Santa Barbara County is working on a project to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety in Isla Vista, a community packed with students, families and young residents who mainly get around by walking, biking, and riding scooters.
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approved a contractor for an Isla Vista bike and pedestrian improvement project on Tuesday.
The project includes filling sidewalk gaps, adding curb extensions on select streets, and new bike lanes. Safety measures will include protected bike lanes, bike boulevards, and flashing beacons at crosswalks.
Second District Supervisor Laura Capps said Isla Vista’s unique density calls for more safety for pedestrians.
“There are so many people living in Isla Vista; it’s very dense and used and loved, and when you add that high density of people, who are for the most part walking and bike riding, that’s when you have to really up your game on pedestrian and intersection safety,” Capps said.
She said the project will help make Isla Vista a safer environment.
“It’s perilous to some degree, and we want to make sure those intersections are safer,” Capps said. “This will help with by adding flashing lights at certain places and curb extensions at various intersections, which will be helpful.”
The county received a $7.1 million grant from the state’s Active Transportation Program and a Local Highway Safety Improvement Program grant to install rectangular rapid flashing beacons at uncontrolled crosswalks along the loop at Seville Road and Madrid Road.
Bike boulevards will be added to Picasso Road, Pardall Road, Abrego Road, Sabado Tarde Road and Camino Corto. Bike boulevards are known as streets with low vehicle traffic and speed and prioritize bicycle travel, but they can vary in their design and implementation.
“Isla Vista is a unique use case because most streets already function as de-facto bike boulevards due to extremely high demand and the number of cyclists on the road,” said Mark Friedlander, the county’s mobility manager. “The Isla Vista Bike and Pedestrian Improvement Project keys in on existing routes people are already using, such as Picasso Road, Pardall Road and Camino Corto, and implements signage and striping changes to establish what is already naturally occurring.”
The plans for the project are not final.
The design phase is expected to last two years with construction beginning in 2027.
Friedlander said the county has been working with the Isla Vista Community Services District, and they plan to present conceptual design plans to the community in the winter.
Friedlander said there are no proposed changes to traffic circulation as of now and that the county will be assessing impacts to parking during the design phase.
“We recognize there are a lot of needs in Isla Vista,” Friedlander said. “This project won’t address all of the needs in Isla Vista, but it is an important first step toward improving access and mobility for the many residents and visitors who walk, bike and take transit in the community.”
