Bike Santa Cruz County

Bike Santa Cruz County, formerly People Power, was founded in 1991. Since then, the organization has worked to promote bicycling through advocacy, community-building, and education.

Bike Santa Cruz County has played a major role in the implementation of many bicycling improvements across Santa Cruz County including getting bike racks on Metro buses, advocating for the local purchase of the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line, construction of the Arana  Gulch Multi-use path, green lanes at Highway 1 overcrossings at Freedom Blvd., Park Ave., Bay Ave., and 41st Ave, establishment of Bike Traffic School in lieu of fines for bicycle traffic citations, increase in Coastal Rail Trail funding, from $41 million to $86 million, in Measure D, the local transportation sales tax measure, advocacy for the contraflow bike lane on Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz, and much more.

A key component of behavior change is a community support system. By offering events and bike rides we are fostering a community of bicyclists in Santa Cruz County. Our encouragement events include Open Streets in Watsonville and Santa Cruz, Light Up the Night community bike ride and light giveaway, and our valet bike parking program. Since inheriting Open Streets events from the founder in 2016, Bike Santa Cruz County has successfully organized two Open Streets in Watsonville and three Open Streets in Santa Cruz, serving more than 12,000 people annually. Through event attendee surveys, Open Streets events have been shown to encourage behavior change by providing a safe place for people to bike and walk and offering educational opportunities that encourage active transportation.

Bike Santa Cruz County also works to foster future bicyclists through our education programs. Earn-a-Bike was founded in 2014 in Watsonville through a Webster Foundation grant. Since then, funding for Earn-a-Bike has ground significantly, allowing the program to expand to Live Oak and Santa Cruz. Earn-a-Bike has delivered 250 bikes to youth in need so far and is on track to deliver 100 bikes in the 2018/2019 school year.

An average of the survey data showed that at the beginning of the Earn-a-Bike session 52% of students said that they rarely or never rode bikes and 51% reported that they never wore helmets when they did ride. By the end of the program, an average of the survey data showed 93% of students anticipated they would ride daily or weekly, 86% said that they would wear a helmet every time they rode their new bikes, 88% of respondents agreed they were more comfortable riding with traffic and they felt they understood the rules of the road for bikes and cars, and 91% felt that they were confident making minor repairs on their bicycles.

In addition to Earn-a-Bike, Bike Santa Cruz County also offers a Middle School Bike Club, Active Transportation presentations at schools, and 72 youth and community rides annually.