Bicycle Friendly Communities

Santa Cruz , CA | Silver Level

Community Highlights: With a bicycling mode share ten times the national average, Santa Cruz is a great place for cycling. The enthusiasm to promote bicycling is clear in the high level of cyclist accommodations, including 75 percent of arterial streets with bike lanes; efforts to close the gaps in the cycling network including the Soquel Avenue Bike Lanes Project at a cost of $2 million; and the use of innovative design solutions such as contra flow bike lanes, shared lane markings and new signal detection devices and more coming in the future. The city has numerous encouragement and education programs such as Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day, the zero interest bike loan program offered by Ecology Action, and the Bike Smart! and Ride N’ Stride in-school education programs. All of these things combined with Santa Cruz’s impressive environment for on-road and off-road riding make the community a model to follow.

Most Recent Significant Accomplishment: The completion of the Soquel Avenue Bike Lanes Project eliminated the last remaining gap in bicycle facilities on the primary east-west travel route in Santa Cruz. This project, running through a congested commercial corridor, has been on the books for at least 20 years and involved a combination of parking removal, roadway widening, and creative thinking to accomplish!

Best Result of Designation: The Bicycle Friendly Community award gives bicycling a more respected and officially recognized status in Santa Cruz. They are not only a Surf City but also a Bike City!