The Santa Barbara City Council reaffirmed its decision to keep State Street closed to cars, at least in the interim period while the city continues to work toward its permanent master plan. The decision, which came in a 5-2 vote on Tuesday, keeps the street pedestrian-focused as it is now, with plans to increase accessibility and address community concerns about e-bike safety in the near future.
State Street has remained closed off to public vehicles since the days of the COVID pandemic, when the city first transitioned to the car-free configuration. The closure was codified in 2023, when the city passed Title 31, a policy dictating that the street would remain car-free through the end of 2026, or when the State Street Master Plan was adopted.
With the master plan still in the works (and expected to be ready for council consideration later this year), the City Council needed to decide whether to continue the planning efforts with State Street remaining as it is currently or revert to the pre-pandemic configuration with two-way traffic down the entire stretch.
The closure of State Street has been the subject of polarizing public debate for the past several years, and on Tuesday, community members representing all sides of the argument were hoping the council would settle the back-and-forth with a decisive direction forward…