Cycling enthusiasts, environmentalists and residents seeking alternative modes of transportation cheered on two separate announcements Thursday that further creates greener, more bicycle-oriented communities in the Greater Los Angeles area.

In San Pedro, residents celebrated the launch of Good2Go Bikes, an electric bike share pilot program for low-income residents. In North Hollywood, city, state and local transportation officials gathered to announce full funding and plans to complete a “cyclists’ highway” connecting Burbank to the western part of San Fernando Valley.

Good2Go Bikes will allow residents 18 or older living in the Rancho San Pedro public housing development to access e-bikes, including cargo bikes with space to store groceries and large items. The bike share program offers alternatives to get to and from work, doctor’s appointments, grocery stores and other destinations.

Eligible residents can sign up for a pay-as-you-go plan, in which they would pay $2 for the first hour of bike rental and 50 cents for each additional hour, or a monthly plan, where they’d be charged $20 a month for 20 hours of bike rental service plus 50 cents for each hour beyond that.

The program is the result of a partnership between Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) and Pedal Movement, which is providing 16 e-bikes, four e-cargo bikes and a charging hub where the fleet of bicycles is stored.

Funding for the first two years will be provided through the California Air Resources Board’s Clean Mobility Options Voucher program. The project is part of the California Climate Investments initiative aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions and improving public health and the environment while strengthening the economy, especially in disadvantaged communities.

Jenny Scanlin, chief strategic development officer for HACLA, said during a news conference to showcase the e-bikes hub at East Second Street and Harbor Boulevard that a quarter of Rancho San Pedro residents reported in a 2020 survey that they relied solely on public transportation. Seven percent reported being unable to get to work and 13% said job opportunities were out of reach due to lack of transportation.

“We know that this community is a community that needs other alternative transportation options,” Scanlin said.

Additionally, she said, residents — some of whom worked with LACI and HACLA in applying for state funding for the program — are aware of the negative environmental impacts of living so close to the Port of Los Angeles.

“They’re well aware of their own health and the health of their families, and they proactively asked us to look for alternatives,” Scanlin said, thanking residents who attended the mid-morning celebration and bike demonstration event. “This is about you. This is for you and this is because of you.”

Matt Petersen, president and CEO of LACI, said it is the first bike share program in the Greater L.A. area devoted to residents of a public housing community and that those involved are hoping to expand it to other communities if it’s successful.

“We’re so excited about the launch of this pilot today, to really just make clean mobility options more accessible to everyone and learn from this pilot and see how we can scale it,” he said.

The e-bike share program follows the introduction of an electric vehicle car share program for Rancho San Pedro residents that has proven successful, Petersen said.

Also Thursday, L.A. City Council President Paul Krekorian, who is a member of the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, joined with state Assembly Member Adrin Nazarian and local transportation officials in North Hollywood to provide an update on the “cyclists’ highway” connecting Burbank to the West Valley.

For years, cyclists have asked for a continuous bikeway connecting the eastern and western parts of the valley. Currently, the Metro G Bus Rapid Transit Line bike path, often referred to as the Orange Line path, runs east from Chatsworth while the Chandler Boulevard path runs west from Burbank. But the paths don’t connect due to a 3-mile gap.

Officials plan to connect the two paths by creating a continuous bicycle thoroughfare that will span 21 miles from Mariposa Street in Burbank to Lassen Street in Chatsworth, linking neighborhoods in North Hollywood, Valley Village and Sherman Oaks and supporting access to Metro stations, according to a news release.

The new section of the bikeway will improve safety along Chandler Boulevard by adding protected bike lanes to separate cyclists from vehicle traffic.

Proponents of the “cyclists’ highway” project say it will promote healthy, open-air recreation as well as the climate change goal of reducing the number of cars on the road.

The $5.9 million project will include $1.9 million in state funding, $800,000 in city funding and $3.2 million from Metro.