Support the Completion of the Modoc Road Multi-Use Path!

We, the undersigned, support the County of Santa Barbara’s grant-funded project to construct the 1 mile multi-use path along Modoc Road (the Modoc Path) connecting the City of Santa Barbara’s path near Calle De Los Amigos to the widely-used Obern Trail at Encore Drive. This new path will provide safe, enjoyable, access along a corridor where sidewalks currently don’t exist. It will enable the young and old, residents and visitors, able and less able-bodied to access the beach, the Mesa, schools, shopping, jobs and most importantly, the outdoors. The success of the Las Positas-Modoc path is evidence that we need to close the gap in our Coastal Route and connect the cities of Santa Barbara and Goleta with a safer, more accessible facility the whole community can enjoy.

Accessible Open Space

The completion of the Modoc Path will provide equitable access to the public open space of the Modoc Preserve for users of all ages and abilities. The Modoc Preserve, owned by La Cumbre Mutual Water Company and managed by the Land Trust, is an undeveloped, open space with a network of trails for pedestrian and equestrian use. The Modoc Path will seamlessly integrate with the Preserve’s natural areas and trail network and supports the Preserve’s mission of nourishing lives and, by providing access by foot and by bicycle, will substantially decrease the need for land-intensive vehicle parking. 

Trees 

We value trees and their benefits to the environment. The County’s preferred Modoc Path ‘Alignment B’ was chosen because it limits the impact to existing trees. The County, the Land Trust, and the project documentation commit to replanting trees with a focus on sustainability and restoring habitats. 

Connectivity

The Modoc Path will create a vital link between two existing multi-use paths, creating a more complete network of safe, off-street facilities spanning from Carpinteria to Goleta. It will connect the Las Positas-Modoc, Obern and Maria Ygnacio multi-use path systems, providing a continuous connection between homes, jobs, schools and open spaces. The Modoc Path gap closure will result in 14.5 miles of linked multi-use paths.

Safety 

The Modoc Path will replace unsafe on-road facilities and allow people of all ages and abilities to travel with ease by foot or by bicycle. This section of Modoc Road has discontinuous sidewalks and the bike lanes are narrow and unprotected. Bike lanes along roads with vehicle speeds in excess of 35 mph are not recommended for most cyclists, especially children. A crash between a vehicle and bicyclist or pedestrian at over 40 mph has an 80% chance of being fatal. On Modoc Rd, there have been 9 crashes involving cars and bicyclists in the last 11 years.

Climate Change

In California, 40% of our emissions come from our transportation system. This is substantially above the national average of 30%. Although California is doing a great job of successfully cutting emissions in other sectors, in transportation it is failing, and at our current rate, we will not meet our climate commitments. Automobile dependency is a major factor in our climate goal shortcomings. The more motor vehicle trips we can each replace by walking or biking, the better. If just one person replaces their daily drive and instead walks or bikes along this segment of trail, 400 lbs less of CO2 will find its way into the environment. In comparison, a tree will absorb 48 pounds of CO2 during the same period. 

Closing

We find ourselves today in a world whose climate is changing more rapidly than ever, with dire results, and the single-most impactful thing any person can do to reduce carbon emissions is choose more often to travel by foot or bicycle. We owe it to our future generations, and our Earth, to support safe paths for walking and biking. While not ideal, sacrificing some trees, which will be replaced, to potentially save lives and enhance our community in untold ways is worth it. We urge the County Board of Supervisors, the La Cumbre Mutual Water Company, the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County and the Santa Barbara community at large to support completion of the Modoc Multi-Use Path project without delay, while of course mitigating the removal of trees as much as possible.

For project information and updates https://www.countyofsb.org/3429/Modoc-Multi-Use-Path