Ventura hosts community bike rides, seeks public input on transportation plan
Wes Woods II
The city of Ventura is hosting free bike rides to gather more input for a plan to make improvements for pedestrians, cyclists and transit users.
An event Saturday is the second of two community that start at the nonprofit BikeVentura, 490 N. Ventura Ave. The ride is from 3-5 p.m. and is 5 miles, said Joey Juhasz-Lukomski, the organization's executive director.
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BikeVentura's mission is to "grow a safe, healthy community through equitable bicycle education, empowerment and advocacy," according to its website. About a dozen people took part in first event Wednesday night.
Juhasz-Lukomski said the shop is located at one of the most active pedestrian, bicycle and car locations on the city's west side.
"The city has been working on their active transportation plan and obviously a key component of that is community engagement, to hear the transportation needs from folks," Juhasz-Lukomski said.
He said because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a lot of engagement online with the survey but not with Spanish speakers and organizers hope Saturday's ride will help increase participation.
"As we embark on creating this ambitious roadmap, we need the community’s help in prioritizing projects and programs that will help improve active transportation choices for all people living, working and visiting Ventura," City Public Works Director Phil Nelson said in a statement.
For more information, visit ActivePlanVentura.com.
Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-