Judi Shor. After observing school kids, mall employees, and shoppers all precariously walking alongside cars and trucks through the ‘sidewalk-free’ south section of the Fairview Shopping Center, they duly notified the management requesting a swift and responsible resolution. Imagine their surprise at having every mailed letter, e-mail, and phone call go unanswered over the following four years. Indeed, as the Fairview Center management representative communicated to the office of the Goleta City Manager, “The shopping center management does not respond to suggestions for improvements as a rule.” And further advised “...they do not believe they have an obligation to respond, and therefore do not engage”. Other chronically unsafe mall conditions were brought to the attention of the Center management including a breach at the west corner of the 76 Station creating a reckless vehicular shortcut into the Center, and the exposed pedestrian-only plaza at the Fairview Theatre that is regularly mistaken as a roadway. NTGS continued to address these casualty-prone areas at their constituent meetings, COAST Advocacy Committee meetings, and with officials of the Goleta City Department of Public Works, City Council, and Design Review Board. Working with the invaluable support and experienced input of COAST’s Eva Inbar, a Fairview Center Pedestrian Safety Rally was ultimately organized for the at-risk public to step up through impactful community action. On May 10th the public came together to communicate to the Center management and owners their long-standing concern for pedestrian, bicyclist, motorist and shopper safety --and support of its merchants. Rally participants lined the public sidewalks on Fairview and Calle Real (around the Shopping Center) to highlight the multiple safety issues that threaten not only shoppers but the onsite businesses. Rally members included two of the three seniors that recently tripped and fell on the uneven mall sidewalks. All three women sustained serious injuries. Rally support was widespread. Many of the Center businesses simultaneously voiced their frustration over the neglected safety issues endangering their customers with their gratitude for the Rally. The Cajun Kitchen presented the participants with a case of bottled water. Several City leaders, including Mayor Pro Tem Kyle Richards, came by to learn and observe. The Opinions Editor of The SB Independent interviewed Mr. Prochelo of the Fairview Center management, Goleta City officials, and the Rally participants for an article published on May 16th in support of the mall safety initiatives. Passing vehicles showed their support verbally, by honking, and via thumbs-up. It is very true that “It takes a village”. Indeed, NTGS was supported by many local organizations including the Coalition for Sustainable Transportation (COAST), The Goodland Coalition, the Center for Successful Aging (CSA), and Live Oak Unitarian Church. After countless meetings with community members, advocacy and environmental organizations, Goleta City officials, and 4 years of documented appeals to the Fairview Center management, the time for decisive action, not words, has come to a head. The unabated Shopping Center safety issues have now been widely publicized to the greater community through the success of the Rally and the accompanying media attention. With the imminent addition of the Dollar Tree Store next to Sprouts, the Miners ACE Hardware moving into the vacated Orchard’s location, and the many new area housing developments, Fairview mall traffic will continue to increase. This makes resolving these public safety issues even more critical and time-sensitive. We are now turning toward our City leadership to help mitigate more Center ‘accidents waiting to happen.’ We are calling upon our elected officials and City leaders to send a clear message to the L.A. management of the Shopping Center that their constituents no longer be unduly put in harm’s way. We are hopeful that strong advocacy by the City will go a long way toward securing these consequential results. Who can accept another inevitable Fairview Center accident, or worse? We’re out of options, excuses . . . and time. The long NTGS road to safety continues. To learn how you can help, visit NTGS at facebook.com/newtowngoletasafety/ or E-Mail: [email protected]. By Ana Rico and Eva Inbar On April 25th, 2019, the City of Santa Barbara held a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new Montecito Street Bridge in the Eastside. This bridge was so narrow that people had to sprint across in the traffic lane to avoid being hit by buses and trucks. Now it has a dedicated bike lane and a sidewalk...much safer! We thank the City of Santa Barbara for rebuilding it. COAST campaigned for a new bridge and organized Eastside mothers to rally in 2014. It takes patience! You'll love the photos below from our rally. By Robert F. Else In the 60’s and 70’s, in response to increasing traffic jams and the desire to revitalize areas whose economic success had waned for various reasons, many mid-sized cities developed pedestrian malls. According to Wikipedia, in 2009 there were at least 75 pedestrian malls in the U.S. Most people know about the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, and the Church Street Marketplace in Burlington, VT., but there are many others. Wikipedia has links to pages about more than 50 U.S. malls in a good article at bit.ly/2MMbQvz. The most astounding conversion many thought impossible was Times Square, the “crossroads of the world,” closed to vehicles on a trial basis on Memorial Day 2009. Although opposed by many who feared Carmageddon and decreased business, the former river of cars became a river of people, and the pedestrian plazas became permanent in February 2010. The economic and quality-of-life benefits continue, heralded even by those who originally opposed it. The engaging 2016 book “Streetfight” by Janette Sadik-Kahn covers this and other urban innovations, and includes the mistakes as well as successes in these projects. But not every pedestrian mall is successful, and many were undone and reverted to vehicle traffic. According to one graduate thesis, a key factor in the failure of St. Louis’s 14th Street Mall was that cross-streets were interrupted, stifling the traffic grid, even though the mall was only 2 blocks long. But the success of many other, longer malls shows that traffic flow problems can be overcome; many successful plans include one-way streets parallel to the main mall, something Santa Barbara already has in place. Many successful pedestrian malls started as small trials. One of the main lessons from “Streetfight” is that although careful planning is important, taking action and assuming some risks are crucial elements in moving forward. There are many ways to imagine various sections of State Street filled with pedestrians enjoying the shops, arts, dining, and interesting places to sit, relax, and people-watch; the absence of 2 lanes of cars creeping to the next stoplight would make the scene even more enjoyable. In our existing paseos, we already have a taste of how pleasant these oases can be. Could State Street be like this? Editor’s note: Please scroll down for an additional article on the subject, “Reimagine State Street,” and additional photos. Meet Judi Shor and Steve George. Together, they chair New Town Goleta Safety, a volunteer citizens’ group dedicated to improving pedestrian safety for people of all ages in the area of Calle Real and Fairview Ave in Goleta. Dr. Judi is a senior care clinical pharmacist with the Center for Successful Aging and Steve is a retired regional communications manager who moved to the Encina Royale senior community from Portland. They crossed paths in 2013, just when COAST was active in Encina Royale organizing meetings and walks under our Safe Routes for Seniors program. Since we were all interested in the same thing, we decided to work together. Encina Royale is a retirement community of 360 units. People move there thinking they have all kinds of amenities within walking distance – banks, drug stores, supermarkets, restaurants, movie theaters. And they do, but walking on Calle Real and Fairview is often unpleasant or dangerous, especially for an older person. It’s a shopping area built for cars. Undeterred, Steve set about changing this and teamed up with Judi to form “New Town Goleta Safety” in 2013. The first few years were often frustrating. They heard about so many reasons why things couldn’t be done, and if they could, they would take a very long time. “Many of our constituents are 80 or 90 years old, and they shouldn’t have to wait another five or ten years,” lamented Judi. Steve and Judi, however, were persistent. They met repeatedly with Public Works staff, City Council members and City Council candidates and attended numerous public meetings. New Town Goleta Safety filed countless letters and e-mails, all well researched and well argued. And slowly, things started happening, more than anyone would have thought possible. There will soon be a sidewalk on N. Fairview Ave at the Goleta library. The crosswalk on Calle Real and Kingston Ave, where two seniors have died in the last ten years, will be fitted with a HAWK signal, similar to the one at the Goleta Valley Community Center. There will be a midblock crosswalk on Calle Real between Encina Lane and Kyle’s Kitchen. Judi considers these two things their greatest accomplishments -to date. She and Steve organized a Transportation Forum at Encina that drew over 200 participants. COAST was present along with many other organizations. For the future, Steve and Judi are full of plans. They want to see a Senior Zone designated around the Encina Royale complex, similar to a school zone. It’s a trailblazing new idea pioneered in San Jose. And they are embarking on a major campaign to make the Fairview shopping center more pedestrian friendly. And they are campaigning for a crosswalk at the Fairview Center and the freeway bypass ramp where junior high school kids now cross, taking their lives into their hands every day. COAST will be supporting New Town Goleta Safety in any way we can. By Alex Pujo Barry Siegel, a retired aerospace analyst and founding member of COAST, passed away on September 20, 2007. He was 74 years old. Barry and wife Martha moved to Santa Barbara in 1993 at a time when Caltrans was planning to widen Highway 101 south of Milpas with a barren, off-the-shelf concrete corridor. Beyond aesthetics and environmental impacts, the project shocked the public by the obvious absence of regional transportation and land use policies beyond outdated, automobile-based standards. “If we need six lanes now, when will we need eight?” As community groups peeked suspiciously at intimidating stacks of environmental and engineering reports, Barry took to them like fish to water. From then on, and for the next 14 years, Barry became Santa Barbara’s go-to source for data unspoiled by politics or bias. Looking over the shoulders of traffic engineers, Barry exposed the politics behind transportation plans, population projections and traffic models. Barry distilled technical mumbo-jumbo into simple concepts describing the elaborate maneuvers that decide where transportation funds end up. Barry had the ability to explain the inexplicable. Barry “followed the money” to the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG), “the cinched point in the hour glass”. State and Federal money goes on the top, but it must pass this political bottleneck in order to reach agencies at the bottom. Thus “The Siegel Report” was born, documenting every SBCAG meeting from 1993 to 2007. Barry participated in every ad-hoc transportation committee in the South Coast. His reports shifted decisions about transportation funding from the domain of Public Works directors, City Managers and Traffic Engineers into the public arena. He moved the conversation from the basement into the living room. As part of the “101 Task Force”, Barry was influential in the funding of several multi-purpose projects in the corridor, including the redesign of Summerland’s frontage road, the Ortega Hill bikeway bypass, and the North Jameson bikeway that now bears his name. To honor Barry’s memory, COAST established an annual award to recognize significant contributions to Santa Barbara County in the field of transportation. Award recipients:
Below is a selection of Barry Siegel Award recipients throughout the years: We're pleased to announce our enhanced Event Sponsorship Program. We've added a new 'Personal' $100 sponsorship level and additional benefits for our sponsors. See the details below and contact us at [email protected] with any questions or to become an event sponsor. We'd LOVE your support!
Personal Event Sponsorship (Starts at $100)
By Barry Remis (contributions by Andie Bridges) The months of January and February saw the completion of two milestone Active Transportation Program (ATP) projects in Goleta and Santa Barbara, and they both bring improved access and a safer route for area students to and from their schools. Here we celebrate the new Hollister Avenue Class I MultiUse Path and the even-newer Cota Street Buffered and Protected Bike Lane! A safer, off-the-road pathway along the Hollister Avenue corridor from Pacific Oaks Road to Ellwood Elementary School has long been a vision of the City of Goleta and area residents for cyclists and pedestrians young and old, as they walk or roll to and from school, parks and retail centers. With only a narrow sidewalk along the southern side of Hollister Ave., kids who rode their bikes to school had but two choices: either ride on the sidewalk or in the Class II bike lanes painted on the side of the 45-MPH roadway. Neither option was particularly safe. For years, the City needed a solution. Enter the Class I MultiUse Path: A 14-foot wide concrete bike/walkway—adjacent to the road on the ocean side—that is physically separated from the street by a 5-foot landscaped buffer. (Wherever possible, Class I separated bike paths are the preferred bikeway facility identified in the Goleta Bike/Ped Master Plan.) But unlike many other Class I Multipurpose paths where bicyclists and pedestrians share the same space, the Hollister Class I MutiUse Path is different. Here, the paved pathway is graphically delineated by two sections: a 4-foot pedestrian travel lane close to the road and bus stops, and an 8-foot bi-directional bike travel lane. A 2-foot shoulder is also provided to mark the edge of the right of way. At all intersections along the corridor, new high-visibility crosswalk treatments have been installed with colored patterns that continue the bike and pedestrian travel sections while crossing the street. New signage along the MultiUse path and on side streets advises motorists and path users to watch for crossing traffic and where on the path they should travel, and new stop signs have been installed for path users at every intersection. The Hollister Class I MultiUse Path was constructed from May, 2017 thru January, 2018 using a $1.6 million ATP grant awarded from the state. Traffic along Hollister Ave. and side streets was disrupted and motorists’ patience was tested, but like all good projects, this was a temporary setback. Before the path striping, signage and crosswalk treatments were applied, residents had concerns regarding the safety of intersections and students traveling along the not-yet-completed pathway. There are still some final modifications needed, including removal of a few old utility poles in the middle of the bike travel lane, once wires are transferred (by Frontier Communications) to new poles placed off the pathway. Early in January, COAST’s Safe Routes to School team was pleased to partner with the City of Goleta and Ellwood School to provide educational training on the safe use of the MultiUse Path for all Ellwood students at every grade level. Safety presentations were followed by actual walks along the pathway for live, hands- (and feet-) on experience using the new path. On January 23rd, the City held a community meeting at Ellwood School where Public Works staff and COAST presented to the public and residents were able to ask questions and voice concerns. The project team took note of suggestions for future improvements. Just over a month in on the completed project and it’s evident that use of the Hollister Class I MultiUse Path is booming with more kids, parents, strollers, seniors and cyclists than ever before, enjoying the much-improved safety of this new Active Transportation facility! Ned Schoenwetter, Ellwood School Principal, notes that, in addition to helping promote health and safety, the path “is also strengthening our community, as neighbors walk and ride together.” And the path’s merits have already been recognized at high levels with the project recently being named ‘Santa Barbara County Project of the Year’ by the S.B./Ventura branch of ACSE (American Civil Service Engineers). While there remain opportunities for improvement, overall progress is notable. “It doesn’t have to be perfect to be remarkable,” said COAST Instructor Nancy Eckert. “This project is absolutely remarkable.” We encourage everyone to get out there and try out the Hollister MultiUse Path! Meanwhile, the 2016 update of Santa Barbara’s Bicycle Master Plan has officially spawned its very first project as Cota Street just received in February the City’s first Class IV Protected Bike Lane! Running one-way southbound along the West side of the street from Milpas to Chapala Streets, the new bike lane uses new striping and vertical delineators to create a ‘protected’ bike lane, buffered from motor vehicle traffic by a 2-3 foot divider marking, similar to the bike lane buffer on Bath Street, Meigs Road and Shoreline Drive. But what makes the new Cota bike lane stand apart from other S.B. bike lanes are the new cylindrical delineators placed every 25-30 feet from Milpas Street to Santa Barbara Street. These reflective vertical posts act as a physical divider so that cyclists not only have their own lane of travel, but can ride with an added sense of safety knowing they have that extra 3-dimensional buffer between them and motorists. The bike lane and delineators are not present in front of Santa Barbara Junior High School, where a 3-minute drop-off and pickup zone still exists for parents to load and unload students. Like others in the Bicycle Master Plan Update, this project was not without contention. To accommodate the bike lane, many previous parking spaces were removed, and several stretches of curb are now painted red as no parking zones, while other spaces along Cota Street are now re-painted as 15-minute parking. Some loading zones along Cota have been shifted to now be on Olive Street, in front of Arnoldi’s Restaurant. This is undoubtedly an adaptation for many motorists and some business owners, but we believe it to be one for the better, providing a safe, convenient return-route of travel for SBJH students and other cyclists as a coupled pairing to the adjacent Haley Street bike lane. Along with new Class II bike lanes also just installed along Rancheria Street on the Westside, this is a big, bold step for the greater good of active, sustainable transportation in Santa Barbara. Check it out next time you ride!
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