MOVE Santa Barbara County

Heather and her daughter Jacqueline arrived at Santa Barbara’s Bici Centro with their E-bikes, intending to leave them in the hands of the staff. However, the encouragement and warm smile of our mechanic Lynneal motivated them to tackle a disc brake pad replacement themselves! They were impressed by Lynneal's helpful teaching style and have since returned to Bici Centro multiple times, where Heather successfully fixed her brakes and rotors. For them, Bici Centro has become a valuable resource—a place they describe as "a gold mine in our community."

Daniel has been a dedicated volunteer at our Santa Maria shop since 2015, joining Bici Centro as one of our earliest volunteers. Through our partnership with GoodWill Mission Services, he transitioned from volunteer to employee, benefiting from a work service program designed to provide youth with work experience. His brother David is a part of the Saints Bicycle Club at Santa Maria High School (started by participants of MOVE’s youth program) and volunteers alongside Daniel. Both Daniel and David are preparing to pursue engineering degrees at Cal Poly State, inspired by their experiences working with bicycles.

We cannot wait for the premiere of Cycling Without Age at the Lobero Theatre on Saturday, September 7, 2024 at 6 PM (all ticket sales to fund CWA)! Cycling Without Age is an amazing program that we have continued to support at MOVE because it brings the joy of cycling to our elderly and disabled community members. “The film follows the story of John Seigel-Boettner and his team of pedal-powered rickshaw pilots as they bring that magic back to those who have lost the ability to ride themselves. The film presents a unique portrait of aging, asking audiences to consider the importance of the outdoors for those who are all too often trapped inside” – Lobero. Get your tickets now at https://www.lobero.org/events/cycling-without-age/

As back-to-school season begins, it's crucial to prioritize road safety to keep children and families safe. With the increase in school-related traffic, staying vigilant can make a significant difference. By working together and adhering to the practices listed below, we can create a better transportation environment for all. We believe that everyone has the right to get to and from school safely.

It’s National Stop on Red Week and we’re emphasizing the responsibility drivers hold to keep our streets safe and the dangers of not adhering to traffic laws. It may seem obvious to follow the rules of the road, but vehicular crashes injure or disable over 50 million people each year, and kill thousands, with pedestrians and bicyclists being especially vulnerable. Although running red lights and stop signs are some of the most common offenders, these aren’t the only places you need to stop– check out our infographic below to make sure you’re driving responsibly. Together, we can protect our community, whether it be families, workers, or children. Everyone deserves to get to their destination safely.

Saturday September 7th at the Lobero!

CWA West Coast Premiere...Save the Date After our standing ovation at the International Cycling Without Age Summit in Copenhagen and next week’s screening at the Academy Award®-Qualifying Indy Shorts International Film Festival, we are so excited to announce our West Coast Premiere!

Happy summer! As the school year has ended, we’re excited to share with you the exciting and inspiring work that our MOVE Education & Encouragement team has accomplished...

This year in North County, our educators expanded their reach to 28 schools, conducting 630 classes and reaching 3.8k students --- a 200% increase from last year’s 1.3k students. In South County, MOVE brought bicycle education to 2.3k students in 400 bicycle education classes at 18 different schools. Throughout the county, we distributed 230 bikes, along with 600 helmets, 220 light sets, and 150 locks, ensuring that students have the essential equipment to begin their cycling adventures. Pedestrian and bicycle education for our youngest residents is pivotal to empowering the next generation and we’ve been hard at work ensuring that youth across the county not only learn the joys of walking and cycling but also gain essential safety skills for a lifetime of active, healthy living.

“Let’s Ride Carpinteria!” created a fun space for children to learn proper bike skills on an obstacle course and win safety prizes. Families learned how to properly fit a helmet, conduct pre-ride safety checks, learn traffic rules for biking on streets, and how to both identify and respond to hazards. We're passionate about empowering the next generation of cyclists.

We hosted TLC For Your Bici, a women’s bike repair class, at our community bike-shop (Bici Centro) and twenty women learned how to change a tire, adjust breaks, and maintain a chain! It's important to us that all identities feel welcomed at our bike shop and we love empowering riders with the skills to fix their own bikes.

Time is running out to take the important survey below (open until 5PM THIS Friday, June 7) and comment on how Santa Barbara County will grow and where regional transportation $$$ will be spent! Will we continue to focus on motor vehicles or design a more sustainable future with increased funding allocated for bikeways, walkways and robust transit? Let the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) hear from you.

Survey in English: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/dd2707d3381f4d259c6d2220792ffdde
Survey en espanol: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/b6649041d8b941b6abeae7524bda46c2

You get to choose if you want a future which includes “Transit-Oriented/Infill Development with an Alternative Transportation Emphasis,” and how the renewal of future Measure A funding could be spent. It's part of the public input process for updating the County's Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy, known as Connected 2050.

The SBCAG Board of Directors will consider selecting a growth scenario at their June 20 meeting which will define the plan’s update and how the region will grow over the next 25 years. Public input like yours is vital and can influence their selection!

Come out and ride with Trek Trails tomorrow morning at Ranche Alegre - 215 acres of beautiful, protected land and trails across from Lake Cachuma- in the Santa Ynez Valley! Saturday, June 1. Register at www.Sagetrail.org/events

The Trail Mix ride in Santa Maria was such a great time! We fueled up with snacks and coffee and then biked down the repurposed “rail trails” to Orcutt, stopping along the way to discuss infrastructure improvements and future plans to connect the entire town through trails. Thank you to everyone who rode with us!

CycleMAYnia is almost over so get your seed packets from Bici Centro and other participating locations and enter the E-Bike raffle!

SPEAK UP NOW!

The governor has proposed cutting funding to the Active Transportation Program, and Caltrans is refusing to pick up the bill – which is only 2% of the State Highway Account (600 million out of 21 billion)! The ATP funs projects that increase the number of people walking and biking, increase safety for non-motorized users, reduce greenhouse gases, enhance public health, and provide benefits for disadvantaged communities.

According to a Financial Representative from Caltrans, the ATP is “a key aspect of Caltrans’ responsibilities” but funding the ATP would, “divert state highway account funds”. The ATP is the least expensive and most climate, energy, and equity efficient program in the entire transportation budget. Caltrans would rather spend billions on roadways which cost exorbitant amounts, move less people in more space, and increase the need for parking. We must divest from regressive road-building and focus on people-first plans that increase mobility options, improve health, increase equity, and help us meet our climate goals.

Tell the Caltrans “Sustainability” department ([email protected]) and our assemblymember Gregg Hart ([email protected]) “NO CUTS TO ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION FUNDING”.

The Bike to Birds event at Stow House was a great success and it was so nice to see the Cycling Without Age (who we are the fiscal sponsor of) trishaw there to carry someone who could not bike! 🐦‍⬛

The South Coast Mayor’s Ride in Carpinteria last Friday was a great celebration of bike month and highlighted the route and plans along Santa Claus Lane. All the mayors — Paula Perotte of Goleta, Randy Rowse of Santa Barbara, and Al Clark of Carpinteria — expressed a commitment to bicycling accessibility, and it was great to have their attention on sustainable transportation. We made sure to point out that prioritizing biking saves local governments millions, which could be used for housing; a major concern for our mayors!

Join us this Saturday (5/25) in Carpinteria for fun bike skills courses followed by a community ride around town. And of course, there will be prizes and pizza! Sign up at www.MoveSBCounty.org/events/

TAKE ACTION! Old Town Goleta Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Improvements are in jeopardy and we need your help. The Hollister Old Town Interim Striping Project that will bring long-overdue improvements to the corridor (like bike lanes that have been missing for decades) is scheduled to begin work at the end of this month, but a last-minute opposing group of voices is trying to derail or further delay the construction.

Write in or attend and speak at Tuesday's May 21 Goleta City Council meeting at 5:30, urging the City to "Keep the Hollister Avenue Old Town Striping Project construction on track for completion this summer!” Details athttps://goleta.legistar1.com/goleta/meetings/2024/5/2959_A_City_Council_24-05-21_Agenda.pdf

Send your written comments to the Mayor & City Council at [email protected]

goleta.legistar1.com

The County of Santa Barbara has presented MOVE with a formal resolution that honors our organization and officially designates May 2024 as National Bike Month! We greatly appreciate the recognition for our work teaching youth bike skills, promoting bicycle safety and awareness, and ensuring equitable biking access for all residents. Thank you to County Supervisor Laura Capps and Mark Friedlander for recognizing that bicycling is a sustainable mode of transportation, promotes physical and mental health, and is accessible for those who do not have access to a car. We’re going to keep working to make biking safer, easier, and more affordable; if you’d like to support us, please donate at www.MoveSBCounty.orgdonate/

We’re so proud of our volunteer, Robert Perez, who took home 1st place at his first mountain race: the Vandenberg Space Country Classic! He rides 7 miles round trip to school every day and volunteers at Santa Maria Bici Centro after--- unless of course, he’s riding to Orcutt Hills to practice mountain biking. Robert aspires to have a career in the cycling world, and we’re honored to have him in our organization and help him get there. Special thanks to our amazing shop manager, Ken, who took Robert to his race and cheered him on from the sidelines!

There will be a virtual public meeting tomorrow night (Thursday, May 16th) at 6 p.m. to discuss a project that will discuss upcoming improvements and additions in Guadalupe such as traffic signals, ADA curb ramps, sidewalk improvements, and multimodal additions.

Caltrans staff will be present to discuss this project and answer questions. An initial study for this project and a link to the virtual public meeting is on the Caltrans District 5 Project Page:

Guadalupe Active Partnership for Signalization and CAPM to Santa Maria (GAPS-CAPM) | Caltrans This project is a Capital Preventative Maintenance (CAPM) project with intersection improvements on Highway 166 from post miles 0.0 to 8.92 in Santa Barbara County.

Join us and the City of Santa Barbara for an E-Bike Skills Class & Ride this Saturday with one of our amazing Education leads! Register at www.MoveSBCounty.org/events/

The Cinco de Mayo Mural Ride this weekend was such a great time and so informative. Thank you Chicano Culture de Santa Barbara for planning this event and Rascal's Vegan for the delicious tacos. A perfect Sunday afternoon.

Join us for a fun and informative "Trail Mix" ride around Santa Maria's different multipurpose trails and bike lanes.

Confident bicyclists of all ages are encouraged to attend and learn about different biking infrastructure that can offer commuters safe options when selecting routes. You will also see first-hand the gaps that keep people from riding and where we need to advocate for change.

Coffee and trail mix snacks will be provided at 8:30am, with the ride commencing at 9:00am and finishing at 11:00am.

Sign up at www.MoveSBCounty.org/events/ and check out www.CycleMAYnia.org for a bunch of other events!

If we want to encourage more people to ride we need to provide safer infrastructure for riding. We were excited to partner with the County of Santa Barbara to help increase safety along this corridor.

We’re excited to be the last stop (for tacos!) on this amazing educational event and to share the MOVE space with participants. See you Sunday!

We’re pretty pumped that our Bike Valet parked 500+ bikes at the Earth Day festival this weekend.

It takes a mature tree an entire year to absorb the carbon from just 50 miles of driving. So, you can see why transportation is the #1 source of greenhouse gases in Santa Barbara County (almost 50 percent!).

Riding bikes is a great way to celebrate the Earth 🌎

Join us Friday, May 3rd, for an exciting and educational ride to showcase the Santa Maria River Levee Trail! The ride will explore the current trail from Suey Creek Crossing to Blosser Road, and discuss the expansion project to extend the trail to connect to Guadalupe. Meet at our community bike shop (Bici Centro) in Santa Maria at 5 p.m. and set off with our amazing bike instructor at 5:30 for a two hour evening ride! Bring your bike, helmet and bike lights. Register for this event and others at www.MoveSBCounty.org/events and check out all the other CycleMAYnia events at www.CycleMAYnia.org