Group Pedals Idea of Biking to Work

A local bicycle group is predicting that 11,000 county residents will commute to work Thursday to take part in California Bike Commute Week.

That includes 2,500 people who don’t ordinarily pedal to jobs, said Aaron Hanson, president of the Ventura County Bicycle Coalition. To ease the way, coalition members will set up several pit stops for morning commuters looking for refreshments, encouragement or information on bicycle commuting.

This is the first year there has been a countywide event to recognize California Bike Commute Week, Hanson said.

“This is all about encouraging people to just try bicycle commuting once,” he said. “Then they might stick with it.”

The countywide bus system, VISTA, will be offering free rides to people commuting with bicycles. Passes are available at the county’s Transportation Commission office on Victoria Avenue. They will also be available at the following pit stops:

Thousand Oaks: GTE headquarters, corner of Hillcrest and Westlake boulevards; 24-Hour Fitness on Thousand Oaks Boulevard across from City Hall.

Simi Valley: Metrolink station on Los Angeles Avenue; 24-Hour Fitness on Madera Road.

Camarillo: Constitution Park at North Carmen Drive; Cal State University Channel Islands off of Lewis Road, inside the main entrance.

Santa Paula: Post office, 111 S. Mill.

Ventura: City Hall, 501 Poli St.; East Ventura post office, 41 S. Wake Forest; Cycle Scene, 2893 Johnson Drive.

For more information contact the Ventura County Bicycle Coalition at 932-1302, https://vcbike.org, info@vcbike.org.