NEW BIKE LANE ON HALEY STREET

The City of Santa Barbara recently installed a new bike lane on Haley Street, from Chapala Street to Alisos Street. Some pavement marking symbols have yet to be added, but the bike lane is striped and ready for use by cyclists. Drivers will notice a new yellow line on the left side to separate the parking aisle from the traffic lane. About one-third of reported crashes in Santa Barbara involved parked vehicles, and if this line is successful in reducing the number parked vehicle involved crashes on Haley Street, it could be used on others streets.

Haley Street is wide enough to add the bike lane without removal of any parking or traffic lanes. In addition to the bike lane, a new, very short, right turn lane has been added at State Street, which will improve traffic flow on Haley Street.

During the recent Eastside Neighborhood Transportation Management effort, a bike lane on Haley Street was identified as an improvement to help Eastside residents travel from downtown to the Eastside. The City is studying ways to provide a nearby westbound route. Nearby Gutierrez Street is narrower than Haley Street, so there is not the same opportunity to make a simple striping change to provide a westbound bike lane.

For additional information, please contact Derrick Bailey, Supervising Transportation Engineer, at (805) 564-5544.