This could be a banner year for biking in Santa Barbara. The city is writing its Bicycle Master Plan, setting the pace for the next decade of cycling infrastructure development. The budget for completing the plan is $220,000 and the city hopes to have it finished by late fall.
Santa Barbara was among the first cities to have a bike master plan, which it first developed in 1974. Unfortunately, in recent years we’ve fallen behind in bike infrastructure and safety. We are now ranked fourth worst for biking safety when compared to similarly sized cities. Safer bikeways are a logical goal for any bike master plan. Yet, some local leaders still balk at the suggestion of extending or improving bikeways.
Councilmember Frank Hotchkiss wrote an op-ed in which he questioned the rationale behind the push to increase biking, and he suggested that adding more bikes would impede car travel. Hotchkiss asked for comments, and he received more than 200, most of which reflected a growing local knowledge and a demand for safer streets.