Bicycle Plan Now!

As a longtime resident of the Santa Barbara downtown district, I now use a bicycle for the majority of my in-town transportation. This choice has provided me with personal benefits including health benefits, the convenience of getting around downtown with no parking issues, economic benefits that make living in S.B. more affordable, and a reduction in my environmental impact on this beautiful city.

It is very important to me that the City Council move forward and pass a strong and visionary Bicycle Master Plan (BMP) that is in alignment with the City’s General Plan and includes projects, the majority of which can be implemented over the next 5-10 years. Reviewing both the 1974 and 1998 BMPs, it is disconcerting to note that there are many projects included in those plans that have never been constructed.

Currently, one of the most urgent needs identified in the proposed 2016 Bicycle Master Plan is for a direct east-west bicycle route that permits residents of the Westside to safely reach and return from the downtown corridor and the high school at any time of the day or night. This route must:

Be safe for users of all ages

Have no gaps in the route

Be a direct route without time-consuming, hard to follow, or dangerous diversions;

Be able to be constructed immediately, financially and logistically.

I urge the City Council to approve such a plan.