By Katie Davis, Chair, Sierra Club Santa Barbara-Ventura Chapter
Bike paths cut back air pollution and are important to preventing local weather change. A path from Goleta to Santa Barbara also can save lives.
I hung out in France this summer season marveling at how cities could be remodeled by bike paths. In Paris, separated bike paths are all over the place, together with the busiest sections alongside the Seine, and the town is cleaner and fewer polluted because of this. Bordeaux has been remodeled with the addition of trams and bike paths, and streets closed to vehicles. Apparently, they’ll offer you a free bike when you dwell there.
There are examples in California as effectively. In the town of Davis, which prolonged separated bike paths from its UC campus to the remainder of the town, absolutely 20% of commutes are made by bike. Providing secure, separated bike paths is especially helpful for poorer residents, college students, younger folks, pedestrians, the handicapped, and anybody who want to drive much less.
A separated bike path in Paris (courtesy picture)
It can be an essential local weather motion. Studies discover that swapping the automotive for strolling, biking and e-biking even simply at some point per week makes a big influence on private carbon emissions in cities. Cyclists have 84% decrease CO2 emissions from all each day journey than non-cyclists.
With our temperate climate, comparatively flat cities and with infrastructure cash now obtainable to fund transportation, our area might turn out to be much more bike pleasant. Our cities and the county have “Active Transportation Plans” that map out enhance infrastructure for bikes and pedestrians, and these are beginning to be carried out. It’s nice to see extra separated bike paths such because the not too long ago accomplished and delightful Las Positas bike path in Santa Barbara.
Goleta is now engaged on the San Jose Creek bike path, which might join the favored separated paths from UCSB and Goleta Beach to the remainder of the town of Goleta, together with a brand new 101 underpass. There has been some motion on the plan to re-stripe Old Town Goleta to make it safer for bikes as effectively.
On the opposite finish of that path, Santa Barbara County has a novel grant alternative to finish a lacking hole within the common Coastal Access Route by connecting the Obern Trail from Goleta to the town of Santa Barbara’s latest bike paths on Modoc and Las Positas. The Modoc Path is essential as a result of Modoc has a comparatively excessive accident fee, together with biker deaths and extreme accidents.
An in depth-up of dots exhibiting pedestrian and bike deaths and extreme accidents within the Modoc space from Santa Barbara County’s Active Transportation Plan.
Unfortunately, there’s a time restrict on the $5 million grant and the plan faces obstacles due to some preliminary neighborhood opposition to the lack of as much as 63 timber. They have some extent. Urban open house and mature timber are precious and the preliminary variety of timber impacted within the Modoc Preserve sounded alarming. However, the County can construct a shady, multi-use path that minimizes the lack of mature timber. The newest iteration of the plan reduces removing to 49 timber, with one other alignment possibility solely eradicating 22 timber at most. Most of the timber eliminated could be eucalyptus, a non-native and extremely flammable tree. As a mitigation, the County would plant oak timber, that are quick-growing, and each native and hearth resistant. This is a greater long-term selection given local weather change and warmer, windier situations.
It must also be famous that non-native tree removing is a part of conservation administration as a result of along with hearth threat, non-native timber like eucalyptus can use a lot groundwater that they dry out wetlands, kill and crowd out different timber and vegetation, and require fixed upkeep. Aging timber additionally pose risks of falling. The county consulted with conservation consultants to plan path choices that can profit each customers and the surroundings.
Roads usually take precedence, so it is a good suggestion to let metropolis and county planners and decision-makers know that you simply need to see them enhance our bike infrastructure. You can begin by signing SB Bike’s petition supporting the Modoc path.
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