Bicyclists rejoice! Santa Barbara is preparing to roll out a new series of bike racks throughout the city’s busiest cycling spots.
The City of Santa Barbara announced last week that it will be installing 250 new bike racks along downtown neighborhoods and the waterfront, replacing the traditional hitching poles people may recognize.
Jessica Grant, the supervising transportation planner for the city, says there is a lack of safe spots for bicyclists to lock up their bikes. She added that the current poles make it difficult for people who want to take short trips and have nowhere to keep their bikes safe.
“The city’s public bicycle parking hitching posts have more aesthetic than functional value and are costly due to their custom fabrication, vulnerability to theft, unintuitive use, susceptibility to damage,” Grant said, “and many are nearing the end of their useful life.”
She said the new racks will offer better security, can stand up to heavy use in high-traffic areas and fit the city’s design codes. The racks also stand up better to corrosion.
The city decided to go with Huntco Ramblers, long pieces of metal that can fit multiple bikes. The city chose two different types, with one being a longer rack.
The new racks will be funded through the California Active Transportation Program administered through the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments and the Coastal Resources Mitigation Fund.
Grant said the city will move forward with purchasing the racks now that it has been approved for funding.
She added that the plan is to install them in the waterfront area by April and downtown by next October.
The city also is preparing a larger assessment of its hitching posts, but it will need more grant funding to replace all of its posts. Grant said 619 hitching posts need to be replaced throughout Santa Barbara.
Brian Szumski, the sales lead at Velo Pro Cyclery, said he’s happy to hear that the city is adding better racks for bicyclists.
He said biking has become more popular in recent years, but the number of spaces to lock up bikes is “minimal.”
He also said he believes the new designs will be better for residents.
“I think it’s definitely better, especially if you’re using something like a U-lock,” Szumski said. “I think that’s a lot easier to feed a bike through. Or, if you’re using a chain lock, you can lock multiple bikes all at once.”
