WEST HOLLYWOOD—The city is launching its Bike Giveaway Pilot Program and will be giving away 50 bicycles in collaboration with Schwinn to urge more bicycling and less driving among residents to further West Hollywood’s climate action goals.

West Hollywood reported in a press release that an application portal with program details at www.weho.org/bikegiveaway. Residents of WeHo who are 18 years of age or older are eligible to apply for a free bike as part of the Pilot Program. Applications will be collected during the next few weeks and is anticipated to choose those 50 individual recipients in February 2023 through a random lottery.

Residents determined to receive a free bicycle will agree to commit to riding a minimum number of 20 miles per month and will complete monthly reports with odometer readings. In addition, participants are expected to complete a survey before receiving a Bike Giveaway Pilot Program bicycle. Full participation in the program is required for residents to keep bicycles for the long-term.

The Pilot Program aims at supporting multi-modal transportation to decrease citywide vehicle miles traveled while supporting West Hollywood’s Core Value of Responsibility for the Environment. In WeHo, passenger vehicles and trucks contribute to roughly 1-million average vehicles miles traveled, resulting in more than 62,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide. Choosing a bicycle over a car in a single day can lead to an up-to-67 percent decrease in transportation emissions. As a result, by providing people with bicycles and the option to bike instead of drive, the Bike Giveaway Pilot Program is a great instrument to reduce emissions from vehicle miles traveled.

The region can be traveled by foot, by bike, or by transit. The city reported that by “going car-free creates new opportunities to run into friends and meet new ones, enjoy fresh air on a beautiful day, see places you never noticed before, and get some exercise along the way.”

In 2017, West Hollywood adopted its Pedestrian and Bicycle Mobility Plan, which provides a roadmap to improving the city’s pedestrian and bicycle environment. The PBMP identifies several categories of projects including improvements at un-signalized crosswalks, signalized intersections, and bicycle improvements.

For additional details, contact Monica Gonzalez, West Hollywood’s Long Range Planning Division at (323) 848-6542 or at mgonzalez@weho.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing call TTY (323) 848-6496.