Protected Bike Lane to be Completed

As a part of the 2016 Bicycle Master Plan, the City of Santa Barbara will soon complete its first protected bike lane.

The mile long route will connect the Eastside to downtown, running westward along Cota Street before returning east along Haley. This path will provide a safe route to school for Santa Barbara Junior High School students.

The complete Bicycle Master Plan outlines goals and strategies to improve bicycle safety and connectivity in the city limits. The plan has four main goals:

• to achieve safety for all road users
• to close gaps in the bike network
• to complete streets and multi-modal access
• to develop a Santa Barbara style bicycle infrastructure

The City has been able to expand the bicycle network by almost 27 miles since the 1998 Bicycle plan.

Some argue that today’s safety problems on the road stem from confusion about the appropriate use of bikes on the street. The plan seeks to eliminate this confusion by educating community members, enforcing the rules of the road, and resolving conflicts in roadway design that do not fully address the safety needs of all users, including pedestrians and bikers.

The plan contends that closing gaps in the bicycle network will be essential in providing a safe, continuous path throughout the city that connects all neighborhoods and destinations. It also claims to make biking a more accessible and convenient option. In this manner, the plan will also support facilities that encourage biking.

Click here to learn more. You can see the full master plan here.