17 Citations Issued During Goleta Bicycle and Pedestrian Sting
By the Goleta Police Department
The Goleta Police Department Traffic Unit issued 16 traffic citations for a variety of violations made by drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians during a safety operation on May 23, 2023. In addition, 1 subject was issued a citation for narcotics and 14 subjects were issued warnings and two vehicles were towed.
The citations were for various vehicle code violations where bicyclists or pedestrians made unsafe choices and the drivers were issued citations for infractions that were unsafe to bicycles or pedestrians. Several minors on bicycles and e-bikes were contacted and reminded that riders under 18 yrs of age are required to wear a bicycle helmet.
One of the vehicles towed was driven by a subject who had a history of being cited several times for driving on a suspended driver’s license. On this date, he was cited for driving on a suspended license. The vehicle was released to a licensed driver and then 30 minutes later he was seen driving again. This time he was given a second citation for driving on a suspended license and his vehicle was impounded for at least 30 days.
On the second vehicle towed, a search was conducted and narcotics were found. The passenger was issued a citation for possession of a controlled substance. This vehicle had not been registered in almost a year.
The operation took place within the City of Goleta limits during a four-hour operation period. A total of 31 persons were contacted.
“Traffic safety is everyone’s responsibility, especially when we are sharing roadways.” Sergeant Noel Rivas of the Goleta Police Department said. “Our main goal is that everyone gets home to their friends and families.”
Police services for the City of Goleta are provided by the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
20 Comments
-
3
-
1
-
May 25, 2023 08:23 PMPlease do this on Cathedral Oaks! The intersection at Winchester is going to get a cyclist killed... Bikes NEVER stop and if you don't know that, you're gonna hit one!!! I almost have several times and I'm aware of it...
-
-
1
-
May 25, 2023 08:42 PMOGSB - exactly! I live in the Commons area and see it every day at that intersection! Time to set up a sting there!
-
2
-
-
May 25, 2023 10:08 PMSac - a kid was hit this morning on fariview on the way to GVJH ( you prob got the parent square notification). Yeah - all along Cathedral Oaks please and around GVJH needs to be monitored.
-
1
-
1
-
May 26, 2023 09:13 AMthen be more aware when driving. driving a vehicle on city/county streets requires a lot of responsibility.
-
1
-
1
-
May 26, 2023 09:15 AMthey need to sting the cars, not kids trying to get to school. i grew up off of Fairview and berkeley rd. rode around there for decades on my bike with my friends. i've been hit twice out there by unattentive drivers....twice. once near stow grove and the other was near the goleta library.
-
3
-
1
-
May 26, 2023 09:46 AMKARMASB - yeah, but on Cathedral Oaks its not the kids riding to school that are blowing through each and every stop light and stop sign. The kids are respectful and follow the rules usually. I've had to swerve and almost hit a post on the corner with toddlers in my car when a cyclists blew the stop sign as I was lawfully turning left. I've seen my own kid nearly get severely injured by a spandex bro blowing through a cross walk by Brandon. No, there's a very definite "type" of riders out here that put motorists, pedestrians and children in danger due to selfishness.
-
-
1
-
May 26, 2023 11:04 AMohhhh are you talking about the cyclists that think they are in the Tour De France? the guys with the $8000 bikes and fancy tights on? lol yeah those guys are total jerkwads. I love it when I hear them shout, SHARE THE ROAD.
sure, stay in your lane, get some insurance too....
those cyclists are the most obnoxious bunch out there. I live out near the SB harbor and have to deal with those fools trying to take up one of the two car lanes on Cabrillo. Watching them flip off drivers, yell at drivers, and then be as brazen to take up an entire car lane to show off their shaved legs and fancy bikes and tights....god i hate those guys (can ya tell? LOL)
-
2
-
1
-
May 26, 2023 11:06 AMKARMA - yup! "Share the road" as they ride 2-3 next too each other, causing drivers to swerve out into oncoming traffic around curves on Cathedral Oaks. Those guys and gals are the epitome of "entitlement."
-
-
-
May 26, 2023 11:34 AMKARMA, those guys on Cabrillo who yell about sharing the road are the same ones who yell at me if I'm running on Shoreline in the bike line because I'm trying to pass someone with a stroller or dog who is walking on the sidewalk...
-
-
-
May 25, 2023 08:44 PM30 minutes later the same person was driving. If this isn't a reason to change the laws I don't know what is
-
2
-
-
May 25, 2023 10:28 PMTwo things.
First, the fact that a kid was hit on the way to middle school should be it's own story. For all our "talk" about bike friendly schools and eco friendly commutes, the reality leaves a lot to be desired.
Second... his paragraph is funny (except it isn't)....
"One of the vehicles towed was driven by a subject who had a history of being cited several times for driving on a suspended driver’s license. On this date, he was cited for driving on a suspended license. The vehicle was released to a licensed driver and then 30 minutes later he was seen driving again. This time he was given a second citation..."
-
-
-
May 26, 2023 11:37 AMYep...
This time they impounded the car...
-
3
-
1
-
May 26, 2023 07:20 AMI’m thankful they are ticketing bicyclists also.one went flying through a red light on de la vina nearly hit him and he flips me off. Lol
-
1
-
2
-
May 26, 2023 09:12 AMKinda like cars do all day long, every day in town? big difference between a 50lb bike traveling at 15mph and a 3500lb car/truck traveling at 35-40mph (when our downtown streets are only 25mph). It goes both ways dude
-
1
-
1
-
May 26, 2023 10:20 AMIt does go both ways, but cyclists do it far more often, likely due to their size. I very rarely see a car blow through an intersection without even slowing down. If it were as frequent as bikes do, there would be daily carnage and we'd hear about it.
-
2
-
1
-
May 26, 2023 10:22 AMKARMA expresses the indulgent and self-righteous attitude of so many who do not want to live together with the rest of the group. I have been a bicycle rider and I am a car driver. I see users of both behaving badly. I do not ignore the dangerous conduct of those driving cars just because I drive. Bicycle riders who excuse and rationalize and ignore the behavior of other bike rides simply polarize us all.
-
1
-
-
May 26, 2023 11:05 AMnot in Goleta i bet, but dude, downtown it's a common event. this is why i do not drive in the city limits. way too sketchy. I see cars all day long blow through reds on Chapala and again on Castillo/Cabrillo.
-
1
-
2
-
May 26, 2023 11:10 AMsure...the problem really is the fact that we have too many people and too many cars on very narrow tiny streets. that's where it starts. where does it end? we really have very few safe biking options in town now. they build a bike path for bikes to ride on. then pedestrians want to get on it and rename it as mixed use which is BS. All that does is force a bike out of the bike lane which is supposed to keep them in that lane, and into a car lane or even on the side walk then we get yelled at for that. Been here since 1982 and the bike path along the beach has always been a bike path until around the late 1990s when peds started taking it over with self righteous attitudes and challenging bikes that are on it. It's frankly behyond ridiculous at this point. Look people, this is easy stuff. Stop being self entitled and if there is a path with lanes marked and a stencil of a bike on it, and you're walking, stay out of the bike lane. You have huge beautiful sidewalks to walk on that keep y ou protected from bikes, cars, skooters, etc. Once you step into that bike lane, you've become part of the problem. If you want to debate this fact, i'm all game for it. It's logic and you can't win an argument against pure logic.
would you or any of you do the same in a lane for cars? i'd like to think not, but if so, darwin award
-
1
-
-
May 26, 2023 11:37 AMYeah, cyclist and cars. I see people blow through stop signs at schools all the time, at Harding, Monroe, and on Upper W. Valerio. Just this morning, even after the construction, someone rolled through the stop sign at Calle Canon and Valerio without slowing down. I wagged my finger at her.
-
-
2
-
May 26, 2023 11:37 AMThe article is about citing pedestrians and bicyclists. It's not about spandex warriors or those driving cars. There are plenty of LE folks assigned specifically to deal with wayward drivers.
Keep in mind that when a driver is responsible for hitting a cyclist, it's the cyclist who "pays the price." When a cyclist is responsible for being hit by a vehicle, it's the cyclis who pays the price. So, cyclists: Protect yourselves because it's you who will pay the price no matter who was responsible for any vehicle vs bicycle accident. Keep that in mind when riding three or four astride....keep that in mind when you are laying in the hospital or end up in the emergency room while the driver is at home sipping their favorite beverage, snacking on chips without the need for a feeding tube. At least consider the end result when you decide to take on vehicles thinking that "the law" is protecting you. Sorry, but that's the truth of the matter.