The community is invited to join Ventura Mayor Sofia Rubalcava, local officials, the City of Ventura, and Caltrans for a community bike ride on Saturday, May 21, at 9:00 a.m. at Westpark Community Center, located at 450 W. Harrison Ave. The bike ride celebrates the $5 million Clean California Grant awarded for the Ventura River Trail.
In addition to the bike ride, a press conference, and event fair will also take place for the community to participate.
“May is National Bike Month and this is an opportunity to celebrate the many supportive efforts to renovate and reinvigorate the Ventura River Trail,” shared Mayor Sofia Rubalcava. “We hope everyone can join us in celebrating this important win for our beloved Ventura River Trail.”
“Caltrans is excited to see the City of Ventura fulfill its vision for this trail for beautiful and clean communities,” said Caltrans District 7 Director Tony Tavares. “And since May is National Bike Month, there is no better way to celebrate this Clean California grant than with a community bike ride.”
Continuous improvements of the Ventura River Trail include repaving the bike trail, adding solar lighting, and removing and replacing trail fencing. Targeted improvements include accessibility improvements to access the trail, public art, trail monuments, environmental and ‘no litter’ signage, native and drought-tolerant shrub and tree planting, trash cans, wayfinding to the trail, and other various trail user amenities.
The City of Ventura invites families, community members, and local businesses to participate in free events in celebration of National Bike Month and National Bike to Work Week, happening May 16 – May 22.
According to the League of American Bicyclists, “May is a time to celebrate biking and the freedom, the joy, and the wellbeing it imbues within us. It’s a time to encourage ourselves to bike a little bit farther and a time to encourage others to bike a little bit at all. Because we know that when more people ride bikes, life is better for everyone.”
With more than 60 miles of bike lanes, 35 miles of bike routes and paths, and over 400 bicycle lockers for riders to use, the City of Ventura is designated by the League of American Bicyclists as a bronze-rated bicycle friendly community.
For more information, please contact Jennifer Buckley, Senior Community Outreach Specialist, at [email protected].
To learn more about the Clean California Grant Program, visit cleancalifornia.dot.ca.gov.
