Thank you for posting excerpts of Josh Molina’s excellent Nov. 3 interview, “Outspoken Cruisery Owner Aron Ashland Raises Concerns About Bicycles.”
I wholeheartedly agree with all of the points Ashland makes, especially those with regard to permitting bicycles to mix with pedestrians on the State Street promenade that is closed to motor vehicle traffic.
To be sure, there are accidents that have happened as well as accidents that are waiting to happen between cyclists and pedestrians.
I am not a bicycle hater; I have been an avid cyclist for 40 years. In fact, I log more miles each year riding my bike than I do driving my car.
However, permitting bicycles, especially e-bikes that are capable of more than 20 mph speeds without any effort on the part of the rider (and in many instances, a young and immature rider), to be in such close proximity to pedestrians endangers the latter.
In addition to the problem of bikes on the promenade, I would like to point out an equally dangerous situation; the proliferation of bicyclists riding on sidewalks.
This problem extends to many of the sidewalks on the other downtown streets. Once again, many of those cyclists are riding e-bikes that are virtually silent and capable of high speeds.
I’ve lost count of the numerous times I’ve been surprised by a cyclist on the sidewalk overtaking me from behind or nearly “T-boning” me from the right or left as I reach a corner intersection.
If the City of Santa Barbara is serious about encouraging more people to do what I have done, move downtown so I can leave the car behind and walk or bike to shops and restaurants, then the city must create a safer environment for doing so.
I would urge the police to begin vigorously enforcing the law that prohibits bicyclists from riding on sidewalks by issuing citations. Unless this law is enforced it is nothing more than a “suggestion.”
Those of us who walk should not be at the mercy of careless cyclists who don’t care about following “suggestions.”
Craig Smith
Santa Barbara
• • •
On Feb. 20, UC Santa Barbara student Liz Hamel was found dead below a campus dorm “breezeway.” Apparently, she had fallen to her death from that structure.
But why?
Had she accidentally fallen? Had she jumped? Had she been pushed?
Local investigators learned that, earlier on the night of her death, a young man had been with Liz. They knew the man’s name and where he was currently living.
But strangely, this information was not provided to the public, to local news media, or to Hamel’s family, who subsequently hired a private investigator.
Many months have passed since Hamel’s death, but neither local police nor local news media have provided the public with any further information on the cause, nor have they asked or demanded more complete media coverage of the mystery.
Liz Hamel’s family and friends, indeed the whole community, deserve better.
William Smithers
Santa Barbara
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Susan Shields, in her Oct. 31 letter to the editor, weighed in about downtown State Street and Sullivan Israel’s ideas about allowing cars back on the street. I looked into her assertions.
The estimated population of Santa Barbara in 2019 was approximately 91,400 (based on historical estimates from trend data and census-related sources).
The estimated population of Santa Barbara in 2024 was about 87,291. This reflects a modest population decline over the five-year period.
This indicates a population decline, not population growth. The above figures come from the same data aggregation site, World Population Review, which uses U.S. Census Bureau figures and projections to estimate population at different points in time.
As for State Street having a steep incline, I disagree. I’m a 73-year-old man with multiple sclerosis. I have difficulty walking, and the slope is mild and does not present an elevation challenge. The incline is generally less than 2% to 3% grade.
Color me unconvinced.
Brian Epstein
Santa Barbara
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