Santa Clarita is known for its beautiful parks and miles of paved, off-street trails that can be explored from sunrise to sunset. We know that our residents and visitors to Santa Clarita enjoy staying active, which is why the city continues to look for new opportunities and amenities that can be added.
A new program that I am excited for you to participate in is called Pace, which is a bike sharing program that was recently introduced to the community. Pace allows users 18 and over to rent a bike from one of 12 designated stations currently in the city to use at their leisure. By downloading the free Pace app on your smartphone, you are able to rent a bike for $1 for every 30 minutes of use.
Stations are located at a number of trailheads, as well as transit centers and tourism hotspots so residents and visitors alike have a fun and inexpensive way to explore the city without needing to invest in a bike – there are 50 available for rent.
City staff began researching and gauging public interest in early 2017 to see if residents wanted to bring a bike share program to the community. What staff found was that over 75 percent of respondents were in favor of the idea, so a plan was made to develop a pilot program.
It is very easy to register an account with Pace so you can get started renting bikes whenever you want. All you need to do is download the free Pace app on your smartphone. If you are opening an account for the first time, be sure to input promo code RIDESC so you can get $2 in free credits!
With the app open, you will be able to see the current position of all available bikes, as well as all of the Pace stations in Santa Clarita. Simply make your way to a bike station at locations such as the Iron Horse Trailhead or Jan Heidt Metrolink Station in Newhall and follow the on-screen prompts to unlock a bike.
When you are finished, be sure to follow the instructions on the app to properly lock the bike to a Pace station or public bike rack. Failing to do so, or leaving the bike unattended in a public place like a parking lot or sidewalk, will result in your account continuing to be billed.
I encourage you to join the 550 folks who have already registered since Pace first arrived in mid-December and take a tour of Santa Clarita using our bike-share program. I am sure you will agree this is a great way to explore our city.
Ken Striplin is the Santa Clarita city manager, and can be reached at [email protected].
