I’ve been living in S.B. for just over a year, which handily co-incided with my renewed interest in cycling (bought my Opa in Chicago before moving out here, just a few months before Wheelhouse opened their local shop), and during that time I’ve probably ridden 3,000 miles. The experience has been great, in large part due to the bike lanes and cycling paths in the area; aside from the exceptionally hilly areas to the north, there isn’t any part of Santa Barbara/Goleta that feels inaccessible via bicycle. The weather and the other folks riding around have helped make my rides enjoyable, but the biggest change for me has been the paths and lanes set aside for bicycles.
Now that Google has added Bicycle Paths to their display options it will be even easier to determine a safe and speedy route through town. Very cool! I’d created a few hand-made collections of paths using Google Maps but they just weren’t as precise. It was also a pain creating them — and I missed lots of good routes, too.
(quick – compare Chicago’s disjointed bicycle paths with Santa Barbara’s linked routes)








