In the Lane

The Newsletter of Bike Santa Cruz County - December 2025 - Issue #10

In this Issue:

Wheelie Award Winners of 2025
Year-End Campaign Updates
Review of the "Interim Trail Compromise" Ahead of the SCCRTC Meeting on Dec 4th
People for Bikes: The E-Bike ‘Problem’ is an E-Moto Problem (Part 1)

Happy December! Read on for the latest Santa Cruz County bike advocacy updates, upcoming events, and ways you can help support our mission to make our streets safer and more bike-friendly.

Wheelie Award Winners of 2025!

On November 12th we announced the 2025 winners of the Wheelie Awards, an annual acknowledgment of excellent work in expanding and improving functionality and awareness of cycling throughout the region.

The award recipients have one thing in common: They have dedicated effective time and energy supporting bicycling through advocacy and education, community building, and delivery of transformative infrastructure to expanding cycling in our community.

Having all these folks in one room was truly inspirational!

Congrats to our winners!!

● Advocacy: Keith Bontrager

● Community Building: Santa Cruz Bike Party

● Education: Community Bike Collective

● Business Partner: Watsonville Cyclery

● Infrastructure: Green Valley Road Multipurpose Trail

● Infrastructure: Soquel Drive Buffered Bike Lanes

● Infrastructure: Rail Trail Segment 7, Phase 2

● Bike Parking: Toadal Fitness Westside

● Honorable Mention: Santa Cruz Bikeway

Photo credit, Bill Bishoff

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Year End Campaign Updates

Bike Santa Cruz County is fueled entirely by community generosity through donations and grants. As a 501(c)(3) public benefit organization, every contribution you make is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

After 3 weeks of our campaign, we’re excited to share that we’re already more than halfway to our fundraising goal! With your support, we can reach $30,000 and continue advocating for safer, more connected biking in our community.

Ways to give this holiday season:

Make your gift by December 31, 2025 to receive tax benefits for this year.
Multiply your gift through employer matching gifts.
Share from your Donor Advised Fund (DAF) or other giving vehicles.

Support us today — your contribution truly moves us forward.

Support Us Today!

Review of the "Interim Trail Compromise" Ahead of the SCCRTC Meeting on Dec 4th

The idea of an “interim trail compromise” allowing construction of trail segments 8 through 11 (from the San Lorenzo River to Aptos) has recently gained attention. Two SCCRTC members, Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley and 1st District Supervisor Manu Koenig, have called it a “peace deal” to keep the project moving amid long-standing disagreements over rail versus trail priorities.

With public discussion intensifying, Bike Santa Cruz County met with city and county planners directly involved in designing the Rail Trail to better understand the proposal, the factors that led to this “interim trail” approach, and alternative approaches. Our goal was to clarify facts, explore multiple perspectives, and present them in a balanced way.

This write-up summarizes the key points from those discussions, along with the main arguments, alternatives, and trade-offs under debate. It aims to be thorough, politically neutral, and fact-based, helping the community understand the current realities of the rail corridor and the possible paths forward to meet Santa Cruz County’s active-transportation goals. The SCCRTC will discuss this item at its meeting on Thursday, December 4th.

People for Bikes: The E-Bike ‘Problem’ is an E-Moto Problem (Part 1)

PeopleForBikes (PFB) recently published an essay that helps separate fact from fiction regarding e-bikes.

In Part 1 of this series, PFB posits that most of the “e-bike” safety problems in recent headlines aren’t actually about legal e-bikes, but about high-powered e-motorcycles. These e-motos often exceed 750 watts, go much faster than 20 mph, use throttles rather than pedal-assist, and lack most legal e-bike definitions. E-motos, they point out, are actually motor vehicles that should require licensing, registration, and regulation.

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