City’s ‘Community Bike Ride’ showcases bike paths

Greg Banta begins his bike trek during the Santa Clarita Hit the Trail 2022 event at Bridgeport Park in Valencia, Calif., on Saturday, May 15, 2022. Chris Torres/The Signal
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Although temperatures of up to 97 degrees kept many from participating in the city of Santa Clarita’s “Community Bike Ride” event on Saturday, city workers did not seem deterred from promoting cycling in the area.  

The free self-guided bike tour featured more than 70 miles of bike paths for participants to ride on. The main trails for the event began at the Iron Horse Trailhead, the George A. Caravalho Santa Clarita Sports Complex, or the Lost Canyon Trailhead. Participants followed route markers from their start location to Bridgeport Park in Valencia before journeying back for the finish.  

Greg Banta, left, Amy Rynne, second from left, Nina Moskol, center, and Alan Edwards, second from right, chat with Santa Clarita City Project Manager Alex Porlier, right, about a new city project petition during the Santa Clarita Hit the Trail 2022 event at Bridgeport Park in Valencia, Calif., on Saturday, May 15, 2022. Chris Torres/The Signal

Alex Porlier, project manager with the city’s traffic and transportation division, was manning the pop-up tent at Bridgeport Park, which handed out water to bikers and goody bags for the first 200 participants.  

Porlier said that although the event was a great way to raise awareness for the city’s class one trails to be used recreationally, it’s also to promote an alternative to driving.  

“I really want to see more people on bikes taking those short trips. Most trips, if you think about it, are 8 miles or less. That’s easily bikeable, especially with e-bikes,” said Porlier. “So the more we can promote that [and] raise awareness that we have these facilities in the city, the more you get cars off the street.” 

Parlier said this was his key role with the city, to let people know that these trails are more than just recreational, but could be used as a means of transportation.  

Local bicyclists chat with city employees at the tents set up for the Santa Clarita Hit the Trail 2022 event at Bridgeport Park in Valencia, Calif., on Saturday, May 15, 2022. Chris Torres/The Signal

The booth at Bridgeport Park also displayed maps of future projects and ones currently under construction. Among these are the Bouquet Canyon and Central Park trails, which Porlier said had some sections opened last year as a demonstration.  

Apparently the demonstrations worked, as  the city awarded the Central Park trail’s design and greenlit its construction, which Parlier said will begin in the next six to nine months.  

“That’ll be great for…concerts in the park,” said Porlier. “Usually [the] parking lot gets pretty full. This provides you another option [so] you can actually cycle to concerts in the park much more easily.” 

For more bike-related information, visit bit.ly/3Mpe4iM. 

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