CityofGoleta
Changes Include Bike Lanes, Protected Parallel and Back-In Angled Parking
If you haven’t noticed yet, there are changes to the section of Cathedral Oaks Road from Northgate Drive to Paseo Del Pinion in western Goleta aimed at improving the safety and accessibility for all road users. The newly repaved section now features protected Class IV bike lanes. This innovative design includes parallel and back-in angled parking to create a safer, more inclusive experience for cyclists, pedestrians, and motorists alike. It is also in line with the City’s ongoing commitment to Vision Zero, a long-term commitment to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries.
Public Works Director Nina Buelna said, “We invite all community members to enjoy and explore Cathedral Oaks Road’s enhanced features, setting a new standard for safety and accessibility.”
The new striping for the Class IV bike lanes and parking configuration is a strategic move toward safer, more sustainable travel by reducing potential conflicts among road users and encouraging active transportation options. In all, there are now 89 total parking spaces: 31 new back-in angled parking spaces and 58 parallel parking spaces.
We know bike protected parallel and back-in angled parking is new for Cathedral Oaks Road and may take some getting used to. Here are three steps to help:
- Signal as you approach the spot.
- Stop ahead of the space and then reverse into it.
- Once parked, you’ll have a clear view when exiting.
The City is pleased that there was an opportunity to improve this section of Cathedral Oaks Road when it was recently paved as part of the City’s Pavement Maintenance Project. Staff presented the Goleta City Council with three alternatives for a bike lane and parking, and at the July 16th Council meeting this option was selected and staff moved forward with the work.
Protected AND non-protected bike lanes? 4 bike lanes in all? Hmm. Seems like a convoluted mix of bike and car lanes, and looks like an experiment. Why not?
Traffic nightmare. I’m glad I don’t travel that road.
As a cyclist, I’ve never seen anything so stupid. Why 2 bike lanes? One behind & one in front of the cars. Traffic also sucks now.
I’m guessing that the law requires bikes to be allowed on the street, so we can’t require bikes to use the buffered, separate bike lane. Just a guess—I could be wrong. Anyone know?
It’s just a short stretch where there was room because the property line is set back, so why not? The con saying that it’s a traffic nightmare AND doesn’t travel the road is just making stuff up.
Those lanes are nuts. How they came up with the whole scheme is beyond me.
When do you notice the traffic, though? I drive it a few times a day and while it’s ridiculous, I haven’t seen any more traffic than there used to be in the mornings and afternoons. That’s just me though!
It is not stupid at all. Go look at it for yourself before you pass judgement. It is an improvement on what was there (as a driver and a cyclist).
When I ride my bike by that stretch, nothing is really changed except the road is now in perfect condition and it is well-marked. I ride adjacent to the traffic where I can travel quickly in a clearly marked lane. I simply continue in the same fashion as the rest of Cathedral Oaks. Visibility is great and I rarely encounter someone parking or leaving the parking zones. To me, parallel parkers are treated no differently than the parkers backing in – either way, I slow down and wait a sec for when it is safe to pass.
Why two lanes? They started with a super wide road. If I were to be riding bikes with my kids or choosing to go much slower in that neighborhood, then I would take the bike path adjacent to the sidewalk. It is clearly marked and safer, as they added some barriers (between the car park zone and the bike path) at the end of last week.
Personally, I have never seen traffic in that stretch so I’m not sure why people are complaining about that. It is 1/2 mile from the high school where there will always be traffic at drop off and pick up times.
From what I have seen – traffic moves fine, the condos gained some parking and cyclist have the choice of fast lane and a more protected lane depending on their need.
Has anyone ever done a study to see how many bicyclists actually ride on these streets?
EL BARB – yeah, been plenty I’m sure. Cathedral Oaks is HEAVILY used by cyclists, unlike a lot of the other streets downtown where they jam bike lanes in. Those bike lanes won’t be unused between the kids biking to all the schools along Cathedral Oaks and the spandex road folks who use it as their velodrome. If any street needs good lanes, it’s there.
Constant flow of cyclist every sunny day. And kids ride from the condos to Brandon every school day.