Improving bike safety in Santa Cruz County as Bike Week kicks-off

Ecology Action kicked off its Spring Bike to Work Program on Friday in Santa Cruz. It’s a week-long event that encourages people to ditch their cars for bikes.

But if you’re an avid bike rider in Santa Cruz County, then you know the street can be dangerous.

“A lot of people are not comfortable riding alongside cars. It’s a big issue. We have had bike fatalities due to cars in the past in the community,” said Emily Gomez with Ecology Action.

The most recent numbers from the California Highway Patrol show that in 2013, 197 bike riders were hurt and three were killed in the county.

“There’s a lot of people in Santa Cruz that don’t feel safe riding on Soquel Avenue, Soquel Drive, Bay Street, Water, and so those are places where we are looking into the idea of protected bike lanes,” said Amelia Conlen with Bike Santa Cruz County, a group that advocates for the cyclist community.

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (SCCRTC) is also working to make the roads safer. The organization is behind a November ballot measure that would provide funding for more bike and pedestrian projects such as the coastal-rail trial.

“That’s a project to construct a bicycle and pedestrian trail alongside the train tracks along the rail corridor, the 32-mile rail corridor that spans Santa Cruz County,” said Karena Pushnik, with the SCCRTC.

Cyclists such as Conlen said they’re excited for the project, as the goal for the entire bike community is to more sure everybody feels comfortable riding around town.

“Not just the brave spandex-clad cyclists but your average mom and kid, your average citizen,” said Conlen.