I’m helping gather community support for the proposed pedestrian & bicycle bridge connecting Eastside to the waterfront/zoo area before City Council votes on June 9. This project is about more than a bridge — it’s about equity, connection, accessibility, environmental responsibility, safety, and creating a more walkable Santa Barbara for everyone.
Why this matters:
• The Eastside remains physically separated from the waterfront by the 101, with the largest gap between crossings in the city (1.25 miles). This bridge would create safer access for families, students, seniors, walkers, and cyclists. Highways divide communities. Bridges connect them.
• Access to the beach, parks, waterfront, SBCC, and the zoo should feel welcoming and reachable for everyone — especially Eastside families and children who currently face indirect routes to get there safely. Swimming to a buoy, digging your feet in the sand, having a picnic on the grass, and biking the waterfront — these are not luxury experiences. They are public resources that belong to everyone. Most importantly, they are free. Every child and family in Santa Barbara deserves the opportunity to feel that same connection to the coast, regardless of which neighborhood they grow up in.
• More walkability and bike access mean fewer car trips, less congestion through already impacted areas and a healthier, more connected community overall. Currently, many residents must take indirect routes just to reach the waterfront. It creates unnecessary car trips and additional congestion in neighborhoods and corridors that are already overwhelmed. This bridge will significantly reduce the more than 18,000 vehicles that drive through the Coast Village/Cabrillo roundabout daily.
The bridge and zoo projects can coexist if planned thoughtfully together. This is an opportunity to invest in connection instead of separation.
This project is not just about transportation infrastructure. It is about opportunity, health, recreation, climate-conscious planning, and community connection. A more walkable and bike-friendly Santa Barbara — one focused on connection instead of separation — should be a shared goal for all of us.
If you support the project, please consider emailing the City Council before the June 9 vote:
mayor&council2@SantaBarbaraCA.gov
sbcitycouncil@SantaBarbaraCA.gov
Editor’s Note: A revised version of this letter was posted on June 1, 2026.
