Santa Barbara Streets Not So Safe for Bicyclists, Pedestrians
City Receives $800,000 Grant to Help Tackle ‘Unusually High’ Rate of Traffic Incidents
Santa Barbara may have a reputation for safe streets, but a report given to City Council this week revealed that in 2021 the city had the highest number of bicyclists killed or injured by vehicles– more than 100 other similar-sized California cities.
The city’s Supervising Transportation Planner Jessica Grant shared the report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as the city is preparing to craft a “Safe Streets for All” action plan using part of a nearly $800,000 federal grant.
From 2017 to 2021, there were 25 traffic fatalities in the city, and in 2021 specifically, the city reported 85 bicyclists killed or injured — the highest total among 105 cities with similar population size.
That same year, the city reported the seventh-most pedestrians killed or injured (35), third-most motorcyclists killed or injured (32), and the third-highest number of alcohol related collisions (95).
Grant explained that the city’s “strong active transportation network” meant there were a lot more bicyclists than other “more vehicle-dominated” cities of the same size. “So we will always rank a little bit higher, just to put that in context,” she said. “But nonetheless, it’s not good to have these high rankings.”
The Safe Streets for All plan, she said, would continue the city’s existing Bicycle Master Plan and Vision Zero initiatives, which include dozens of programs and infrastructure projects.
Several councilmembers expressed concerns about some of the existing bike path updates in the Westside and Eastside neighborhoods.
Councilmember Alejandra Gutierrez said neighbors who lived near the “islands” meant to divert traffic and allow for bike access on Alisos Street complained that they had trouble navigating the newly blocked streets. She worried that the city was not getting enough input from the community that has led to a perception “that the city cares more about bicyclists than the actual people that live in the district.”
Councilmember Oscar Gutierrez said he has heard similar complaints about an intersection on the Westside that actually blocked a fire truck from entering the area.
The council unanimously accepted the federal grant of $799,400 for the action plan, which must be completed within two years. Councilmembers also asked the staff to engage in deeper discussions with the community about the impacts of the recent bike path improvements on residents and emergency services.
