Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission staff seeks funding for a new Electric Bike Incentive Program that provides point-of-sale vouchers for low-income residents. The program could launch later this year or he in early 2024. (Brian Huang — Herald Correspondent)

SANTA CRUZ — Local transportation leaders are leaning toward promoting e-bike use throughout the county by using payment coupons to lower the barrier to entry.

Staff at the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission will begin soliciting grants for a new program that offers point-of-sale vouchers for the purchase of e-bikes. The program is aimed at income-qualified people in counties where purchasing an e-bike is prohibitively expensive.

Part of the Commission’s GO Santa Cruz County Platform, the pilot project will capitalize on the growing popularity of electric bicycles as an efficient and clean means of transportation for the county, which has long been plagued by constant vehicular traffic. We aim to

Transportation planner Amanda Marino told the commission at a meeting on Thursday that staff will apply for the maximum available grant of $400,000 for the Monterey Bay Air Resources District later this month. . We are exploring other regional grant opportunities.

“Vouchers will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are exhausted. The more funds RTC secures, the more vouchers will be given to the community,” said Marino.

Voucher values ​​are $800 for standard e-bikes and $1,200 for cargo or adaptive e-bikes. Traditional manual bikes are also included in the program with a $300 coupon.

This effort aims to build on the success of similar e-bike rebate programs that the City of Santa Cruz has been offering to employees and other downtown workers since 2021, and programs of this kind are available both within the County and It is the only one in the wide area.

“There are more than 600 people outside of downtown who were refusing from the program,” said Claire Gallogry, transportation planner for Santa Cruz. “There is an incredible potential demand outside of downtown for people who are willing to join this program right away.”

Ecology Action has become the Commission’s program manager and is already playing the same role at Santa Cruz.

According to staff reports, eligibility requirements may include:

• Individuals over the age of 18 or community service organizations.

• One (1) Incentive per individual or organization.

• Live or work in Santa Cruz County.

• Currently receiving low-income benefits or assistance through a verifiable program. Generally, to be eligible for these benefits, an individual or family income must be below 300% of his federal poverty level.

Planners are also looking to include discounts for members of an e-bike sharing program that is starting to roll out in the county. The bike share system, which began in Santa Cruz on June 20 and is expected to expand to Capitola, Watsonville, and unincorporated county areas in early 2024, will be available to UC Santa Cruz students and campus officials. Offer an annual membership at a discounted rate.

Commission staff work with local bikes made up of members from multiple county jurisdictions to negotiate the best possible discounted rates for those who want to use electric bikes but are unable, for various reasons, to purchase them. We plan to discuss this with the Share Working Group.

Acting Chair Andy Shiffrin has been a vocal supporter of the program and will consider distributing vouchers in a more systematic manner to ensure a level playing field for underserved communities. encouraged staff to do so.

“There is a desire to really spread these out, so it might make sense to allocate a percentage of the funds to other parts of the county, especially South County,” Shifrin said.

Transportation planner Amy Naranjo said the commission’s voucher program could roll out later this year or early 2024, after the grant announcement.

Expressway section

The commission also held a public hearing on Thursday to solicit community feedback on a draft environmental impact report detailing the third and final stages of the Highway 1 project. The initiative seeks to install auxiliary lanes and bus shoulder facilities from Freedom Boulevard to Morrissey Boulevard.

The final stage extends approximately 2.75 miles from State Park Drive to Freedom Boulevard, which includes 2.25 miles of Coastal Rail Trail Segment 12.

A staff report said the third phase of construction could begin as early as 2025.