Our Mission

Bike Santa Cruz County promotes bicycling through advocacy, community-building, and education. Our goal is for people of all ages and abilities to feel comfortable using their bikes for daily trips.

Vision Statement

Bicycling in Santa Cruz is a safe, respected, convenient, and enjoyable form of transportation and recreation for people of all ages and abilities. Throughout the county, citizens, government and business work together to transform our streets into vibrant public spaces that accommodate all users.

Our comprehensive bike network provides access to all natural and urban destinations within the county, as well as connections to other regional and national transportation systems.

Santa Cruz County is recognized as a national model for our high percentage of trips made by bike and innovative facilities that serve all forms of sustainable transportation. Our county’s transportation system is a key contributor to an active community, a strong economy, and a well-protected natural environment.

 

Accomplishments

Formerly called People Power, Bike Santa Cruz County was founded in 1991. For the past 27 years, Bike Santa Cruz County has continuously worked to improve conditions for bicycling. Our accomplishments include:

Advocacy

  • Bike and pedestrian bridge across Highway 1 at High Street

  • Creation of a Bike and Pedestrian Subcommittee and Bicycle Coordinator position within the City of Santa Cruz

  • Bike lanes and green lane treatments, including those on Beach Street, High Street, Front Street, Bay Street, Pacific Avenue, and Soquel Avenue

  • Preserved the bike path through the Great Meadow at UCSC

  • Helped established Bike Traffic School in lieu of fines for bicycle traffic citations, now administered by the County’s Traffic Safety Coalition

  • Developed a city ordinance requiring bike parking at all new Santa Cruz City businesses

  • Developed and secured funding for bike racks on Metro Buses

  • Increase in Coastal Rail Trail funding, from $41 million to $86 million, in Measure D, the local transportation sales tax measure

  • Funding the North Coast segment of the Coastal Rail Trail

  • Public purchase of the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line to provide alternative transportation opportunities

  • Contraflow bike lane on Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz

  • Funding and implementation of Arana Gulch Multi-use Path

  • Green lane treatments across highway overcrossings at Freedom Blvd., Park Ave., Bay Ave., and 41st Ave

  • Support for the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail development and construction with first segment to be constructed in 2019

Community-building

  • Provide Valet Bike Parking at 20 local events per year

  • Co-founded the Hub for Sustainable Transportation and the Bike Church

  • Co-sponsored the Rail and Trail Day ride with Bike to Work and Friends of the Rail Trail

  • Open Streets events in Santa Cruz in 2016, 2017, and 2018 on West Cliff Drive, attracting more than 10,000 attendees

  • Open Streets events in Watsonville in 2017 and 2018 attracting more than 1,000 attendees

  • Successful grant applications for Open Streets events in 2017, 2018, and 2019

  • Hosted 6 annual Light Up the Night bike rides and 72 monthly Santa Cruz Bike Party rides beginning 2012

Education

  • Opened the Harbor High School bike shop with The Bicycle Trip

  • Continued growth of our youth program, formerly Green Ways to School, which has trained, empowered, and engaged thousands of students in middle schools and high schools across the County through presentations, assemblies, bike clubs, and group rides

  • Renaming Green Ways to School to Bike Santa Cruz County Youth Programs

  • Earn-a-Bike in Watsonville since 2014 has delivered 135 bikes

  • Successfully created sustainable funding for Earn-a-Bike Live Oak pilot program

  • Earn-a-Bike in Live Oak since 2016 has delivered 75 bikes

  • Advocacy for jurisdictions to allocate 3% of Measure D revenues in Watsonville, County, and Santa Cruz to encouragement and Safe Routes to Schools programs

  • Contracted with the City of Watsonville, County of Santa Cruz, and City of Santa Cruz to provide Earn-a-Bike totalling $12,000 in FY 2017/18 and $30,500 in FY 2018/19

  • Earn-a-Bike expansion in 2018 for Santa Cruz pilot program

  • Earn-a-Bike is on track to deliver 100 bikes to Santa Cruz County youth in 2018/19 school year