••• Driving on Haley Street has always felt a bit like a Roman chariot race—and it’s much worse now that e-bikers ride rampant, including on the sidewalks. So the city is working on a slate of improvements, one of which is a traffic signal at Olive Street (above).
—Sidewalk repairs and the construction of access ramps will enhance accessibility along the Haley Street corridor.
—Curb extensions and crosswalks will be installed at the intersections of Haley and Nopal Streets, as well as Haley and Quarantina Streets.
—Lighting will be installed at these intersections to improve visibility during nighttime and early morning hours.
—A new traffic signal will be installed at Haley Street and Olive Street.
—Upgraded traffic signals and pedestrian countdown timers will be installed as part of the upgrades at Haley Street and Anacapa Street.
—Asphalt pavement reconstruction on Haley Street between Castillo Street and Milpas Street.
—Construction on the curb extensions is anticipated to be completed by the end of September 2024, while work on other features is expected to be finished by the end of November 2024.
••• The former St. Anthony’s Seminary property at 2300 Garden Street sold for $16.7 million to 2300 Garden LLC, about which I could find out nothing. Madmax says that it’s a “wellness center from the East Coast,” but I have not been able to confirm that. If you know anything, do tell: 917-209-6473, [email protected]. Anonymity guaranteed.
••• July 20 at Ice in Paradise: a rare chance to try out the sport of curling.
••• On September 28, the great Lucinda Williams plays the Arlington Theatre, with her band Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs. Her 1998 album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road is a masterpiece.
••• Two other concerts of note: Kacey Musgraves at the Santa Barbara Bowl (September 25) and Los Lobos at the Lobero Theatre (October 25).
••• An update about the Cold Spring trailhead from the Montecito Trails Foundation: “Cold Spring trailhead remains open while the temporary single lane bridge is replaced with a permanent two lane bridge. An important upgrade for emergency evacuation traffic. The small downside is that you will have to park a little further from the trailhead and access the trail from a temporary bypass on the mountain side of temporary fencing. The very last stage of the project in late October will see the closure of the east trailhead, but the west will remain open providing access to all the trails.” UPDATE 7/19: I went and hiked Cold Spring from the east side, and you’ll want to know a few things: 1) Drive past the “thru traffic only” sign on E. Mountain Drive near Ashley Road, and the sign below is misleading. There is trail access if you go to the right of the fence.
••• “The city is repairing the slip out I mentioned on W. Mountain Drive at the same time” as the bridge replacement further east mentioned above, reports J. “My wife ran into a city inspector on-site who said they have a really great contractor working on the repair and they expect to be done by mid-September.”
••• “Do you happen to know what they are building at the intersection of Calle Real and Patterson Avenue, directly off Patterson when you take a right going northbound? asked M. It’s called Patterson Point Apartments (80 N. Patterson), which the Independent said will be 24 units and for “formerly homeless individuals and include an on-site manager, offices for supportive services, a community room, laundry and restroom facilities, and a non-commercial kitchen.”
••• A T-shirt/souvenir shop called Tilly Timms, which appears to be moving from Lahaina on Maui or expanding, has opened at 819 State Street. (The photo is old.)
••• Through November 1 at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum: Project Fiesta! Centennial!: “Santa Barbara’s largest civic celebration, Old Spanish Days Fiesta, celebrates its 100th anniversary this year [July 31-August 4]. To commemorate this landmark event the Historical Museum is staging a special, enlarged edition of its annual Project Fiesta exhibition. Through photographs and film, poster art and programs, costumes, and additional memorabilia from the Museum’s extensive collections, Fiestas from years past will be brought to life—100 years of memories.”
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Ebikes ride rampant? Bikes are allowed to use the roads just like cars are. Why the need to cast a negative light on people who chose to avoid contributing to the noise, pollution and congestion that cars produce.
While I can recognize not all bikes are responsible, most of my experiences riding on Hailey are less than ideal because cars won’t give bikers the space they are legally allowed.
Other than operating a motorized vehicle that can hit speeds of 35 mph without a license, often without safety equipment that is a legal requirement for their ICE counterparts, and often without regard for traffic laws… There’s nothing wrong with e-bikes. I grew up in a bicycle town (our city symbol was an old-timey bicycle), and from a young age – probably 10 years old – was taught the rules of the road. And then I was held accountable, periodically pulled over by local police for failing to abide by those rules. My point: I’m an advocate for cycling, but riding rampant is also what I observe frequently around town.
IMO Haley and Gutierrez should be reduced to a single lane of car traffic with a dedicated bike lane like on Bath and De La Vina. Class II buffered lanes are so much more pleasant to cycle on.
Really? I drive both almost every day and cars still rule over bikes. BTW, Haley has a bike lane just like Bath street, and it’s mostly devoid of riders, just like Bath street.
The Cold Springs bridge construction is a bad use of $3M in taxpayer funds. The beautiful iron bridge installed in 2020 was sturdy, beautiful, and slowed traffic at the trailhead – making the area safe. There have been dozens of emergency rescues in the past four years and the bridge hasn’t created any challenges (ask the Fire Department or Search and Rescue).
The new bridge will be a two-lane concrete structure. The benefit is enabling faster car traffic (as residents know, there are lots of joy riders on E mountain). E Mountain is closed until November and there will be significant construction activities for 4 months. Seems like the county is focused on the wrong priorities.