Applications to fill three vacancies will be accepted until August 16, 2021   

Santa Barbara County Association of Governments seeks interested individuals to fill three vacancies on the Measure A Citizens’ Oversight Committee. The committee provides important accountability for the expenditure of an estimated $1 billion of Measure A, voter-mandated, high priority transportation projects and programs throughout Santa Barbara County.
 
People who serve on the Measure A Citizens’ Oversight Committee are a part of regional transportation efforts to relieve traffic congestion and improve public safety. Those who represent diverse transportation, geographic, social, cultural, and economic interests in the county are encouraged to apply.
 
The Measure A Citizens’ Oversight Committee is comprised of 11 community leaders who represent North County, South Coast, and the region “at-large.” Two vacancies must be filled by individuals who live in Buellton; Guadalupe; Lompoc; Santa Maria; Solvang; or the unincorporated areas of Orcutt, Vandenberg Village, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez and New Cuyama.
 
Appointed members serve four-year terms and can be reappointed to additional terms at the discretion of the SBCAG Board of Directors. The Committee conducts meetings one to three times a year and annually submits comments to the SBCAG Board of Directors on whether the provisions, requirements, and voter mandates as outlined by the Measure A Investment Plan and Ordinance have been properly carried out.
 
The Measure A Investment Plan and Ordinance provides an estimated $140 million in matching funds to make local and U.S. highway 101 multimodal improvements from Santa Barbara to Mussel Shoals. The plan also provides an estimated $455 million each in North County and South Coast for transportation projects and programs to build safer walking and bike routes to schools, increase senior and disabled accessibility to public transit, increase options for carpool and vanpool programs as well as local street improvements such as pothole repairs and synchronized traffic signals.
 
To apply, individuals are encouraged to download and complete the application by 5 p.m. on Monday, August 16, 2021. The application is available to download below. Alternatively, interested individuals may request an application from Lauren Bianchi Klemann, SBCAG’s government affairs and public information manager, at lbianchiklemann@sbcag.org or (805) 961-8900.
 
SBCAG administers Measure A according to strict accountability provisions including annual independent financial audits and public review of expenditures by the Measure A Citizen's Oversight Committee.
 
More information about Measure A is available on the measure’s website. ​

Clean Air Express and Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District give customers options to “tap to ride” as a result of a California Integrated Travel Project contactless payment demonstration. 

Contactless payment options are being introduced on Clean Air Express buses and on a selection of Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) buses starting today, Monday, July 26, 2021.
 
The innovative fare payment system is being made available as part of a six-month demonstration with the California Integrated Travel Project (Cal-ITP), an initiative of the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) and California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to simplify travel by increasing access to public transit—including easier, faster payments via contactless credit/debit/prepaid cards and mobile wallets on smart devices.
 
The contactless payment system for Santa Barbara MTD and Clean Air Express is the first to be introduced among public transit providers in the Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo tri-county region and one of the first three systems to be deployed statewide. The tap-to-ride system uses cutting-edge fare payment technology provided by specialist partners Littlepay, Kuba, Cybersource, and Elavon. 
 
“Older fare collection systems create unnecessary barriers for people to ride and choose transit,” said Marjie Kirn, executive director of SBCAG, which operates the Clean Air Express. “With the new contactless payment system, customers can now pay their fare the same way they can buy a coffee or groceries by simply tapping a credit, debit card, or using a mobile wallet on a smart phone or watch with no registration or account setup needed.”
 
In addition to Visa and MasterCard credit and debit cards with tap-to-pay capabilities, mobile payments options include Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and Fitbit Pay. While registration or account setup will not be required to use the system, an online portal will be available to all customers paying with a card who need a receipt or would like to check their recent rides and fare payments.
 
“We are excited to introduce this convenient payment option for our riders,” said Jerry Estrada, general manager of Santa Barbara MTD. “We’re piloting this technology on ten of our buses, serving Lines 12x and 24x. This means you’ll be able to get to UCSB, Downtown Santa Barbara, Camino Real Marketplace, and Old Town Goleta with a simple tap of a card or device.”
 
Clean Air Express and Santa Barbara MTD customers will see contactless payment readers installed at the front of the designated buses. If a customer’s debit or credit card is valid and has the contactless symbol on it or if they use a mobile payment option, they can tap it on the payment reader, look for a green checkmark on the payment reader’s screen, and take a seat to ride.
 
“Much of our goal is a more modern and consistent transportation experience throughout California,” said Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin. “Allowing riders to pay for transit with the same methods they use elsewhere not only increases efficiency and mobility, but also reduces barriers to using public transportation.”
 
Automatic fare capping enables both transit providers to offer riders the ability to pay-as-they-go to receive multi-ride discounts when riders tap to pay with the same contactless payment card or device throughout the day or within a 30-day period.    
 
Santa Barbara MTD customers pay the standard adult fare of $1.75 simply by tapping their card or device. Riders using the same payment card or device with the new system will automatically not be charged more than $6 a day or $52 in a 30-day period, which is equivalent to purchasing a one-day or 30-day pass. As an example, if a rider takes four or more trips in one day using a same card or device, the new system will only charge the rider $6 total for the day. Santa Barbara MTD buses with the contactless payment capability will have a special decal next to the front door of the bus, labeled with “Tap to Pay” and the contactless indicator symbol.
 
Clean Air Express customers using the contactless payment system will be charged $6, a $1 discount from the standard $7 one-way cash fare. Existing Clean Air Express multi-ride fare discounts are honored with the new system, with riders automatically not being charged more than $10 per day—or $150 over 30 days—when using the same payment card or device.
 
Clean Air Express and Santa Barbara MTD still accept physical passes and cash payments. The contactless payment option is just one more way to pay a fare—and to do so in a quick, secure way on both transit providers.
 
Together, the adjoining transit providers are making it simpler for Central Coast riders to travel along U.S. 101 and into and around Santa Barbara’s North and South Counties. Whether a day-tripper or a commuter, a North County rider can tap to enjoy a scenic coastline ride on Clean Air Express, transferring in Goleta or Santa Barbara to tap onto a Santa Barbara MTD bus to continue to ride seamlessly to South Coast workplaces, restaurants, shops, and beaches.
 
 
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ABOUT CLEAN AIR EXPRESS
The Clean Air Express is operated by SBCAG and funded by Measure A, Santa Barbara County’s Transportation Sales Tax measure, to serve residents of Northern Santa Barbara County commuting to jobs in Goleta and Santa Barbara. The service features a fleet of 17 charter-style buses. Clean Air Express provides a fast, convenient, and money-saving way to get to work. The service currently operates a limited schedule due to COVID-19, operating 18 one-way trips each weekday, down from 26. The Clean Air Express serves an average of 7,000 riders per month. The service eliminates as much as 400,000 vehicle miles traveled from the County’s roads each month, helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the region.
 
For complete information and answers to frequently asked questions about the tap-to-ride contactless payment service, visit http://cleanairexpress.com/taptoride. For schedule information, visit www.cleanairexpress.com.
 
ABOUT SANTA BARBARA MTD:
Santa Barbara MTD is the public transit provider for a 52 square mile area of Southern Santa Barbara County, serving the communities of Santa Barbara, Goleta, Carpinteria, Montecito, Summerland, and Isla Vista. MTD provides 6.4 million passenger trips annually, and operates a fleet of 112 transit vehicles. The mission of Santa Barbara MTD is to enhance the mobility of South Coast residents, commuters, and visitors by offering safe, appealing, equitable, environmentally responsible, and fiscally sound transit service.
 
For complete information on MTD’s pilot and to get answers to frequently asked questions, visit https://sbmtd.gov/TaptoRide. For schedule information, visit www.sbmtd.gov.
 
ABOUT CAL-ITP:
The California Integrated Travel Project (Cal-ITP) was established by the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) and California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to simplify travel across California. There are hundreds of public transit providers in California, with no single system for collecting fares, verifying eligibility for fare discounts, or providing up-to-date vehicle arrival information to riders. This lack of uniformity creates barriers for new riders, complicates travel across different systems, and increases expenses for individual providers. Cal-ITP is working with transit providers to build a modern and consistent travel experience for Californians of all incomes, ages, and abilities—by enabling contactless, open-loop payments, automating customer discounts, and standardizing information for easy multimodal trip planning.

​For more information, visit www.calitp.org.

More than 25 online and smaller in-person rides and activities available in Santa Barbara County’s Southcoast throughout the month of May .

CycleMAYnia is back in 2021 as Santa Barbara County’s southcoast celebrates national bike month throughout May. More than 25 in-person bicycling activities and online events will be offered at the 12th annual event. In-person rides or activities have capacity limits with some requiring pre-registration to ensure equipment availability as well as the health and safety of all riders. The public is encouraged to check out the event calendar on CycleMAYnia's website and register for activities before they fill up. 
 
​
Bicycling increased by 16 percent in the United States since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, highlighted by a April study published in the Transport Review Journal.
 
“We are thrilled to bring back the joy of CycleMAYnia this year,” said Marjie Kirn, Executive Director of SBCAG. “Bicycling has increased significantly in the United States since the COVID-19 pandemic and it is exciting to be able to formally offer online and smaller, in-person activities throughout the month of May to support the uptick in bicycling in our own community. I am particularly looking forward the two electric bike demo pop-ups in the cities of Goleta and Carpinteria as well as the Family Walk & Roll Bike to Nature Rides with the Coalition for Sustainable Transportation and Wilderness Youth Project.”
 
“CycleMAYnia 2021 has something for everyone, whether you are new to cycling, a parent, a bike nerd, or curious about electric bikes,” said Kent Epperson, Director of SBCSG’s Traffic Soutions. “I hope the public takes an opportunity to check out the weekly themes and the variety of fun activities we have planned to celebrate the joy of bicycling that helps bring about a cleaner and healthier community. Even more, it’s beyond time for us to be able to come together like this in a safer environment to just-have-fun!”
 
CycleMAYnia features weekly themes, six online presentations, 11 socially distanced community rides, and eight fun outdoor activities.

• Week 1: “Ready Set Go” – Activities featuring a presentation on electric bike trends, technology and how to choose one, in-person e-bike demos, and National Bike to School Day being celebrated at a select number of elementary and junior high schools.
• Week 2: “Adventure and Around the World Travel” – Features a Mother’s Day Ride, online presentations sharing local BCycle adventure rides, Cycling Without Age adventures for seniors and those with physical disabilities, and local mountain bike adventures exploring the Santa Barbara backcountry, and a Bike to Nature Ride for families with kids.
• Week 3: “Kids and Families” – Bike to Nature Rides for families with kids, a panel presentation on Biking with Little Ones, and a Bike-in Movie screening of The Ride (released in 2018).
• Week 4: “Bicycle Friendly Communities” – Presentation and discussions from bike planners about the changing trends and landscape of bike infrastructure in Santa Barbara County and beyond. A panel presentation on Living Car-Free or Car-Lite, and two community bike rides including the monthly Bike DeLights ride and a Community E-Bike Ride.

 
The month is also filled with weekly activities and rides: Taco Tuesday E-Bike Demos, Wheelie Wednesdays, and Bike to Nature Rides for families and children.
 
Founded in 2009, CycleMAYnia is a public/private collaboration using community resources and South Coast Measure A Bicycle and Pedestrian funds to organize activities for the community, which also receives support from large numbers of volunteers and organizations like the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition (SBBIKE) and the Coalition for Sustainable Transportation (COAST).
 
The public is encouraged to read more about the bike month activities and view the calendar of activities on the CycleMAYnia website.

Quick link:
Event Calendar

The annual report highlights significant achievements of Measure A funded programs and projects in 2020 including progress made for the Highway 101: Carpinteria to Santa Barbara project, telecommuting, public transit, and local street and pedestrian improvement projects.

Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) released its 2020 Measure A annual report with a focus on milestone achievements over the last year such as the start of construction for the Highway 101 Carpinteria to Santa Barbara project, the rise of congestion relief strategies like telecommuting in the era of the pandemic as well as local street and pedestrian improvement projects. The report further recognizes the partnerships among SBCAG, cities, county unincorporated areas, transit agencies and alternative transportation leaders to deliver on promises to voters through Measure A. Measure A is the region’s local transportation sales tax measure that passed overwhelming (79 percent) by voters in November 2008. SBCAG administers Measure A which is expected to provide more than $1 billion of estimated local tax revenues for high priority regional and local transportation projects and programs including bicycle, pedestrian, and transit opportunities in Santa Barbara County over 30 years.  

Together with SBCAG, the Measure A Citizens Oversight Committee helps keep the measure on-track and aligned with all the voter-approved projects and programs. Mark Cheli, Chair of the Measure A Citizens Oversight Committee remarks on efforts over the last year. “While 2020 saw milestone achievements in Measure A programs and projects, we know that the year was also shaped by unprecedented challenges because of the pandemic, most acutely felt within public transit. The long-term impact of COVID-19 on the economy and Measure A revenues remains to be seen, however, this annual report demonstrates a resilient commitment to continue to make progress on voter priorities.”

The Measure A Citizens Oversight Committee welcomed three new members in 2020 following a competitive recruitment process: J Lansing Duncan, Tomas López, and Geoffrey Slaff. J. Lansing Duncan, resident of Santa Ynez Valley, is a retired landscape contractor and landscape designer as well as educator with Santa Barbara Community College. Tomas López, resident of Santa Maria, is local business owner and licensed Civil Engineer. Geoffrey Slaff, a resident of Montecito, has a PhD in Biochemical Engineering and his professional career included working with start-ups as well as U.S. and European based multi-national corporations.

Marjie Kirn, Executive Director of SBCAG, remarks on Measure A commitments in 2021. “As 2021 is upon us, SBCAG is more resolved than ever to continue to leverage Measure A to bring about additional state and federal investment to improve our communities, put people to work, and promote economic recovery. This would not be possible without the tremendous support of Santa Barbara County voters.”

Measure A invests in high priority transportation projects and programs selected by the North County and South Coast regions of Santa Barbara County to address current and future needs of each region. North County and South Coast each receive 43.4 percent of revenues, or an estimated $455 million, over the lifespan of the measure. The highest priority countywide project in the Measure A program is the Highway 101 Multimodal Corridor project, which is identified to receive 13.4 percent of revenues generated, estimated at $140 million, to leverage state and federal investment to fully fund the project. The public can learn more about Measure A on the measure’s website. Additionally, the public can access information about the Highway 101 Multimodal Corridor project on the project’s website.     

Santa Barbara County Association of Governments Board of Directors vote 12-1 to distribute 24,856 housing units to the region’s eight cities and unincorporated areas to adequately plan to meet future housing needs.

The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) Board of Directors voted 12-1 to distribute the final 24,856 countywide regional housing needs allocation (RHNA) number to local cities and the county for their future housing production planning efforts over an eight-year period between the years of 2023 and 2031. Director Al Clark, Carpinteria City Councilmember, voted in opposition. The distribution methodology prioritizes reducing countywide jobs-housing imbalance and advances five statewide objectives, such as promoting infill development, affirmatively furthering fair housing, and seeking parity across the region as it relates to housing offered to various income-level housing needs. The board’s action allocates 60 percent of the final countywide number to South Coast where 60 percent of the region’s jobs exist.  Local jurisdictions have a 45-day appeal period to appeal their own allocation, or another jurisdiction’s allocation.
​
“While the Regional Housing Needs Allocation process is technical, it can also be acrimonious and misunderstood. At the end of the day, our responsibility as cities and counties is to do everything we can to help housing production for people who live and work in our communities,” said SBCAG Vice-Chair Das Williams, Supervisor First District. “This is vital for our region’s prosperity, to meet climate change goals and reduce impacts of traffic congestion resulting from the imbalance between affordable housing opportunities and where jobs exist.”
 
The adopted allocation methodology distributes housing units through a two-step process that is representative of Santa Barbara County’s distinct subregions – North County and South Coast to allow for an intentional focus on the county’s respective, subregional jobs-housing imbalance. The first step factors existing and forecasted jobs to address the current jobs-housing imbalance while also acknowledging future conditions will change over time. The second step allocates housing units to each respective local jurisdiction giving equal weight to social equity considerations of communities experiencing overcrowding and cost burden. Cost burden is defined by households expending more than 30 percent of income on housing and overcrowding is defined by households with more than one person per room, including a living room.  The housing unit number assigned to each jurisdiction is then respectively balanced per income level type i.e., very low to above moderate in comparison to the region to ensure there is an equity of income levels represented among all the local jurisdictions in Santa Barbara County. 
 
The table below provides allocations shared with cities and the county following the SBCAG Board action based on the final housing need determination and methodology.







Local jurisdictions will have 45-day appeal period to appeal their own allocation, or another jurisdiction’s allocation. The close of the appeals period is expected to be May 3, 2021. At the close of the appeals period, SBCAG will notify all local agencies of any appeals received. If no appeals are received SBCAG will issue final RHNA allocations. The final plan will be considered by the SBCAG Board during the August 2021 meeting.
 
                                                                                           ###
 
ATTACHMENTS (LINKS):

1. March 18 Regional Housing Needs Allocation SBCAG Board Staff Report
2. March 18 Regional Housing Needs Allocation SBCAG Board Powerpoint Presentation

 
WHAT IS RHNA?
RHNA is the State’s fair share housing law.  It requires local governments to plan for a minimum number of housing units across four income groups.  The State’s Housing and Community Development department is responsible for determining each region’s need.  Regional agencies, such as SBCAG, are responsible for developing a methodology to allocate the housing units to local governments.  Finally, each local government, by updating its Housing Element, accommodates its share of housing need.  This is the 6th cycle which covers the 2023-2031 period. More information can be found on HCD’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation and Housing Elements’ webpage. 

​
​

Allocating 24,856 housing units for housing production planning efforts in the region’s eight cities and unincorporated areas to be considered at the March 18 meeting of the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments Board of Directors.  
​
At 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 18, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) Board of Directors will consider adoption of a regional housing needs allocation (RHNA) distribution methodology for the region. The methodology will delineate exactly how many housing units, of the final 24,856 countywide number, local cities and the county must address in their respective planning efforts for future housing production over an eight-year period between the years of 2023 and 2031. In February, the SBCAG Board of Directors approved the final RHNA determination number of 24,856, which was 15 percent below the draft figure. The methodology before the SBCAG Board on March 18 proposes to allocate 60 percent of the final 24,856 countywide number to South Coast where 60 percent of the region’s jobs exist. The meeting will be held with remote virtual participation with multiple ways the public can participate, which are outlined on the agenda available at www.sbcag.org.  
 
SBCAG, in consultation with the region’s cities and county planning and community development division staff as well as California’s Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), explored a variety of potential distribution methodologies between February and December 2020 to meet state objectives. The proposed methodology, which was discussed by the SBCAG Board on December 17, 2020 and reviewed by HCD in February 2021, seeks to address the region’s jobs-housing imbalance as well as advance the five statutory RHNA objectives, such as promoting infill development, affirmatively furthering fair housing, and seeking parity across the region as it relates to housing offered to various income-level housing needs.
 
Specifically, the proposed methodology distributes housing units through a two-step process that is representative of Santa Barbara County’s distinct subregions – North County and South Coast to allow for an intentional focus on the county’s respective, subregional jobs-housing imbalance. The first step factors existing and forecasted jobs to address the current jobs-housing imbalance while also acknowledging future conditions will change over time. The second step allocates housing units to each respective local jurisdiction giving equal weight to social equity considerations of communities experiencing overcrowding and cost burden. Cost burden is defined by households expending more than 30 percent of income on housing and overcrowding is defined by households with more than one person per room, including a living room.  The methodology allocates housing units to local jurisdictions based on their relative proportion of cost burdened and overcrowded households. The housing unit number assigned to each jurisdiction is then respectively balanced per income level type i.e., very low to above moderate in comparison to the region to ensure there is an equity of income levels represented among all the local jurisdictions in Santa Barbara County.  The table below provides draft allocations based on the final housing need determination and proposed methodology.

​

The final RHNA methodology was presented to SBCAG Technical Planning Advisory Committee earlier this month. The technical committee is comprised of community development and planning staff from Santa Barbara County’s eight cities and the county as well as a representative from Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District. The committee voted unanimously, with the cities of Carpinteria and Solvang absent, to recommend the SBCAG Board of Directors adopt the final methodology.
 
Should the SBCAG Board adopt the methodology, local jurisdictions will have 45-day appeal period to appeal their own allocation, or another jurisdiction’s allocation consistent with Government Code Section 65584.05(b). The close of the appeals period is expected to be May 3, 2021.
 
                                                                                          ###

ATTACHMENT
California Department of Housing and Community Development Review of the Draft Regional Housing Need Allocation Methodology Letter (February 12, 2021).
 
WHAT IS RHNA?
RHNA is the State’s fair share housing law.  It requires local governments to plan for a minimum number of housing units across four income groups.  The State’s Housing and Community Development department is responsible for determining each region’s need.  Regional agencies, such as SBCAG, are responsible for developing a methodology to allocate the housing units to local governments.  Finally, each local government, by updating its Housing Element, accommodates its share of housing need.  This is the 6th cycle which covers the 2023-2031 period. More information can be found on HCD’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation and Housing Elements’ webpage. 

Santa Barbara County Association of Governments Board of Directors February 18 meeting agenda includes consideration for adoption the 24,856 housing units as the final regional housing needs determination for local cities and county jurisdictions to plan to accommodate through 2031.

The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) received the final Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) determination from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) of 24,856 housing units which is approximately 15 percent below the previous draft number of 29,313 units presented to the SBCAG Board of Directors last November. The final number represents Santa Barbara County’s eight-year, between 2023 and 2031, minimum housing need across various income-levels as defined by State law. On Thursday, February 18 the SBCAG Board of Directors will consider accepting the 24,856 RHNA number or request to file an objection to the State of California. The meeting starts at 10 a.m. and will be conducted with remote public participation only, suggested methods of participation is listed on the SBCAG Board meeting agenda.    
 
The 15 percent reduction is attributed to SBCAG staff’s continued consultation with HCD on the region’s draft determination that focused attention on further analyzing two components: accuracy of data sources and comparable regions related to overcrowding and cost burden. Additionally, updated American Community Survey data became available during the consultation process that was subsequently integrated into the formula calculating the final determination helping to lower the number of units.
 
The final RHNA determination was presented to SBCAG Technical Planning Advisory Committee earlier this month, the committee voted unanimously to recommend to the SBCAG Board of Directors to accept the final number. The technical committee is comprised of community development and planning staff from Santa Barbara County’s eight cities and the county.
 
Following a decision on the final RHNA number, the SBCAG Board of Directors must adopt a final methodology by which to distribute the 24,856 regional housing needs determination among Santa Barbara County’s eight cities and unincorporated areas. The final methodology will be considered for approval at the March SBCAG Board of Directors’ meeting. A draft methodology was presented to the SBCAG Board at the December 17 meeting which proposed distributing housing units by addressing the region’s jobs-housing imbalance as well as advance statutory objectives, such as promoting infill development, affirmatively furthering fair housing, and seek consistency across the region as related to the housing offered to the various income-level needs.
 
WHAT IS RHNA?
 
RHNA is the State’s fair share housing law.  It requires local governments to plan for a minimum number of housing units across four income groups.  The State’s Housing and Community Development department is responsible for determining each region’s need.  Regional agencies, such as SBCAG, are responsible for developing a methodology to allocate the housing units to local governments.  Finally, each local government, by updating its Housing Element, accommodates its share of housing need.  This is the 6th cycle which covers the 2023-2031 period. More information can be found on HCD’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation and Housing Elements’ webpage.  

Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) launches new program for local residents and commuters to try out various models of electric bikes for free as a measure to reduce traffic and air pollution in Santa Barbara County. 
​

EZ Bike Project, a new electric bicycle (e-bike) demo program operated by SBCAG Traffic Solutions division, gets underway offering a wide range of free e-bike demos of various models including cargo bikes, cruisers, city bikes, and folding bikes to local residents and commuters as a measure to reduce traffic and air pollution in Santa Barbara County. The EZ Bike Project is located at the Bike Spot, a City of Santa Barbara self-serve valet bike parking facility at 1219 Anacapa Street in Downtown Santa Barbara. Those interested to reserve an e-bike must either live or work in Santa Barbara County and can visit the EZ Bike website to sign-up for a demo. In the coming months, SBCAG plans to offer shorter demo rides on weekdays and during single-day pop-up opportunities countywide.
 
E-bikes have become more accessible to the average consumer. Most of the leading bike manufacturers offer a few different models making it challenging to compare one model from another when they are only available for purchase online. 
 
Kent Epperson, Director of SBCAG Traffic Solutions explains, “greater competition and economies of scale have brought down the price and increased the accessibility, quality and selection of e-bikes. The EZ Bike Project has a fleet of 10 e-bikes from local and online retailers that range in price from less than $1,000 to $3,500. The selection offers participants the opportunity to compare features, pricing, and ride quality between the different demo bikes. Either way, the investment one makes in an e-bike will save money compared to driving a car.”
 
While bicycle shops offer e-bike test rides of the models they carry, they are generally limited to a short test ride around the bike shop. The EZ Bike Project offers the opportunity to test riding an e-bike in a variety of conditions and routes over the weekend and at an individual’s own pace without the pressure to purchase a bicycle.
 
There are several benefits associated with e-bikes in transportation for the environment and personal health. Nancy Eckert, SBCAG’s EZ Bike Project coordinator, notes that in addition to those benefits how much joy an e-bike can bring to people who have never ridden an e-bike before, “e-bikes are smile factories. I know that when people return the bikes on Monday, they’ll come back with fun stories of the magic moments and childlike wonder that they experienced while test riding an e-bike.”
 
E-bikes are recognized as more accessible to those who have physical limitations which might prevent them from riding a standard bike. Kendra Wise, Santa Barbara County supervising environmental health specialist, a recent e-bike convert after participating in a demo stated, “until I test rode an e-bike I had no idea that it was such a game changer.  After the demo day I ended up buying an electric bike and use it to commute whenever I can.  If a not-so-in-shape mom with a minivan can ride an e-bike, anyone can.”
 
Those interested to reserve an e-bike can visit the EZ Bike website to sign-up for a demo.  Reservation options are available for Thursday to Monday e-bike trials and must be made by 5pm the Wednesday prior to the reservation.  There is no charge for the demo, however a returnable credit card damage deposit is required to test ride a e-bike.
 
The EZ Bike Project is proud to partner with Trek Bicycles, Bicycle Bob’s, and Santa Barbara Electric Bikezzz.  These sponsors made it possible to offer a wider range of demo options for people to test ride.  Courtesy of the EZ Bike sponsors, participants of the EZ Bike Project can receive a discount for an e-bike or bike accessories. Bicycle Bob’s is offering a 10% discount (up to $250) on a Trek e-bike and Santa Barbara Electric Bikezzz is offering a free high security ABUS lock with the purchase of an e-bike.

The formal public comment period for the 2021 Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP) begins January 18. FTIP identifies federally funded surface transportation projects in Santa Barbara County that are proposed for implementation within the next four to five years.

This is the single, go-to, reference document for the public and government agencies to understand where, when, and how federal funding will be spent within the county. The 2021 FTIP is posted on the SBCAG website.  

Public comment will be accepted via mail through the U.S. Postal Services to SBCAG at 260 North San Antonio Road, Suite B, Santa Barbara, CA 93110, or via email to info@sbcag.org through 5:00 p.m. on February 17.  The SBCAG Board of Directors will consider adoption of 2021 FTIP on February 18, 2021.