Isla Vista Community Services District Hosts Final Transportation Workshop

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Isla Vista, CA – Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) hosted an Isla Vista Transportation Workshop on Wednesday, May 24th.  Over 50 attendees participated in group discussions around five different topics. The workshop focused on solutions to the problems residents face in their everyday transportation and mobility experiences. 

Topics included pedestrian, bike, and bus infrastructure as well as focused questions on specific streets including but not limited to Pardall and Del Playa. The final topic covered Isla Vista as a whole and regional trips residents and community members take. Each topic had a number of discussion questions for attendees to share feedback while looking at maps and photos of suggested improvements. The meeting was held in person at the Isla Vista Community Center and Spanish, Mandarin, and ASL interpretation were provided along with childcare and dinner. 

The list of recommended projects presented at the Workshop was created based on community feedback, collision and safety data, and recommendations from traffic engineers both with KTUA and the County of Santa Barbara’s Public Works Department. 

For the last year and a half, IVCSD has been engaging with residents and community members through a variety of events to gather feedback on what challenges are faced getting around Isla Vista. Over 1,000 survey responses were collected, transportation pop-up events were hosted, lighting walks, town halls, and continued engagement at events and door-to-door canvassing led the District to this Final Transportation Workshop. During that time, an Existing Conditions Report has been drafted and presented to the community and IVCSD’s Board. Next, the District will work with KTUA, the consultants hired for active transportation planning to draft the very first Isla Vista Mobility Plan. The final steps will include presenting the draft plans to local stakeholders before moving to the funding and implementation phase. 

Click here to learn more about the grant IVCSD from the California Air Resources Board and the incredible group of community partners supporting these efforts. 

“I am extremely proud of how engaging a process this has been. Every seat and table was full. Even after the 2 hours dedicated to the workshop had concluded, connections were still being made and neighbors were sharing their feedback with all of us Board Members, Staff, and our Partners,” said Marcos Aguilar, IVCSD Board President.