Summer 2015 • Volume 25 / No. 2SANTA BARBARA BICYCLE COALITION
We SB
QuickReleaseQuickRelease
Special Issue
2 Quick Release Summer 2015
BOARDCourtney Dietz, PresidentDavid Hodges, Vice PresidentDavid Bourgeois, TreasurerByron BeckRobert CaizaDavid CampbellSue CarmodyHector GonzalezJohn HygelundTracey StrobelMike Vergeer
STAFFEd France, Executive [email protected]
Christine Bourgeois, Education [email protected]
Shawn Von Biela, Shop [email protected]
Howard Booth, Membership [email protected]
Joey Juhasz-Lukomski, Volunteer [email protected]
Sam Franklin, Advocacy Coordinator [email protected]
Lori Newell, Education Coordinator, North County, [email protected]
GOVT. LIAISONS & ADVISORSMatt Dobberteen, AdvisorCounty of Santa [email protected]
Kent Epperson, AdvisorTraffic [email protected]
Teresa Lopes, AdvisorCity of [email protected]
Amy Steinfeld Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
ART DIRECTORCynthia Stahl, [email protected]
EDITORHolly Starley, [email protected]
CONTACT US506 E. Haley St.Santa Barbara, CA 93103
PO Box 92047Santa Barbara, CA 93190
www.sbbike.orgSBBIKE: 805-845-8955Bici Centro: 805-617-3255
CONTRIBUTEYour time: www.bicicentro.org/volunteerIn-kind: www.bicicentro.org/wishlistFinancially: www.bicicentro.org/donate
Our Vision
The Santa Barbara Bicycle 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.
COVER PHOTOS: Libby Jeffries, Julie Churchman, Laura Almengor, Lori Lee Collins, Eduardo Lara, and
Carmen McCurry and two of her three sons, Andrew and Ian—a few of the many people across Santa Barbara
who choose to bike and promote cycling in our communities.
Letter from the EditorOnce we decided to put together a special issue
featuring people across Santa Barbara who
choose to cycle or make cycling available to
others, I caught glimpses of stories everywhere
I went—the father and son in matching spandex
rolling gracefully along Foothill Drive; the giggling
couple on a tandem near the Rose Garden;
the young woman pedaling up Haley trailed by
a three-wheeled cart brimming with buckets
of bright flowers; the Hispanic man, whose arms were loaded with groceries and
whose smile spoke of kindness and weariness; the grandfather grinning on a quiet
neighborhood street in Noleta, his granddaughter on her bedazzled ride circling him
endlessly; the college student from France with infectious energy who chose a 90-
mile overnight ride as her first bicycling experience in the US. Stories of people in our
community whose lives have been profoundly impacted by the ability to choose to
bicycle could fill volumes.
Here are just a few of the people who have found joy and pride, connection and
equality, empowerment and freedom, health and perspective through bicycles.
These families and individuals and the countless others whose stories build the
fabric of our community are why SBBIKE advocates for safe, accessible cycling
infrastructure. Data shows that, as more people are enabled to choose cycling for
some or all trips, safety on our roadways improves. More trips on bike equal less
congestion and pollution for all. The coalition supports a bold Bike Master Plan and
adoption of Vision Zero because these measures will improve the experience of
everyone who uses our roads—be it on two tires, four tires, or none.
With gratitude for all our stories,
Holly Starley
www.SBBIKE.org 3
Thank you, Business Members and Supporters
PLATINUM MEMBERS
DIAMOND MEMBERS
Marcia Burtt Gallery
GOLD & CARBON FIBER MEMBERS
Rincon Cycle CapCranks Cory Motors
SILVER & ALUMINUM MEMBERS
TITANIUM MEMBERS
BRONZE AND STEEL MEMBERS
Bildsten Architecture and Planning The Dirt Club Fastrack BicyclesHelloHarvest Hoffman ArchitectureHorny Toad
Isla Vista Food Coop Mesa ArchitectsMesa Business AssociationRevolution Coaching LLCPacific Pedalers/ Santa Barbara PedicabPedal Born Pictures
Premier Business MarketingRace CorpsREITrue Nature Landscape ArchitectureWaynes Pro Bike
4 Quick Release Summer 2015
SBBIKE is proud to announce its new phone
number (separate from Bici Centro’s, which
remains the same). And the number is …
805-845-8955.
SBBIKE Has a New Number
SBBIKE membership has grown by leaps and bounds in recent months. On May 14, the coalition became 1,000 strong and has grown since. What number will we hit by the fall?
1,000 and Counting
Membership levels represented by the heads of Membership Coordinator Howard Booth, Education Director Christine
Bourgeois and Volunteer Coordinator Joey Juhasz-Lukomski. What will Joey’s head equal?
Fall. 2015 ?
June 2014 600
May 2015
1,000
L ori Newell’s passion for cycling started in her youth. As a kid,
her bicycle meant freedom. “You can only walk so far,” she
points out.
Lately, she’s alarmed to see how few kids are riding bikes. The
freedom she remembers so well is something she wants to pass
on—along with the exercise and sense of responsibility young
people get from learning to ride.
That passion for cycling and teaching made Lori, who lives in
Santa Maria, the perfect candidate to become SBBIKE’s new
bicycling education coordinator in the North County.
Lori talks enthusiastically about expanding programs like Pedal
Power to more junior highs in Santa Maria (two already run the
earn-a-bike program) and eventually to Guadalupe and Orcutt.
“There’re a lot more kids we could be reaching,” she notes.
While Lori doesn’t call herself a hard-core cyclist—she prefers
the term “cycling enthusiast”—she often chooses her bike to run
errands and get around town. “I hate to turn on the car for short
trips,” she says.
In terms of barriers—what keeps her from riding more often—
safety is a concern. “The couple-thousand pounds hunks of
metal out there can be kind of intimidating,” she notes. She
grows momentarily somber. “That’s where education comes in,”
she adds, perking up. “The more people who know how to ride
safely, the safer it is for everyone out there on the roads.”
Lori, who joined SBBIKE’s staff last month, can’t wait to get out
there and start making the roads safer for everyone.
Lori Newell
Meet Lori NewellMeet Lori Newell
SBBIKE’s New “Enthusiast” in the
North County
www.SBBIKE.org 5
E duardo Lara, originally from
Honduras, first came to Santa
Barbara in 1980. When he returned
in 2000, rental prices had risen.
That, along with traffic, parking, and
insurance costs made the choice
obvious for him. He gave his car to his
sister and has used a bicycle to get
around ever since.
“It was easier,” he says. “It was
convenient.” Plus, Eduardo, whose colleague at City Hall pays $17 a
day to park, figures he’s saved a lot of money over the years.
The campus supervisor at San Marcos High School, Eduardo rides his
bike 10 miles each way from his home on the East Side. He’s a skilled
leather carver, and he often brings his tools and leather to share the
craft with his students.
Eduardo enjoys how cycling enables him to pay attention to what’s
happening in the community. Along with his work with students, he
volunteers with the Just Communities Language Justice Initiative, an
organization that aims to ensure all voices are heard. He interprets
for workshops, educating Spanish-speaking students and parents.
Eduardo also interprets at City Hall, making public forums like city
council meetings available in Spanish.
by Howard Booth
W hen it comes to enabling people to
choose to bike, Sonos is leading the
way. Attracting and retaining the bright,
Meet Sonos
Eduardo Lara
Sonos’s Libby Jeffries and Allison Griffin, with the CycleMAYnia 2015 Bicycle Friendly Business Award
Meet Eduardo Lara
The Interpreter on Two Wheels
While grateful for Santa Barbara’s rideability, Eduardo
wishes the city offered more bike stations. (He’s had
three bikes stolen over the years.)
Now, Eduardo has two backup bikes for when his
daughters visit.
young creative individuals
who make the company
run requires perks that
make employees happy at
work and while commuting
to and from home. The company’s cycling program includes an earn-a-bike
program, daily cash incentives for biking to work, on-site showers and lockers,
secured bike parking, a Cycling University, a bike repair day, 24 Sonos Bikeshare
bikes for employees, CycleMAYnia Bike To Work Breakfast, participation in the
National Bike Challenge, and an SBBIKE Diamond business membership!
Allison Griffin, Sonos’s facility manager, is proud. “Our 300 local employees have
logged over 2,000 bike commuter trips since the program was launched on April
1, and over 80 employees are participating in the earn-a-bike program.” The
Sonos Bikeshare program aims to encourage workers to travel by bike between
Sonos’s four downtown SB buildings.
Sonos also encourages employees to walk to work, take the bus, or use other
alternative forms of transportation. Since April, over 150 employees have taken
3,628 fewer car trips.
Since 2002, Sonos has been reinventing home audio for the digital age. The
company is changing the way people listen to music and supporting safe and
accessible biking in Santa Barbara.
A Company That Makes Choosing to Bike Easy
6 Quick Release Summer 2015
J eff Rawlings’s move to Santa Barbara with his wife and kids in 2006
paved the way for a decision a few years later that would change
Jeff’s life. Research on the negative effects of inactivity called to him.
I only live two and a half miles from the office, he thought. What’s
my excuse for driving a car every day? It was February, and he wasn’t
taking advantage of the beautiful weather.
He pulled out a mountain bike not ridden in a decade. “And I haven’t
looked back since,” he says. In just a couple of weeks, Jeff was willing
to commit. He sold his car, and he bikes or walks to work daily.
Choosing to bike has positively impacted Jeff’s life. He lost 25 pounds.
And every day has a “great, energizing” start.
Over the years, Jeff has explored the many routes between his home
on the Mesa and his business downtown, Koolaburra. And he can
speak in depth about the pros and cons of each. One route he never
takes is Meigs Road. “It’s terrifying,” he says, noting traffic speed and
cars in bike lanes. “Maybe if there were protected bikeways,” he adds.
For Jeff, determining whether a bikeway is safe comes down to one
question: “Would you allow your 10- or 12-year-old to ride it alone?”
The answer, he says, pointing to the many gaps in the network, is often
no. He does let his son, Ben, 14, ride alone, but he worries.
Jeff’s glad the city is talking about the future of cycling infrastructure,
but he worries the debate lacks vision. He’s concerned the focus is
too much on the immediate headaches of change. “Let’s imagine the
type of impact we could make,” he says. “If you build for cars, you
know what kind of environment that creates,” Jeff adds. “Think of the
vast wastelands of pavement in places like Orange County and San
Bernardino. What future do we want for Santa Barbara?” Jeff’s answer
is clear. “Let’s be like the Amsterdams and Portlands of the world.”
Jeff Rawlings. PAUL KINGSELY
Meet Jeff Rawlings
Meet Officer Thomas Van Eyck
A Man with No Excuses
The Officer with the Best Job in
the PD
The SBPD Tactical Patrol Force (from left to right) Officers Thomas Van Eyck, Mike Epstein, April DeBlauw, Dustin McGrew, Allan Tuazon, Greg Hons, and Sergeant Warren Holtke. Courtesy of THOMAS VAN EYCK
O fficer Thomas Van Eyck has been biking
on the job since May 2011. He is a part
of Santa Barbara Police Department’s Tactical
Patrol Force, which deploys officers on bike in
staggered schedules from 6 am to 7 pm.
Does he enjoy using his bicycle at work?
“It’s the best job in the department,”
he answers without hesitation.
Van Eyck explains that the department uses
bicycle patrols as a method of enforcement.
“Since we deal with street-level crime, it allows
us to cover lots of ground very thoroughly,” he
says. Van Eyck’s bicycle gives him one other
advantage—the element of surprise. “In a police
car they can see you coming,” he explains. “On a
bike, it’s not uncommon to contact a person in
the middle of committing a crime.”
The opportunity to work outdoors and get the
exercise isn’t so shabby either. And Van Eyck gets
opportunities to do things like pedaling over
to the Eastside Library, where he participated
in a Bici Familia event handing out protective
equipment to the kids.
While Van Eyck no longer makes the 10-mile
commute to work by bicycle as often as he did
when he first started bike detail, he still mountain
bikes as a hobby.
www.SBBIKE.org 7
Churchman grew up riding to school
every day. She views learning to bike as a
quintessential rite of passage that every
child deserves to experience. Through
her hard work, Adams has become the
first Santa Barbara elementary school to
incorporate biking into its first through sixth
grade PE curriculum.
Out on the blacktop, Churchman’s fit, wiry
frame dances with an infectious energy. As
she sets up obstacles for a handling drill,
she tells me about her students. The fifth grader who learned
to ride this year, the brown-eyed girl who helped her paint a
school mural, and the athletic boy whose bike was recently stolen.
In addition to safety lessons, pep talks, and sprinting
alongside the bikes, Churchman has developed partnerships
to strengthen her program. She pursued and was awarded a grant from
Cycle Kids, which provided a fleet of bikes and a curriculum covering safe
biking, health and nutrition. She also became a League of American Bicyclist
Certified Instructor and worked with SBBIKE and Deckers to bring more bikes
to the children.
This year, over 99 percent of her graduating class has learned to bike. These
students will leave Adams with a valuable life skill, increased self-esteem, and
many happy childhood memories. All thanks to the hard work of a
passionate teacher.
By Andie Bridges
W hen Julie Churchman
took a substitute teaching
position at Adams Elementary
School, she was shocked to
discover that nearly half of her
students didn’t know how to ride
a bicycle. “It blew me away that
these kids were going off into life
not knowing how to ride a bike.”
Many of Adams’ students come
from low-income families that do not own
bikes. Bringing cycling to these kids became
Churchman’s mission as her short-term job
quickly evolved into a full-time passion.
For the past five years, she has been working
to ensure that every child at the school has an
opportunity to experience the freedom and fun
of riding. “They ride across the playground for the
first time, and I see kids become kids again. That
look of joy on their faces is amazing.”
Julie Churchman and Fifth Grader, Meritxell Hernandez, who learned to ride in Julie’s PE class. ANDIE BRIDGES
F or Eddie Gonzalez, who helped launch
Bici Centro, junior high—when he and
his friends biked regularly to the beach,
boogie boards in tow—was where his love
of cycling started.
“That feeling, those memories remain vivid
in my heart,” he says. That’s also why Eddie
relates so well to young people. Eddie’s the
youth center director at Casa De La Raza,
and his office is decorated with handwritten
notes and bustling with kids. Plus, he’s the
father of six.
In 2004, as Casa’s facilities manager, Eddie
heard some ideas that would coalesce into
something grand. First, an old bicycling
buddy pitched a bicycle junkyard at Casa.
Next came Ed France, who wanted to
promote people using bikes and who would
become Bici’s tireless driving force. After
four related ideas, Eddie knew something
important was brewing.
Meet Eddie Gonzalez
Meet Julie Churchman
A Man Who Remembers
Eddie Gonzalez. PAUL KINGSELY
At a meeting that doubled in size, Bici
Centro was born. The budding shop built
momentum swiftly. The first day Bici offered
free DIY repairs on the patio, more people
than the volunteer wrenchers could serve
showed up.
Bici fit Casa’s mission statement. Its
founders wanted to empower the array
of people riding Santa Barbara’s streets—
especially students and non-English
speakers, many who worked double shifts,
commuting on non-ergonomic bikes that
hurt their backs and knees.
Also important was Bici’s education
component. Education, Eddie says, turns
people into models of safe bicycling.
Inclusivity was important too. “It’s everyone
on bikes,” Eddie says. Eddie remembers the
wonderful amalgamation of people who
gathered at Bici in the early years. And he’s
glad that’s still going.
The Teacher with Lessons in the Love of Cycling
8 Quick Release Summer 2015
1. Carp Family School student helps with helmet fitting. 2. Kids learn basic wrenching skills. 3. Students and volunteers take to the streets en masse. JAN SILK
The Spanish-speaking families were welcomed by Las Promotoras (from left to right) Lupe Martinez, Irma Arroyo, and Maria Rodriguez; Family School parent Carmen McCurry; and Lead Promotora Angelica Ornelas.
I n May, a host of individuals and organizations united to bring
SBBIKE’s Bici Familia to Carpinteria for the first time. The
success of those efforts was undeniable. On a sunny Friday
afternoon, 102 children practiced safe bike handling skills on
blacktop obstacles and rodeo courses and, along with 68
parents, learned about bike safety. Around 18 of those kids
rode for the first time. And 91 of them went home with brand-
new helmets for just $5 each—thanks to an IYOB (In Your Own
Backyard) crowd-funding effort by Carpinteria Family School
teacher Lori Lee Collins that netted matching funds from the
(Jack) Johnson Ohana Foundation.
Making all this fun and learning possible were 41 community
members from Carp and around SB County. Volunteers came
from the Carpinteria Children’s Project, the Family School,
SBBIKE/Bici Centro, COAST, and Traffic Solutions. Bike Monkeys
from Santa Barbara Middle School helped with bike repair and
valet. ELAC (English Learner Advisor Committee) volunteers and
Don Jorge Tacos provided food. Adams Elementary School and
Girls Inc. loaned bikes to add to the SBBIKE fleet. Peter Dugré of
Coastal View News got the word out.
As Family School teacher Lori Lee Collins says, Bici Familia
“brought a bunch of parts of the community together, and that’s
an important part of these events.”
Carp Community Unites for Joy of CyclingCarp Community Unites for Joy of Cycling
www.SBBIKE.org 9
L ast spring, Carpinteria Family School teacher Lori Lee
Collins stopped to check out Bici Familia at Adams
Elementary School. She watched what she calls “organized
Lori Lee Collins, teacher at Carpinteria Family School. JAN SILK
chaos” on the blacktop. “And there was this
joy,” she adds.
Lori Lee decided then and there she would
bring that joy to the community she works
with in Carpinteria. “Biking is such a great
vehicle to build community,” she says. “It’s a
social justice tool. It’s an environmental tool.
You can extend the classroom to the community through the
love and joy of biking.”
Plus, Carpinteria is a great place to ride. But navigating its three
bridges on bike can be a challenge. “People need to learn how
to ride legal, safe, and visible,” says Lori Lee, an LCI who chooses
to bike for many of her transportation needs, sometimes riding
from Santa Barbara to school.
So, as she says it, she put the vision out there. How did that go?
“Oh my gosh. I cried at the end.” She pauses, overwhelmed. “It
brought me such joy,” she says. “The day was just beyond my
wildest imagination.”
C armen McCurry
started riding
her bike more often
after her son took
to cycling to school.
Now she rides in the
morning after her
youngest, a fifth grader
at Carpinteria Family
School, leaves. He has to cross a narrow
bridge, and while she knows he’s a safe rider,
she worries. So she heads off behind him.
When she sees his bike parked at the school,
she just keeps going.
Carmen’s raising three boys—Andrew, 15; Ian,
13; and Sebastian, 11—on her own. She’s a
widow, and she feels lucky to have had her
community’s support as she’s navigated life
with a missing partner. “It helps,” she says.
Carmen wants to give back. That’s why, in
late May, she headed to SBBIKE/Bici Centro
to start the process of becoming a League of
American Bicyclists Certified Instructor (LCI).
Carmen, who’s Peruvian, particularly wants
to reach out to the large Spanish-speaking
community in Carp. The parents, she says,
Carmen McCurry and two of her three sons. All three volunteered alongside her at Carp’s Bici Familia. JAN SILK
are shy. She wants to engage and involve them. And she wants to share a
message—everybody can ride bikes, parents and kids alike.
Carmen remembers riding with her husband and the boys when they were
young. That was different. Now her family cycles for transportation. This, in
part, is what she wants to share with the community. Not only is biking fun, it’s
convenient and a way to save on gas costs.
Meet Lori Lee Collins, Teacher
Meet Carmen McCurry, Parent
10 Quick Release Summer 2015
B efore Dons Net Cafe (DNC),
the entrepreneurial business
class she teaches at Santa
Barbara High School, partnered
with SBBIKE/Bici Centro and
Traffic Solutions (TS) to launch a
bike program at the school, Lee
Knodel, aka Mrs. B., didn’t ride
bicycles. Much to her husband’s
chagrin. He’d tried to entice her
to join him on two wheels for
nearly two decades. Now she
has her own yellow beach cruiser, and the couple has a bike rack on their car. “I’m
built for comfort, not speed,” Mrs. B. says with a laugh.
A leader with Roots and Shoots, a youth-led community action and learning program,
Mrs. B. found biking a natural fit for the DNC.
Meet Mrs. B
Mrs. B and students at Bike to School Day in May. CHRISTINE BOURGEOIS
S amuel Duarte was 10 when he got
his first bike, and he rode it to school
every day. Now, he shares his love of
cycling with his two boys, Kael, 4, and
Kaleb, 3. Samuel and his wife, Jessica,
moved to the Central Coast five years ago.
For Samuel, biking is a relaxing
and fun way to spend time with
his boys. They ride on weekends,
though not as often as he’d like.
He’d like to ride to the parks in
Santa Maria without worrying about
traffic. “But it doesn’t feel safe,” he
says. “Even in our residential streets,
cars zoom at unsafe speeds, and
so riding isn’t as enjoyable as it could be.” He envisions
a network of bikeways crisscrossing the city.
Samuel, who also rides “because it’s a good way to see your city
and neighborhood from a different perspective,” is doing his part.
Samuel Duarte and his sons, Kael and Kaleb
Meet the Duartes
A Woman Who Cruises for
Change
Six years later, SBici, the bike club, is
a campus mainstay. Through SBici,
students learn wrenching and safe
riding, volunteer at community
events, get bike-related jobs, and
become lifelong advocates for healthy
environment and lifestyle. “It’s changed
so many lives, including my own,”
says Mrs. B. The teacher points to
the mentors made available to the
students through SBBIKE and TS. “You
can’t measure that,” she says, adding,
“Students are exposed to policymakers,
community members, volunteers. How
much more real world can you get?”
For Mrs. B., traffic is a barrier to riding.
She believes infrastructure is the best
solution. “I 100 percent advocate for
designated, well-defined bike lanes,”
she says. And Mrs. B. is going to keep
cruising—and facilitating programs that
set in motion a ripple effect of change.
He helped coordinate
Ciclovia in Guadalupe
this May. And his
enthusiasm for the event,
which brought crowds
to the streets on bike
and foot, is contagious.
Samuel led efforts for an
important component of
Ciclovia—beautification.
Organizers plan to
beautify one structure
or area within the city
during every Ciclovia.
This year, they identified a mural, the length of a city block
and painted over 15 years, that is fading and falling apart.
“Our goal,” he says, “is to redo this mural and create a bike
path alongside it for the next Ciclovia.”
A Family with a Vision
www.SBBIKE.org 11
J ust for the boys? This gal knows none of that. She may be
the princess at home (she’s the only girl among a handful
of brothers and wears the title with pride). But that doesn’t stop
Laura Almengor, 15, from picking up a wrench or enjoying the
wind in her hair and the adrenaline rush of a fast ride on her
Mountain Trek Antelope. Nor will it stop her from taking the
lead as president of SBici—Santa Barbara High School’s bike
club—next year.
The bike, which Laura can maintain herself thanks to SBici, “is
black and blue, and it’s as gorgeous as I am.” Her easy smile
oozes charisma.
Laura will be the first female president of SBici. Currently, she’s the
only girl in the club. But she hopes to change that. How will she
recruit other girls? “I’ll tell them, be different. Be unique,” she says.
“Girls can also do things men can do.” Plus, she’ll point out the
benefits of knowing how to fix a bike and how cycling keeps you
healthy and active and lowers your stress levels.
She’ll also tell prospective members why she chooses to ride.
Besides the adrenaline rush, “Sometimes it’s just peaceful,”
she says, growing thoughtful, “and you’re on your own.” That
independence is important.
The only things that keep Laura from cycling as much as she’d like
are homework and her parents’ concerns. She reminds her dad
that she knows how to ride safely, how to signal and follow the
rules of the road.
Meet Laura Almengor
Laura Almengor, SBici’s first female president. HOLLY STARLEY
By Andie Bridges
K athy Vanetti has a car she doesn’t like to drive. It’s a
15-year-old sedan, with a little over 100,000 miles
on it. And the longer it sits idle, the happier she feels.
For 15 years, the labor and delivery nurse has
commuted to work by bicycle. She feels fortunate to
live in a city with great weather where, “pretty much
everything is in biking distance.”
Cycling became a part of her life early on. “I was the
oldest of six kids, and we biked everywhere.”
She recalls riding from her Goleta neighborhood to St.
Raphael School and to piano lessons. But her favorite
rides were destination-less adventures. Rolling down
each street just to see where it would lead, developing
the deep sense of place born of childhood wandering.
Twice a week now, she rises before dawn and is on the
road by 5:45 a.m. After a twelve-hour shift of physically
and emotionally exhausting work, she hops back on her
bike and pedals from downtown’s Cottage hospital to
her home on Fairview.
The amount of dedication required to choose the slow
way home is substantial, but for Vanetti, the choice
is easy. The ride is a time to de-stress and refocus on
her surroundings. “When you bike, you really get to
appreciate where you live.” In Vanetti’s estimation,
where we live is a pretty
great place to ride.
Kathy Vanetti, labor and delivery nurse at Cottage Hospital. PAUL KINGSELY
Meet Kathy VanettiThe Girl Who
Knows No Glass Ceiling
The Nurse Who Takes the Scenic Route
12 Quick Release Summer 2015
B icycles have long been a part of Worth Street
Reach’s efforts to empower people living in poverty.
Recently, bikes have taken on a new role.
The organization originally gave out sleeping bags and
helped people living on the streets recover lost IDs. Board
President Deborah Barnes says Worth Street kept hearing
the same question. “Can’t you refer me to someone?” The
people she was working with just needed a job, so they
could get a place to live. “When anybody lands one,” says
Deborah, “we provide them a bicycle—sometimes by a
miracle—along with lights, a safety vest, and most
often a rack.”
But the jobs are few and far between. So she turned to
Google. Her discovery of a group in Palo Alto generating
work for impoverished people cleaning creeks led to the
birth of Santa Barbara’s Bicycle Graffiti Removal Program.
The people looking for work helped chose the program.
“This was their baby as much as ours,” says Deborah.
Worth Street purchased 25 bikes, helmets, and vests. The
city sponsored the program’s first 40 graffiti removal kits.
(Now, graffiti removal teams use eco-friendly kits.) And a
team from SBBIKE trained the captains on safety
and mechanics.
Graffiti removal teams of four go out in pairs. They pick
up debris, cigarette butts, and broken bottles. Recycling
helps pay for the gear. The teams are proud of their work.
They love keeping the streets clean, especially parks,
where children no longer have to play among
distasteful words.
The teams head out in the morning because, wherever
they’re sleeping, in shelters or doorway, they’re rousted
out at dawn. They receive thank yous in the form of debit
cards for food, gas cards, or phone cards. Those who
display leadership skills are promoted to paid positions.
This work, especially for those leaders, gives them a sense
of responsibility, an opportunity Deborah says many
haven’t experienced.
The graffiti removal project is on a temporary break, while
Worth Street seeks a new part-time project leader. The
ideal candidate would know Santa Barbara’s streets and
how to repair bicycles. To learn more about the position
or Worth Street’s other programs, Worth House and
Laundry Love, visit worthstreetreach.org.
Meet Worth Street Reach
From Top: Bicycle Graffiti Removal teams ride bikes to clean sections of Santa Barbara’s streets. SBBIKE’s Mike Vergeer teaches graffiti removal teams safe riding skills. Credit: Courtesy of Deborah Barnes.
The Organization That Empowers SB People in Poverty through Bikes
www.SBBIKE.org 13
By Kevin McClintock
Few groups stand to benefit from sustainable
transportation more than students. Thankfully,
the convenience and affordability of commuting
by bicycle is well utilized by Santa Barbara City
College students. Among those to benefit
is ecological restoration major Lindsey Tavares, who in just a few months has
adopted a bicycle as her main form of transportation to and from campus. Lindsey
explains, “Riding gives me an intimate perspective on who I share the road with
and keeps me mindful of my carbon footprint. In essence, my bicycle has humbled
me.” She gleefully refers to her bike as her “adventure partner” that she pedals
everywhere possible, including to camp at More Mesa.
Recent improvements at the college, in the form of bike parking and a new Bici
Centro location on campus, are growing the SBCC bicycling community. An
increase in the number of students bicycling the arteries that connect the city
and school have brought to light some common barriers that discourage and
even prevent students from choosing to ride. While the favored Castillo Street
and Cabrillo Street bike path entrance to campus works well, most bike routes up
until that point contain significant gaps. Sergio Garcia, a business major at SBCC
and regular commuter from Goleta, points out
the slippery Castillo Street underpass and the
sections of Cliff Drive in front of SBCC campus
and the Mesa shopping center as places where
“the bike lane just drops off.” Another difficult
road to commute on is Loma Alta Drive, a
main connector to campus from the west side.
“Visibility is low, and cars go fast,” says Amanda
Zavala, a music major at SBCC. She points out
the steep bike path behind McKinley school and
mentions, “Riding that as a full-time student
with four or more books is potential suicide.”
Students know bicycling to school doesn’t have
to be unsafe.
A healthy transportation system is one that
allows all types of road users to feel they can
use the road without worry. Acting major
Tomás Tedesco sees “empathy between non-
equal drivers” as a necessary step to accomplish this. “Now that Bici Centro is on
my way to class, it has motivated me not only to care more about my bike, but also
to explore ways I can give back,” says Zavala. One of those ways came in the form
of the Santa Barbara Bike Master Plan survey. Tavares was impressed to learn her
city was taking feedback not just in the typical public comment setting but also
online, by hand, and through interactive meetings. What will continue to inspire
students to participate is the progress toward making Santa Barbara a safer place
for all road users. Tomás Tedesco
SBCC Students Who Roll to Campus
Meet Lindsey, Amanda, Sergio, and Tomás
Meet Lindsey, Amanda, Sergio, and Tomás
Lindsey Tavares
Sergio Garcia
Amanda Zavala
14 Quick Release Summer 2015
A nya and Kylan O’Connor learned to ride bicycles on camping trips
when they were little. Since then bicycling has played a big role in
both of the Santa Barbara Middle School students’ lives.
Anya, 15, recently traveled to Seattle with a group from SMBS for
the National Youth Bike Summit. She met Shannon Galpin, head of
Mountain2Mountain, an organization that invests in women and girls
to change cultures and communities. One project provides bicycles
for women in Afghanistan, where women historically haven’t been
allowed to bike and those who do are targets of terrible attacks.
Anya was shocked to learn of these circumstances, and she was
inspired by Galpin’s work. Since February, Anya and six classmates
worked to put on a benefit concert at Soho. At the show in May, local
women cycling advocates and Galpin spoke to a packed house. The
students raised $10,000 to send bicycles to Afghani women.
Anya’s brother, Kylan, 13, has taken his cycling to a new level—
learning not just to master a new skill but the value of a sense of
accomplishment. Last year, Kylan pulled his dad’s unicycle out of the
garage, and he’s become quite skilled on one wheel.
Recently, Kylan headed for a “quick ride.” He took off from home in the
foothills of Mission Canyon; and, one wheel under him and the breeze
on his skin, he just kept going. Eventually, he arrived at the Mission
some four miles away, where he called his mom—or as
Meet Anya and Kylan O’Connor
Kylan and Anya O’Conor, 13 and 15, have learned important lessons on two wheels (or one in Kylan’s case). HOLLY STARLEY
The Girl Who Connects and the Boy on One
Wheel
New Member SpecialNow is the time to join. Beginning June 1, SBBIKE and Bikestation will offer a joint $100 membership, a $50 savings. Stay tuned for more details.
Bikestation members enjoy 24/7 safe, secure bike parking at two downtown Santa Barbara locations—the Granada Garage and the MTD Transit Center.
SBSANTA BARBARA BICYCLE COALITION
BIKE + =
Anya reminds him with a smile, “Mom called you”
(much to his mom’s relief … and pride). Kylan
smiles shyly.
Both Anya and Kylan have learned much from
bicycles. For Anya, “Recently I realized the bike is a
tool for social change.” She thinks for a minute.
“It’s just a really good connector, and it opens
your mind.”
One such connection is close to home. As SBMS
students, the pair has each had the opportunity to
bike tour overnight (with some pretty impressive
daily mileage). “It’s really amazing. Everybody in
the whole school is riding,” says Kylan. “Yeah,” Anya
chimes in, “you’re all suffering together. And when
we’re on the trips, there’re no cliques. Everyone is
mixing with everyone else.”
Why bike? Kylan grows thoughtful. “When you get
to the top of a hill,” he says, looking to the nearby
hills, “you’ll really feel like you’ve accomplished
something.” That’s something this brother and sister
duo seems to know a lot about.
www.SBBIKE.org 15
New Member Special
by Ed France, SBBIKE Executive Director
O n Sunday, May 31, Santa Barbarans united against
oil dependency and marched to West Beach to
Stand in the Sand, forming a symbolic barrier against
rising oil. The march was initially a response to the BP
Gulf Oil Spill five years ago and now returns in response
to the Refugio Spill. Negative impacts of oil extraction,
refining, and combustion are felt not just here at home
but around the world, and largely by communities less
equipped for effective regulation, emergency response,
and to otherwise mitigate the consequences of pollution.
So how should we respond? We live in a world that relies
on fossil fuel, and undoubtedly, that reliance will impact
us and the environment. Clearly, we must minimize risk
of spills and of refinery explosions and toxic leaks like in
Houston. We must also minimize the pollution or carbon
impact of extraction, refining, and use itself. Individually
and as a community, we can do that by reducing our
reliance on fossil fuels. I propose that we commit to
specific, attainable goals toward this end. My stand? My
stand—and my proposal for our collective and individual
mission is simple but its impact will be profound: Let’s
minimize short car trips.
Driving is common and, very often, the right tool for
the job. But we ought not be dependent upon it as
our exclusive means of mobility. Nowhere is this more
obvious than in our city and town centers. We can most
easily wrest free from car dependence on the fewer-
than-two-mile trips for meetings, lunch, play, or errands.
Short trips that are just a bit too long to walk but don’t
necessitate driving a car make up the majority of trips for
the average American. Not everyone can bicycle, and not
every trip makes sense by bike, but for many if not most
trips and for many if not most of us, bicycles can be an
ideal solution.
Short trips by car bear the worst hassle of parking and
often congested downtown driving. They also are
the height of problematic emissions, as engines and
muffler systems must warm up to operate cleanly. These
short trips are often made by car not out of conscious
choice but simply habit. My stand is to help more Santa
Barbarans be empowered to choose to make trips by
bike. Choosing to bike for these trips is healthy, has
What is Your Stand? negligible pollution,
and does wean us off
our addiction to fossil
fuel. It should be an
easy choice for Santa
Barbaran so inclined.
How can we do this? As a community, let’s take three steps—safety,
convenience, and audacious accessibility. 1. Safety: Improve safety
and perception of safety through a data driven and bold Bicycle
Master Plan. 2. Convenience: Provide ample bicycle parking and
make sure core bicycle routes travel smoothly with minimal stops. 3.
Audacious Accessibility: Put 500 bikes on the ground between the
downtown core and Santa Barbara City College as part of a local
Bike Share system.
At SBBIKE, our stand is taking a bite out of the multitude of short
trips through bicycling. It’s one way we can proactively respond to
dependence on fossil fuels and its deleterious impacts. Are you
with us?
SBSANTA BARBARA BICYCLE COALITION
BIKE
APPLICATION FOR 12-MONTH MEMBERSHIP
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(business)
address
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Make check payable to the Santa Barbara Bicycle CoalitionPO Box 92047Santa Barbara, CA 93190-2047for membership details:www.sbbike.org/joinThe Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation, so donations are tax deductable as allowed by law.
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Santa Barbarans unite to Stand in the Sand.credit: ISAAC HERNANDEZ
Santa Barbara Bicycle CoalitionPO Box 92047Santa Barbara, CA 93190-2047
SBSANTA BARBARA BICYCLE COALITION
BIKE