Walk ‘n Rollers presents Walk-Bike Ballona, a series of free, family-friendly activities this summer to highlight the recreational and ecological value of Ballona Creek. Activities will include Fun Rides, Group Walks and Walk ‘n Roll Festivals – bicycle-pedestrian safety and skills festivals.
Ballona Creek is one of the greatest natural resources in the Los Angeles area, draining 130 square miles of a vital watershed, stretching nine miles form Baldwin Hills to the Pacific Ocean. The Ballona Creek Bike Path runs from Syd Kronenthal Park in the east end of Culver City to the Marvin Broad Bike Path in Marina del Rey. Along the way, the path connects various schools, parks and recreation centers.
Walk-Bike Ballona is made possible by a grant from the Rails to Trails Conservancy. The primary goal is to highlight Ballona Creek as a viable transit corridor that provides easy and safe access to six elementary schools and two middle schools. The Group Fun Rides focus on routes that connect the school’s neighborhoods to the path and include docent-lead talks by Ballona Creek Renaissance on the ecological value of Ballona Creek and Group Walks lead by Walk with a Doc.
“Ballona Creek is used every day by hundreds of people,“ Walk ‘n Rollers founder Jim Shanman said. “Families, commuters, students and fitness enthusiasts take advantage of Ballona Creek Bike Path all year long to connect with communities and schools from Playa del Rey to Culver City. It’s a safe and beautiful resource that in many ways remains under utilized. We hope to highlight it’s accessibility to encourage parents, students and faculty to drive a little less and walk or bike a little more to and from school”.
Three rides are scheduled, each exploring a different section of the Bike Path. The first ride and walk, set for June 28, touches on the middle, from Duquesne to Centinela Avenue connecting Culver City’s Farragut Elementary and Culver City Middle and High schools. The second ride, scheduled for July 13, explores the west end of the path from Centinela Avenue to Marina del Rey and connects Marina del Rey Middle School, Short Elementary and Braddock Elementary Schools to the path. The third ride on August 16 will focus on the east end from National Boulevard to Overland Avenue connecting Echo Horizon and Turning Point schools to the path, including the Expo Bike Path.
The Festivals focus on bicycle and pedestrian safety for both children and adults. Participants receive guidance on how to properly fit their helmets and check their bikes before each ride. Riders progress through a series of skills stations and then put their knowledge to use on instructor-lead on-street group rides. To make the event as accessible as possible, Walk ‘n Rollers brings a fleet of bicycles and demo helmets, so even kids without bikes are able to participate. For the children with their own bikes, local bicycle co-op, Bikerowave, will be on-site to provide safety checks and minor repairs on the kids’ bikes.
In addition to the skills stations and bike repair, a separate obstacle course will be available to the children along with fun bicycle crafts where children can make their own spoke card, race plate, custom button and work on engaging activity pages.
For more information on the Walk-Bike Ballona Project, please visit www.walknrollers.org/walk-bike-balllona.
Walk ‘n Rollers is a non-profit organization whose mission is to encourage children, through education and training, to bike, walk, skate and scoot to school more frequently. We work with schools to develop sustainable walk/bike to school programs, host Kids Bike Skills Workshops and Walk ‘n Roll Festivals and work with cities to implement Safe Routes to School education and encouragement programs. For more information, please visit www.walknrollers.org