County lays out $7 million active-transportation plan for Isla Vista with wider sidewalks, protected bike lanes and traffic-calming

County of Santa Barbara Public Works presented preliminary plans for an Active Transportation Program (ATP) project that would add protected bike lanes, bike boulevards, intersection traffic-calming and new sidewalks across multiple Isla Vista corridors, County mobility manager Mark Friedlander told the Isla Vista Community Services District board on the evening the plan was presented.

The county said the project is intended to “improve bike and pedestrian safety and accessibility throughout Isla Vista,” with a set of treatments that include 10–12-foot sidewalks on parts of Del Playa, protected bike lanes and flex-post separation on some corridors, green bike boxes at signalized intersections, curb extensions (bulb-outs), splitter islands and new ADA-compliant ramps and tactile strips.

Why it matters: the plan would reshape several of Isla Vista’s busiest walking and biking corridors and is funded largely through the California Active Transportation Program, a highly competitive state grant program. Board members and community speakers said the street redesigns will only realize safety and access gains if the county or another agency ensures parking and curb compliance where sidewalks and curb extensions are installed.

Project features and locations - Del Playa (south side): demolition and reconstruction to provide widened sidewalks between about 10 and 12 feet in some segments from campus toward Camino Del Sur. County presenters said the work may remove on‑street parking and will involve extensive utility and right-of-way coordination. - Sidewalk infill: three primary sidewalk infill locations were shown: the 6700 block of Abrego; Camino Corto (east side) from Passato to Del Playa, described as a north–south street with higher speeds and lacking…