Goleta Residents Divided over Old Town Restriping

Congestion has worsened following this July's restriping of Hollister Avenue in Old Town Goleta, though Councilmember Kyle Richards chalked it up more to nearby bridge and roundabout construction projects. | Credit: Margaux Lovely

This article was underwritten in part by the Mickey Flacks Journalism Fund for Social Justice, a proud, innovative supporter of local news. To make a contribution go to sbcan.org/journalism_fund.

Goleta residents are taking sides in the aftermath of a new street-striping pattern on Hollister Avenue in Old Town, which is now fashioned with one driving lane in each direction. Some see the additional free parking and wide bike lanes as an improvement, while others are up in arms over slower-moving traffic.

Approximately 4,000 individuals live within a half-mile of the project. Families in this group are ecstatic about the new bike lanes, and are safely taking caravans of bicycles, Burleys, and training wheels into town for meals or afternoon treats.

Car-dependent individuals, on the other hand, are largely unimpressed. Before restriping, the mile-long trip between Fairview Avenue and State Route 217 took no more than five minutes. Now, drivers can expect a 15-minute journey during the lunch and after-work hours.

Severe gridlock might be the new rush-hour norm on Hollister, but other ongoing construction projects are exacerbating the problem.

The restriping was only a portion of Project Connect, a broader Old Town project that involves rebuilding the bridge over San Jose Creek to mitigate potential flooding damage and constructing two new roundabouts by the State Route 217 interchange. This construction began in the spring and is the “primary source of congestion … where the bottleneck is occurring,” said Goleta City Councilmember Kyle Richards, who lives in Old Town and “spends time on Hollister Avenue every day.”

“We are confident that once the bridge/roundabout construction is complete, the traffic will flow much better,” he added.

The other concern is cars struggling to complete left turns and getting stuck in the middle of intersections with nowhere else to go. With traffic-confronters tending to take a less-than-forgiving approach to the situation, these cars find themselves embroiled in an orchestra of honks, yells, and the occasional tears.

“Ongoing evaluations, including adjustments to traffic signal timing, are being conducted to optimize traffic flow,” said Interim Public Works Director Nina Buelna in response to this problem.

The 53 diagonal back-in parking spaces — while still being hailed as a rare free-parking win — raise two logistical challenges. When pulling out of the spots, it’s difficult to see oncoming cars and bicycles without first blindly poking your car nose into the bike lane. The other issue, of course, is the average driver’s ability to effectively park in these spots, no matter how many backup cameras and beeping sensors are there to help.

Reverse-angled parking is new and difficult for most, just like parallel parking was for our newly licensed 16-year-old selves. Speaking from experience, a little practice — and this video by Goleta City Councilmember James Kyriaco — can go a long way in getting used to this new maneuver. Other public parking options in Old Town include the Community West Bank lot, the city lot on Orange Avenue, and the newly designated area on Carson Street for those who prefer an alternative parking method.

Some businesses have heard customers threaten to avoid the area altogether, while others shrugged off the concerns, noting that summer months were already slower in Old Town due to nearby UCSB students being home for break. The city will monitor business patterns and traffic counts to evaluate the project over time and make adjustments as needed.

Information about ongoing traffic impacts can be found on Project Connect’s homepage.