UCSB receives gold again...

Thanks to BikingInLA for pointing out that the ol' alma mater received another gold award designation from the League of American Bicyclists for 2011. This is the second consecutive year that the campus has received the award. Last year's award was presented in the Business category, while this year's is in the inaugural University category. Only two schools across the country received the gold rating - UC Davis was the other, and only one school received the highest platinum rating - Stanford. It does my heart good to see California leading the nation in this. 

From the UC Santa Barbara Office of Public Affairs: "UCSB's ongoing investment over more than four decades in bicycle-commuter support programs and bicycle infrastructure improvements make a world of difference. UCSB also leads the way nationally in terms of human-powered commuter trips because such a large percentage of our campus community bicycle, skateboard, and walk between their home and our campus...49 percent (10,215) of UCSB's students commute by bicycle, as well as 9 percent (420) of the faculty and staff. UCSB also features 10 miles of Class I bicycle paths, more than 10,000 secure bicycle parking spaces in bicycle racks, 40 secure bicycle lockers, seven bicycle roundabouts, and free showers for bicycle commuters." Link to full press release from UCSB. Go Gauchos!

From the Library: UCSB, 1987...

So, I was doing a little cleaning out in the garage the other day. Actually sorting through all the plastic containers full of the books that don't fit in the house, trying to organize them, make things easier to find. Anyway, I came across my La Cumbre, UCSB's yearbook, from the year of graduation. Yes, it was that long ago. University and college campuses have long been bastions of cycle mobility and UCSB, as I have mentioned before, is certainly no exception to the rule. I was flipping through the pages and rediscovered a section of these little vignettes:

As you can see, a number of them involve students and their bikes. They are an interesting reflection on student life, some probably even recount actual incidents. The student / bike connection tends to be pretty strong during those years, especially at a school like UC Santa Barbara. I wonder, for how many of those people from 1987 that connection continued past their university years. I bet that guy in the last photo still rides; he is having way too much fun.

Word from the old alma mater is...

"How do I cross the bike paths without being t-boned by the freaky looking kid with a pink Mohawk who rides that bicycle with two frames welded to each other?"


So it was in the 1980s, so it is in the 2010s. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Something like, but not quite like this maybe:

Incidentally UCSB was awarded the the Bicycle Friendly Business Gold Award by the League of American Bicyclists earlier this year.

NBR...

but the best kind of non-bike related news.

Go Big West Conference champions,

Go Gauchos.

Take down Ohio State.