My Car-Free Journey
by Steve Atlas
Today, I want to share some good news about funding for public transportation in the United States from the Center for Transportation Excellence (www.cfte.org, e-mail them at info@cfte.org
For more details, and a complete newsletter e-mail info@cfte.org.
Here are a few highlights:
November 2008 Elections Were a Success for Transportation!
Because voters approved more than 70% of transportation-related measures approximately $75 billion will be invested in the infrastructure, operations and maintenance of transportation systems across the country.

Yes to High-Speed Rail between Los Angeles and San Francisco!
After an aggressive campaign that received the support of the governor and both California Senators, + more than 100 business, taxpayer and environmental groups, 52% of voters approved the $9.9 billion high-speed rail bond (Proposition 1A).. Construction on the high-speed rail line from San Francisco to Los Angeles may begin as early as 2011.

Honolulu Voters Approve Commuter Rail
Honolulu can now begin construction on a 20-mile, $4.3 billion commuter rail project after voters passed a city Charter amendment to authorize the construction.
In the weeks leading up to the election a major pro-rail ad campaign was waged. With strong support from Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, voters were able to see beyond the anti-rail campaigns that forced the issue to the ballot in the first place.
For the past three decades, the city has been proposing an elevated rail system to relieve congestion and provide more transportation choices for residents and visitors of Honolulu. With the approval of voters, the project is now expected to begin construction by 2010 and be completed by 2018.

Today’s spotlighted city is Santa Barbara, CA:
Santa Barbara is a walkable city with great beaches that are free to the public. Most attractions can be reached by local bus. It can be a great place to live or vacation without a car. . .

Santa Barbara can be a great place to live without a car!
Bus service is above average in many areas and runs seven days a week. Live telephone customer service is available every day
Bikeways exist in many parts of UCSB, Isla Vista, Goleta, Santa Barbara, and several areas of Montecito, Summerland, and Carpinteria.
The UCSB-Goleta Bikeway is a Class One bikeway, with almost no interaction with surface streets or major arterials at all. Cyclists can move on decent bike paths from the ocean and the Zoo at East Beach past the community college, into the downtown, toward Goleta, and out to the university w/o much trouble if they’re careful.
A fleet of battery-electric downtown-waterfront shuttles take riders
from the upper downtown all the way to the beach, and along the waterfront for just $0.25 @ ride in Santa Barbara. Moderately priced buses provide an easy ride to all outlying communities north, east and west. All major shopping, governmental, service, recreation areas are easily accessible by public transportation and/or bicycle. (However, pedestrians in parts of Goleta and Montecito face challenges in that regard.).
Santa Barbara Airbus runs regular trips to various points in Ventura
County, some in LA County, and Los Angeles International Airport.
Amtrak provides excellent, timely train service. Amtraks Surf Liner
runs six-time-every day between Goleta/ Santa Barbara and San Diego, by way of Los Angeles, under a contract w. CA Dept. of Transportation..
The airport in Santa Barbara/Goleta accessible by bus or bike, offers
a wide range of connector flights between 6AM-11PM 7 days a week.

How Good is Local Public Transportation?
Bus service is available in most parts of Santa Barbara, plus the outlying communities of Goleta, Summerland, and Carpinteria.
There is no service to Hope Ranch or the Riviera, Eucalyptus Hills, and Foothill Road neighborhoods. The Upper East Side is limited to just 1 line with limited hours. Mission Canyon gets minimal daytime service.
Goleta gets no service south of Hollister Avenue, north of University/Berkeley drives, or above Cathedral Oaks. Montecito gets limited service on just 1 line; service to Summerland is available only along the freeway frontage road.

Best Neighborhoods to Live Without a Car
Transit staff and local residents suggest these neighborhoods:
East Side (the area between State Street and Olive Street, below Mission St.), The lower Riviera (above Milpas Street), West Side (i.e. the area between Castillo Street and State Street, up to Alamar), Downtown, (area between Gutierrez, Micheltorena, Garden, and Castillo Streets), San Roque (the lower half, closest to State Street), The Mesa (eastern half, between Castillo St. and Meigs/Shoreline), .and the Goleta neighborhoods 3-4 blocks from Hollister or Calle Real, esp. near Turnpike, Fairview, or west of Storke Road).
A long-time resident and frequent transit user recommends three neighborhoods as exceptionally transit-friendly:
East Mesa, San Roque-Grove Lane-Hitchcock, and West Side/Downtown.

Best Choices For Visitors Without Cars
If you are visiting Santa Barbara without a car, stay in Downtown,
The Waterfront area, San Roque, or the outer State Street area.

Local Resident Who Uses Transit gives these tips:
A Santa Barbara resident who uses transit regularly gives his city a grade
of “8” on a scale of 1 (worst) to 10 (best. He offers these suggestions to anyone
considering moving to Santa Barbara without a car
“If you pick where you live carefully, and schedule where and when
you’re going for things, and do some minimal research, you can visit or access nearly all employment, entertainment, cultural, recreation, scenic, and public service locations on a timely, regular basis: on foot, by bike or bus, or some combination, and do it safely in mostly nice weather.
“If you are considering moving to Santa Barbara without a car,
avoid these areas: Eucalyptus Hills, Riviera, Foothills areas, Hope Ranch, most parts of Montecito, upper Summerland foothills, most parts of Goleta more than 6 blocks from Hollister south of the freeway, or 6 blocks north of Calle Real and Berkeley/University Drives above the freeway.
“Think carefully about the west Mesa area, since Cliff Drive is hard to cross safely, and only the occasional Line 5 serves it.
“Visit before moving here (the housing prices will determine how healthy your heart and blood pressure are). Once here for a visit, buy a (discounted) transit pass. Then ride each bus line from start to finish, while matching the bus route map to the city map, so you can actually see which routes service which destinations well, to meet their individual future needs.
“Ditto for renting a bicycle over a weekend visit. Obtain Traffic Solutions’ (excellent) area bikeway map-guide, then ride along as many bikeways/bike lanes as possible, to see which neighborhoods they go through, how traffic on the roads feels to you, and how long/hard it is to reach destinations that are important to you.”

Where can I get more information about Santa Barbara?
Visitors without cars, go to http://www.santabarbaracarfree.org.
For local bus information, visit the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District’s web site: http://www.sbmtd.gov. Telephone customer service is
Available seven days a week at (805) 683-3702.

Read Steve’s complete report about Santa Barbara. Go to:
www.carfreeamerica.org. On the left side of home page, click on Categories. Select “Living Car Free,” and click on Santa Barbara. You can see reports on cities spotlighted in earlier Car Free Journey columns by clicking on each city.
Visit www.carfreeamerica.org for more ideas about how and where to
live car free, and other tips for reducing car-dependency.
E-mail comments or suggestions for future columns to steve@carfreeamerica.org.