West Mission Jacarandas Cut Down

Check the link posted by EASTBEACH. Public safety.

One mature, healthy street tree removed is one too many. SBRES said it: YEARS.

Right on COASTWATCH

thank you. can we stop with the whole crazy preservation of all the non-native trees and plants.

I LOVE them. They are so pretty. I love seeing them bloom in May / June (but there's one on my street that is blooming now...it's so confused, poor tree.)

However, I don't think removing these few in particular is a big deal. It's for a good reason.

nesting season is a shame, but it's apparently 8 months long and just started last month.

Well, they’ve been planning to do this for awhile, so they could have scheduled it better. Though I wonder how many birds were nesting there; it’s a pretty busy intersection. Do birds care about traffic noise?

And, if we're lucky, they'll be about 3' tall. And maybe 15' at maturity in 10-15 years, whatever they are, probably ornamental pears, not attractive to those pesky birds.

The "public outreach program" was dominated by those who knew it was coming and were prepared to lobby. This was the bike crowd. Comments critical of the proposal were made publicly (on Edhat for example) but the facts of the proposal were not fully disclosed. Now it is a fait accompli like Putin's war. All we can do is try to mitigate the harm and assures that the bicycle people using this walkway are polite and considerate.

6:25 - "The people who walk on the new lane between San Andres and San Pascual will have to share their safe passage with bicycle riders" - is that true? There will only be one lane for both cyclists and pedestrians? Where do you see that? That is awful if true!

SACJON, I did my best to find the new plans. What I found was a wider right of way with new planted trees. This wider right of way along the east side of Mission seems designed to accommodate both pedestrians and bicyclists. In my experience bicyclistz are not likely to dismount and walk with the other pedestrians. And from my knowledge of this area, the sidewalk is now heavily used by families with baby carriages, carrying groceries and groups of young people going to and from school This is an absurd prioritization of the bicycle lobby's interests over those of people who have the right to a safe sidewalk.

6:37pm - yeah, there's no way to safely mix pedestrians, especially with strollers, and cyclists. That is just absurd they'd do that. The spandex warriors have a lot of sway it seems. They want open roads with no rules for them. It's sad how hard the City is bending to them. Every time I drive along the Cota "bike way," I'm blown away by how little use it gets, all at the expense of the local residents.

Hi @558, please explain your comment about Oscar "selling out" to the "bike lobby". Oh wait! You mean the rest of the population of santa barbara that rides bikes? Yeah we certainly asked for better and safer, bike lanes. So if constituents are lobbyists, then we are all guilty, right? Also, you state that "very few riders will use it". Again, how do you know this? You see, being a local since 1982, i can certainly say that the cycling community in SB is HUGE. Now you go on to say that people walk on the new lane.........er...wait. Is there a sidewalk? because if there is, those folks should be walking there, not in the lane made for cycles. When people that think they are better than everyone else, and start walking in a bike path, you create a HUGE safety issue. Bikes are then forced out of the lane into a car lane or on the sidewalk where they certainly aren't supposed to be. See, pedestrians have a sidewalk, bikes have a bike lane. Nifty how that works! It's not a "mixed use" path so stop labeling a path created for cyclists as a mixed use path. You just create more problems with that non sense.

Sac, zero here, new name.
I have biked all over SB county since the early 80s. the roadies as we call them, stick to the road and car lanes. They are no different than pedestrians walking in a bike path. wrong place.
Seems like this new bike path installation also removed a sidewalk and if that's true, that's just dumb as it gets. there needs to be a safe place for strollers and peds which would be a side walk and a safe place for cyclists which would be a bike lane. very unsure why this is still a confusing mess for santa barbarans lol...

@264, stop with the stupid lobbying comments. there is no bike lobby. there are thousands of cyclists in town that vote though....
and guess what. We also pay taxes and every time the city puts in a new bike lane, stupid people think it's for them to walk on, which again, forces bikes out of the lane and into traffic and or the sidewalk which is where the peds should be in the first place. this is why i have a marine airhorn affixed to my mountain bike....and i use it regularly.

Hi Zero! Was wondering where you'd gone! Yes, bikes and peds can't mix, as we've all seen along East Beach. As a kid we used to ride along there and crack up as cyclists and peds would argue, even physically fight! Keep bikes in the road (and following the rules) and the peds on the sidewalks.

Why the username change?

Hey Chevy, deleted old email address. It was compromised after 13 yrs of use. New email account. Plus I've been away in training too. Have signed up to go fight for Ukraine.

yeah i remember watching that, in the 80s when the roller skate rental place was booming, it was roller skates, vs bikes vs peds.
btw, had to kill my old email account so i made a new edhat (and many other accounts). won't be around for long though, i've signed up to go fight for the freedom of Ukraine with some friends. so i'll be going quiet again in a few weeks, for about a year maybe.

Responding to your hostility: I know that very few bike riders use these routes by empirical observation. I go by these areas daily. When I see bicycle riders they are generally groups of recreational users out for a jaunt. Fine, but the locals need these safe spaces for their life activities. There is no "Amsterdam jam" of commuters in our community. These routes will never be a significant part of a "bike to work" effort. I would guess that you are a rider, as I have been over the years. But please prioritize your hobby with the needs of working people. They were abused by this process. These bicycle lanes are the equivalent of the freeways that destroyed neighborhoods until stopped in the last few decades.

KARMA/Zero - seriously? Dang man, way to go! I wonder if ol' Chip or VOICE or any of those guys will actually take up and fight against tyranny and fascisms?

Hello, I'd like to remind you that I am one of 7 council members who voted for the new Westside Community Paseos project. The trees are being removed in preparation for the construction of the Westside Community Paseos project. This project will create new bike routes through the Westside neighborhood connecting to Sola Street.

The tree removals were approved by the Street Tree Advisory Committee and the Parks and Rec Commission. Replacement trees are planned as part of the project. Public meetings were held last year. Last week, street posters were placed as a reminder of the upcoming tree removals in Spanish and English.

Project web site:
https://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/pw/engineering/publicimprovements/westsidecommunitypaseos/default.asp

626, i hear ya and get what you're saying, but i also am on the road/bike lanes probably more than you (i do not drive in town). i think more people ride than you realize, but that's ok! you're entitled to think what you wish to....

@626 gotta jump on this one: "Responding to your hostility: "
so i'm hostile because i just called you out? um ok....snowflake.
"I know that very few bike riders use these routes by empirical observation. I go by these areas daily"
um...ok. so do i, and guess what....i'm on a bike in that lane. are you? nope. just some creepy mfr watching people exercise.

" When I see bicycle riders they are generally groups of recreational users out for a jaunt."
you know this and have interviewed each of them to find out what time they left, where they departed from, where they are going to and how long they have been riding that day? no? didn't think so.

"Fine, but the locals need these safe spaces for their life activities."
um....and people on bikes aren't locals? that's just dumb. ive been a local since 1982, how about you?
"There is no "Amsterdam jam" of commuters in our community. "
really? there sure is! it's called too many cars on very narrow streets with no room for someone to commute on a bike safely
"These routes will never be a significant part of a "bike to work" effort. I would guess that you are a rider, as I have been over the years."
and you're the King of all riders and dictate where we ride and which paths we take? you really should think about your entire post dude. You clearly know jack about this. This is part of the plan that connects to Sola bike lanes, which connect to bath and Castillo bike lanes. but yeah...it's not going to be used.
HERE IS MY FAVORITE LINE:
" I would guess that you are a rider, as I have been over the years. But please prioritize your hobby with the needs of working people. "
So you must be so self absorbed that you assume everyone drives in town. You assume way too much in your tiny narrow world.
I as well as MANY others bike to work. I also bike to the grocery store. I own two vehicles, and chose to not add to more congestion on our streets. The owner of the company i work for, 75 years old, lives in Ellwood and rides his bike in daily. There are also Ebike rentals all over the place and ebikes that are owned, also all over the place in SB. I ride the bike paths. So do others. I ride with several people every morning, all of us have differernt jobs in different locations in the county, but apparently, YOUR need to get to work trumps everyone elses need to get to work or school or exercise. So in short, keep whining to yourself, no one cares.

"They were abused by this process. These bicycle lanes are the equivalent of the freeways that destroyed neighborhoods until stopped in the last few decades."
this doesn't even make sense, so i'll just laugh at you for this weird comment

yes sir. several family members and a few friends of mine are already enroute.

doubtful, chip and the others are warriors for freedom....in their chairs.

thank you, Oscar!

Of course we can safely mix pedestrians and cyclists, but everyone needs to be aware and patient. When I cycle, I usually stick to the roads, but will use shared bike lanes when riding with my elementary kid. Most of the riders I see around town are singles, not groups, except on weekends.

When I am on foot, I use the sidewalk EXCEPT if I'm running and the sidewalk is uneven. I don't need a faceplant. If it's dark, or the sidewalk is narrow (or missing), or slanted, I run in the bike lane or the street. SORRYNOTSORRY.

When I'm in my car, I am always trying to be aware of walkers and cyclists and scooter riders and strollers. Remember, patience is a virtue!

lol, thanks! I thought Huell irritated and pleased me in equal measure, but no -- I am and always have been on Huell's side! I love my jacaranda so much; the family called it my tree 50 years ago. I take good care of it these days, it's still going strong. My yard is full of California poppies too.