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Energy and Climate division highlights bike-share milestones and planned EV charger expansion
Summary
City staff reported more than 2 million miles ridden on the city bike-share system, a $1.5 million Clean Mobility Options award to expand low-income access, Safe Routes to School activities and pending grants to fund more than 200 EV chargers.
Sam Furtner, mobility coordinator in the Energy and Climate Division, told the Sustainability Committee on April 3 that the city’s bike-share pilot has surpassed 2 million miles traveled since its 2021 launch and that Santa Barbara won a $1.5 million Clean Mobility Options grant to expand low-income bike-share infrastructure and programming.
Furtner said the grant will support additional bikes and docks as well as incentives to increase ridership among low-income residents. "We are one of 17 recipients in the state of California," he said, describing the award as a vehicle to improve access and equity.
The division also highlighted a long-running Safe Routes to School partnership with Move (formerly SB Bike Coalition) that serves 17 city schools and reaches roughly 1,000 students each year through in-class instruction, bike and pedestrian demonstrations and walking/bike-to-school programs. Staff described new e-bike safety curriculum aimed at older students.
Christian Houghland, identified in the meeting as the building vehicle depreciation program coordinator in the Energy and Climate Division, summarized the city's EV charging strategy and funding. He said the city has 70 public chargers now, has secured more than $3 million in grants in the past three years to add roughly 50 chargers and has pending grant requests totaling about $4.8 million to fund more than 200 additional chargers. Planned installations include fast chargers at the harbor, Amtrak station and Eastside Library, and a project to install chargers at nine housing-authority locations to support nearby multifamily and low-income residents.
Why it matters: expanding bike-share access and public EV chargers supports local greenhouse-gas reduction goals, equity of access to clean transportation, and the city’s Climate Action Plan implementation.
Speakers: Sam Furtner (Mobility Coordinator), Christian Houghland (program coordinator, Energy and Climate Division).
