BikeVentura

It might be hard to think about riding the bus right now, but there are people out there that rely on transit to get to work and vital services, groceries, etc. There are also people that don't have transit access where they want to go. These meetings are a great start to the conversation about what we need when people get back to riding transit in greater numbers than before COVID.

Muchas gracias to BikeVentura supporters! We did it, TOGETHER! We reached our goal for our 2020 fundraising and earned a $5,000 match from our anonymous donor! We are ringing in the new year inspired, filled with gratitude, and committed to continuing the rad things we got into in 2020 despite the many challenges we faced along the way! Once again, thank you for being here! ... RIDE ON!

Welcome Jackie, executive director of @westsideventura to our page today! Our partnership helped spur Ventura to the top 95th percentile in the nation for an accurate census count! Wow! Collaboration is key to building a healthy and vibrant community. The Westside Community Development Corporation (WCDC) is grateful for the partnership we have with Bike Ventura, knowing that we can rely on each other in serving the community with the resources and communication channels tha...t our community needs. Most recently Bike Ventura could not have been more enthusiastic, equipped, and skilled for the task in getting the word out about the Census through a creative, engaging, bilingual and FUN platform called a BIKE CARAVAN. This mode of communication drew neighbors out their doors to both inquire about the Census as well as cheer on the caravan participants. Not only did neighbors express that the bike caravan encouraged them to take the Census, they also said it made them feel connected to the community especially during such socially restrictive times. Good Job Bike Ventura!! We thank you wholeheartedly for the way you build community. We certainly hope to see more bike caravans joyfully roaming our streets to communicate other important initiatives to our residents! This type of cooperation is made possible by your support! Follow our link in bio to donate!

Thank you to everyone who has donated this year! Your contributions allow us to put on this bike giveaway. Throughout the year we've given out of 100 free kids bikes! Special thanks to the Channel Islands Bicycle Club - CIBC for a grant that allowed us to give a free helmet with each bike!

We want to give a great big T H A N K Y O U to those who have already generously made donations, shared our stories and posts, and cheered us on from afar! The support from our community has melted our hearts in the best way! We love you all for believing in our mission to create a bike-friendly Ventura! RIDE ON!

A donation helps fund the heart and soul of our organization: the HUB shop! The shop is an invaluable resource for folks who have cost barriers to accessible bicycle maintenance and repairs. We have kept our doors open to essential workers who utilize their bicycles for transportation. And we connected with the generous folx at Community Roots Garden @communityrootsoxnard for a Ventura HUB pop up in their beautiful gardens! That’s at least 150 bikes repaired for free! ... Follow the link in our bio to donate and become a member of our beloved bike community today! Or here: bikeventura.org/donate/

Our newsletter is out with some voting resources if you're riding to the polls (or not!)

Our hope over the last couple of weeks, was to show y’all the intrinsic ways our organization is made better by all of the people who pour love, time, dedication, and sweat into it! These relationships permeate every corner of BikeVentura. You see it in our long term volunteers (some who have been with us since 2009!), our community partnerships, those who use their voices at city council meetings to support bicycle infrastructure, and in the hands and hearts of our staff! ...We are proud to provide our staff with a living wage and have recently been able to extend health care benefits to them! This is huge! When people believe in us, whether that’s through donations or other avenues, we put that faith back into our crew! And they give it back to YOU, through quality of service and community that the Ventura Bike HUB is known for. Thank you for believing in all of us!

This is an exciting demonstration starting next month...with opportunities to volunteer and give feedback. If you're headed up to Ojai, check it out...and think about where else you'd like to see protected bike lanes!!

BikeVentura has had to adapt over the last 8 months, but we have remained essential throughout it all! Since March, we have given 89 bikes and helmets for free to kids who haven’t had PE classes in months! Our Youth Program leader, Alex has seen firsthand how important these giveaways have been to these kiddos. The kids were all super happy! They all had gigantic smiles on their faces! These free bikes not only got kids moving, they also brought them some emotional joy an...d relief during a stressful time. Your $20 donation to BikeVentura provides a free helmet to a kid in the community and a $100 is a free bike! Our youth program can continue to get bikes out to youth in need and teach (someday soon!) the fun safety courses we provide-all with your donation love!

Why do you reach for the car keys instead of your bike helmet?

Tuesday!!! See yall there

There is still time to take the census, make sure you have done it, then make sure everyone you know has done it!!! Check out this video of WCDC's Census outreach on Ventura's Westside with BikeVentura's Karaoke Trailer! Todavía hay tiempo para hacer el censo, asegúrese de haberlo hecho, luego asegúrese de que todos los que conoce lo hayan hecho. ¡Mire este video del alcance del censo de WCDC en el Westside de Ventura con el trailer de Karaoke de BikeVentura!

Thank you City of Ventura Environmental Sustainability for putting this awesome video together highlighting how being Green is so important to us.

Want to know how a donation to BikeVentura goes to work? Meet our friend Martin. Martin is one of the many unique individuals who make BikeVentura special. He volunteers at the HUB several days a week, putting in hours there wrenching on bikes, assisting staff with cleaning projects, and participating in the work-trade program so that he is able to add needed parts to his bike. His bike is his only mode of transportation, getting him to football practice during the week. It... is essential for Martin to have access to the many services our organization provides. That’s why, back in April when the county ordered bike shops to close, BikeVentura called the Board of Supervisors to explain why bike shops are essential. They agreed that bikes are an essential mode of transportation and allowed us to remain open! And our friend Martin can continue to work on his bike, find the parts he needs to keep it safely riding, and give back his time to the place that has been a consistent anchor of encouragement and learning in his life. Your donation does the muscle work, so that we can concentrate on the heart work! Link in our bio to donate!

Tonight, the City Council will pass all consent calendar items, one of which (8G) is a thumbs for a $220,000 grant to Ventura PD for traffic safety, much of which is for DUI checkpoints. One item, though, is $28,600 for Bicycle and Pedestrian Enforcements. As a reminder, BikeVentura taught almost every 6th grader in the city how to ride a bike safely last year for less than $6,000, and funding for that program will run out after we're able to do it for another year. As anothe...r reminder, Dijon Kizzee was killed by police after being stopped for a "bicycle code violation." What do you think is a better way to spend money? What makes us safer, really? Ticketing and searching people for not having reflectors, or educating youth about riding and walking safely? You know, teaching all these kids bike safety before they get their drivers licenses probably also makes them safer drivers. https://www.cityofventura.ca.gov/DocumentCent/View/23286/8G

Then we wonder why traffic violence is so rampant in minority communities it is because those most victimized by traffic violence are excluded from the transportation decision-making processes. Quite frankly, the people closest to the pain should have the most power.

It's bike week! Take the pledge to ride, and you could win a $100 visa card from Ventura County Transportation Commission. You can only take the pledge once, but the more you ride, the better your karma!

If you live in or near Saticoy, here's a chance to learn about the draft active transportation plan that calls for new bike lanes, crosswalks, and crossings on the 118! Register! If you ride through or around Saticoy, consider attending to learn about these items and other projects that could connect Saticoy to points West and East by bike!

If you are on the Avenue, take a look at our shop windows to see our new "Va por la avenida en bici" safety posters designed by Avenue local Hugo Castillo! It's important that educational material reaches everyone and this is our way to reach Spanish-speakers and bridge the digital divide. We have other innovative ways to reach the community while we all do our best to be safe and healthy...stay tuned!

"Ed Obayashi, a Plumas County deputy sheriff and national expert on the use of force, said the Sheriff’s Department will likely face questions about why deputies chased after the man over such a minor offense. While deputies have discretion in those circumstances, they have to weigh the risk benefit of pursuing someone for a violation as minor as this, he said." Running, walking, bicycling while black. The Sheriff doesn't know what vehicle code #DijonKizzee was "violating...." It sounds crazy, but it's a privilege if all you have to worry about while riding a bike is getting hit by a car. Systemic racism and inherent bias add a level of danger to cycling for black and brown people riding bikes, and it can be deadly. If we want bicycling to be safe for everyone, we have to fight against systemic racism as seriously as we fight for bike lanes. See more

Save bike share!

Take a moment and contact your Assembly Member today and tell them to vote Yes on SB 288. Senate Bill 288 would make it easier to build bike lanes, bus lanes, and light rail lines by eliminating unnecessary review regulations, while preserving important opportunities for public involvement. New bike lanes and improved public transit are critical to California’s recovery. Now is the time to fast-track key sustainable transportation projects, but environmental regulations more appropriate for oil refineries than bike lanes can delay such projects by years. We don’t have years. Thank you!

More important Anti-Racism 101 from Tamika Butler. We're going to be digging in to the new issue of BICYCLING magazine, guest edited by Tamika and featuring "14 stories from Black people who love bikes."