Open State Street
by Scott Wenz
(The following was written as an Open Letter to the City of Santa Barbara, its mayor, city administrator, Public Works Department, Council members, and all its functioning personnel and departments. It was offered in response to the Public Works Department’s Monthly Update on State Street Interim Operations (650.05). SB Current believes Mr. Wenz’s letter is so chock full of common-sense ideas and proposals that it deserves to be broadcast more widely than it so far has been. We also believe it deserves a fair amount of commentary from our more than 22,000 readers; we hope that it produces that by its presence on our site. Hence, we proudly proclaim this Cars Are Basic (CAB) missive as today’s spotlight column. – J.B.)
Move or Go Out of Business
Cars Are Basic, Inc. has been commenting on the failure of State St. configuration for 25 years. We have used the examples of now-failed businesses on State Street and the surrounding area.
The City's Circulation Element penned by June Pujo clearly states that businesses that depend upon patrons using autos to reach downtown would either a) move, or b) go out of business. CAB has quoted the City of Santa Barbara statement by former employee Dave Davis, that if businesses did not thrive as a result of the first 3-block changes (Victoria to Carrillo Streets) the City would "retrofit" State St. to four lanes [two for traffic; two for parking].
Businesses were hurt and petitioned the City to live up to its promise.
The response by Mr. Davis was it is not working because the area impacted is not large enough and the Council has refused to live up to its promise. When the narrowing of State Street reached Ortega St. and the businesses failed, what was the comment?
"The area impacted is not large enough."
Obviously, the concept of State St. narrowing, created by the San Francisco firm MIG, was and is ill conceived. Note here that MIG was a major player in San Francisco Street design that has failed.
The City is concerned about the projected deficit, and the deficit operating budget of the City parking structures. Please pay attention to the following comment.
Cars Are Basic, Inc., within the past five years, has called for the reopening of State St. Reverse the destruction of what is left of the retail and professional businesses. CAB has quoted the Pujo circulation element, but amazingly accurate projection that businesses would a) move or b) go out of business with a narrowed State St.
We stated clearly that the lost tax revenue is the basis of the City’s projected deficit. The minimum "multiplier effect" of each dollar spent is 25x. When the Covid shutdown was over, CAB pleaded with you to reopen State St.
Save the remaining businesses.
You refused.
You are now faced with escalating failure and the insane high-density infill planning for Downtown to fix what is your creation.
You ignored the amazing rebound of business in the City of Goleta where they kept their streets open and people flooded to Goleta to shop - spend money.
SBCAG projected minimum success for high density and "alternative" transportation, by stating the entire City of Santa Barbara would have to increase population by 100%. People, that is a minimum of 10,000 residents in Old Town between Anacapa and Chapala!
CAB calls for the "immediate" opening of State St. to save Old Town. CAB calls for the retrofit of State St. (as promised) to pre-MIG success. This will prove once and for all that Downtown Santa Barbara can be saved with rational street and circulation planning.
Return Victoria to two-way traffic.
Widen State St. and remove all parklets at the 1200 and 1100 blocks.
Make sure the 1300 block of State is returned to historic configuration with parklets gone.
The arts community will see immediate access and success with this plan.
You can continue on the failed path of the past two mayors and councils, or you will wake up to crushing failure.
This City cannot survive more.
It is up to you.
On behalf of the Board,
Scott Wenz
President
CAB
Addendum
The truth about bicycle use, bike paths, and active transportation, is far different from the irrational plans in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, Goleta, and those of the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) and the County of Santa Barbara.
CAB was founded by locals 26 years ago. Santa Barbara was an economic juggernaut; Goleta was still Ag. Central, and Carpinteria had less than 10,000 residents. CAB Board at that time consisted of all businessmen. Its first president was a competitive bicyclist; its first vice-president was an avid bike rider, and its board of directors was sympathetic to bicycle use.
After being hammered and lied about with our projections about bicycle versus auto use, the hard data started coming in. It was not supportive of the anti-car bike crowd.
The numbers have only become worse for the "shut-down-the-streets" factions.
Look at car use in the past two years since COVID waned. Parking lots are full, people are in stores at a greater number, and cities that refused to face reality have watched retail and middle-class businesses fail.
Dr. Fishbein, M.D. authored a paper that shows that the bike count has gone down and is only 1/3 of Bicycle Master Plan target. If he had taken data from the high point of bike use in 1981, his comparative chart would have looked even more skewed. Importantly, there were zero bike paths on the streets in 1981.
What we need from statistical evidence is standard growth, not negative growth. Yet that is exactly what happened in Santa Barbara. Bike numbers continued to fall rapidly after the city put in its baseline of $25-million bike paths. Explanations that with Class II and Class I bike paths, bike accidents would be reduced, have now been destroyed with Dr. Fishbein's article.
The tradeoff was supposed to be success with destruction of the street flow. CAB made the point that it would not happen.
When challenged about this failure, elected officials have either refused to answer or stated the now destroyed argument of, “It has to be bigger to work.” From a traffic flow and economics point of view, the past 40+ years of street destruction has failed.
CAB invites you to attend our meetings. This is a problem that you cannot build your way out of, as proven with decades of failure.
Come, discuss.
CAB meetings are at the Goleta Elks Lodge (Kellogg/Calle Real) the last Wednesday of the month at 12 noon. Contact CAB directly at cab@CarsAreBasic.org or www.carsarebasic.org
Get this bullshit out of my email, pro-car propaganda is the dumbest possible thing imaginable. Cars ruined America, and they'll ruin Santa Barbara too.
Whether it was a short escape from a busy work day, a scenic route crossing town with the family, or as a tourist gaining perspective on this beautiful place, slowly driving along State Street admiring the architecture, different businesses, and different people was an easy way to enjoy Santa Barbara. The current model is a disorganized competition for square footage between a unattractive parklets, urban campers, and inconsiderate bikers that, as the numbers show, is often just easier to avoid entirely.