Cycling is great for both people and the environment. Swapping your car for a bike is an awesome way to incorporate movement, novelty, and joy into your daily commute or routine. Plus, with transportation being a significant contributor to global carbon emissions, converting drivers to riders is more important than ever. One of the barriers preventing people from choosing to bike is the distinct lack of safe cycling infrastructure in many cities across America. We’re looking to help to change that starting with Santa Cruz County, the home of our North American headquarters.
We are honored to donate the proceeds from hourly bike rentals at our Santa Cruz eBike Experience Center. And, through our partnership with PayDirt, a coalition of Pon.Bike brands that sponsor bike-related organizations around the word, we are excited to announce the next round of grants for 2024. The PayDirt foundation funds trail conservation as well as projects, programs, and events that aim to improve access to riding bikes.
Among this year’s grant recipients is Ecology Action, local non-profit leader in making riding more accessible and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In recent years, this organization has looked globally to learn what infrastructure and practices are working elsewhere and how it can be applied to and adapted for the County of Santa Cruz. With this additional grant, Ecology Action can continue and expand their important work across the county.
Ecology Action will be able to apply learnings from their recent Dutch Delegation field study of the Netherlands. During this trip, a team of leaders and decision makers in Santa Cruz County transportation roles explored the infrastructure that makes cities like The Hague, Rotterdam, and Delft cycling havens and multi-modal mobility hub models.
Learn more about this field study and the change it inspires in our community through Ecology Action’s latest blog post.
We are excited to follow along as Ecology Action puts their learnings and plans into action for a safer, more accessible, and ultimately more joyful Santa Cruz.
