Cars crossing Pardall Road at Embarcadero del Norte at about 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and noon on a school day face the very distinct possibility of waiting two or three minutes before the torrential two-way stream of cyclists abates enough for their drivers to move on from the stop signs. Riders on MTD’s Line 27 often face a jam-packed bus ride through Isla Vista. Residents living in the west half of I.V. looking for parking after sundown may find themselves having to trek a couple long blocks back to their home or apartment.
For such a tiny area, I.V. is bustling with a wide array of modes of transportation. Cars take residents to work, into Santa Barbara, and, for students, back to their hometowns; bikes and ambulation get them to class, a friend’s house, or out to eat. Scooters and rollerblades aren’t uncommon sights, and a few different party buses routinely ferry clubbers to and from downtown Santa Barbara.
According to the county’s Isla Vista Master Plan, “on average, nearly 36,000 automobiles, 15,000 bicycles, and 8,000 pedestrians enter or leave Isla Vista each day” — in a town of 23,000. Though three-quarters of I.V.’s sizeable undergraduate population bikes at least “sometimes,” according to UCSB’s Annual Transportation Survey, 80 percent of adult residents still own a car.