E-Z Bike Project offers Santa Barbara County residents free test rides on electric bikes

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Many Santa Barbara residents are making the switch to electric bikes. 

Residents like Whitney Wilkinson love riding bikes and now have the ability to share that passion with their kids thanks to the E-Z Bike Project. 

“My one-and-a-half-year-old daughter loved it, so it was a total success,” Wilkinson said.

Wilkinson’s daughter isn’t the only one being sold on a lifestyle change.

Others are choosing to make the switch to electric bicycles in the wake of higher parking rates and gas prices. 

“Gas prices right now are really high. And so this is a small investment that people can make to help put money back in their wallet if they do want to change their commute up and incorporate an electric bike as part of their daily commute,” Santa Barbara County Association of Governments spokeswoman Lauren Bianchi Klemann explained.

The E-Z Bike Project comes from the Santa Barbara County of Governments to help reduce traffic and air pollution.  

“Where I work actually has solar panels on the roof, so I know that when I'm charging it, I'm getting 100% renewable energy, and I don't have to use gas,” resident Alison Richard said.

Wilkinson also cares about going green and saving gas money.

"With the price of gas right now, it's great to have an alternative that's cheaper and it's green," she said. "We're not pumping more GHG into the atmosphere. So. So yeah, it's kind of a win-win in that respect.”

Riders met at the “bike spot” in Santa Barbara to test out a variety of electric bikes. 

They had the option of test riding the bikes for a couple of hours and dropping them off or keep renting them for another six days for free. 

Bianchi Klemann expressed the joy people feel riding the bikes.

“Whenever somebody can get on a bike, it's fun. That's all we hear is it's a lot of fun," she said. "You get to feel the air through your hair.“

Another E-Z Bike Demo is planned in Santa Maria on Tuesday, Aug. 9th. 

For more information about the E-Z Bike Project visit sbcag.org