Filthy Bird Bombs
As someone who walks Cabrillo Boulevard on a daily basis, I have to question who is responsible for its oversight.
For starters, the two large trees in front of Los Baños pool center are completely full of obnoxiously loud birds who bombard the sidewalk relentlessly with their defecation, to the point where you cannot walk on the sidewalk underneath for fear of being whitened. And if the wind is blowing just right, you can smell the stench beyond Sambo’s. Great impression we are giving tourists (and locals) trying to enjoy the shoreline. The trees need to be thinned out to deter these filthy birds from establishing permanent nests and to displace the ones who already have.
Secondly, the posted speed limit on Cabrillo between State and the bird refuge is 35 mph. Not a day passes when I do not see at least one car blow by me doing at least 80 mph and often multiple cars racing one another. Considering the number of pedestrians along Cabrillo, this is a real danger. It would take just one of these careless drivers to hop a curb and wipe out multiple pedestrians. Rarely do I see any police patrolling, but I can assure that if they set up a radar anywhere between Chase Palm Park and the zoo between 5-8 p.m., they could hand out hundreds of citations every week.
Finally, there are numerous small signs along Cabrillo that prohibit bicycles and skateboards on the sidewalk. These signs go largely ignored. Despite the separate and clearly marked bike path along the beach, the pedestrian sidewalk is inundated with bikes, skateboards, and rental pedal carts. In addition to the inconvenience to pedestrians, this is another major safety concern that is not being monitored by law enforcement.
The stretch between Castillo and the bird refuge is predominantly a tourist area during the summer months and truly a Santa Barbara showpiece. It should be maintained and protected in a way that represents the best of Santa Barbara, not in a way that makes it look like Santa Barbara does not care about safety and well-being of its visitors.