Council Candidates Respond to Transportation Issues

Transportation issues are among the most pressing and important confronting our city. For the past several Council elections Davis Bicycles! has organized a Transportation Forum to give voters an idea of the candidates’ positions on these kinds of issues. Although the Transportation Forum couldn’t be scheduled this year, we feel that voters have expressed great interest in the candidates’ positions. Therefore, Davis Bicycles! has asked each candidate for city council to respond to a set of representative transportation questions (listed below). Their responses are posted at http://www.davisbicycles.org/CandidateStatements2014.

Questions:

1. Are you aware of the City’s formally adopted Climate Action Goals (what are the dates and quantified goals)?  What fraction of the Davis carbon footprint is attributable to personal vehicle transportation? What, if any, changes in transportation mode splits in Davis will be necessary to achieve these goals? If you are elected to Council, what policies would you propose and support in order to achieve these goals?

2.  Many people agree that there are problems with parking in Downtown Davis. Some think that the problem is a lack of parking while others think there is adequate parking but it is managed poorly.  What is your perspective on the downtown parking situation and what steps will you propose to improve downtown parking? Do you agree with the recent recommendations of the Downtown Parking Task Force in their report to the City Council? Why or why not? Would you support additional paid parking in Downtown? Why or why not? What policies would you propose to help solve the downtown parking problem?

3. Nearly 5 years after a previous Council directed City staff to proceed without delay with the reconfiguration of 5th Street, the project is nearly complete and re-striping is planned for early summer 2014. Similar designs done across the country have resulted in a 50% or greater reduction in automobile accidents in addition to improved safety for pedestrians and cyclists. Do you support this reconfiguration of 5th Street? Why or why not?

4. As the City works toward Diamond Level Bicycling City designation, which goal in the Beyond Platinum Plan do you anticipate will be the greatest challenge to achieving Diamond Level? What can Council do to overcome this challenge? Which goal(s) seems most within reach and how could Council facilitate its achievement? Thinking particularly about mode share, what policies would you support to increase bicycle and pedestrian mode share in Davis? What barriers do you see to increasing these?

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John Munn

1. I am aware of the City’s Climate Action Plan that includes actions, targets, and goals related to the City General Plan. It is a lengthy and detailed document that, as far as I can tell, is only available as a staff report to the City Council. Determination of the City’s carbon footprint attributable to personal vehicles is a lookup exercise rather than a question. Rather than writing a review of the report, I will explain that I am running for the City Council to help Davis put its financial house in order. This involves many difficult decisions that will be needed to balance the City’s financial budget, which is what I anticipate spending much of my time on. I will also observe that a city going broke is not going to be in a position to implement the actions, goals, and targets of plans to change carbon output by the City of Davis or its residents.

2. Assuming that this question is about automobile parking, the first thing to understand about downtown parking is whether we have a space problem or distribution problem. My observation, which is backed up by the recent Parking Task Force report, is that we have a distribution problem, where much of the shortage in downtown street parking is caused by employee or business professional parking and re-parking.

So let’s try to solve the real problem first by encouraging and permitting business owners and employees to use underutilized parking resources, such as in areas adjacent to the downtown business district and in at least one of the existing structures. This can be done with changes in the employee/owner parking permit process and availability to promote use of underutilized areas, and by adjusting parking time limits and fines to discourage re-parking while not penalizing

If there is a remaining space problem, then I would first consider a limited size, two-story parking structure in the parking lot between E and F and 3rd and 4th Streets. This same approach could be considered for other City parking lots adjacent to the downtown area. I do not agree with the Parking Task Force recommendation for parking meters on downtown streets. My position is that street parking in downtown Davis is a service to customers provided by the businesses that they support. In return, these businesses provide financial support to the City in the form of tax revenues, rate payments, and fees.

In addition, as people familiar with downtown Sacramento know very well, having meters does not actually prevent employees and others from reparking.

A strong argument can also be made that many customers will simply choose not to go downtown if they must pay for street parking. Many Davis residents in peripheral developments can go to Woodland, Dixon, and to a lesser extent West Sacramento in not much more time than it takes to get through all the traffic lights going to downtown Davis. There is also a Target store with free parking in East Davis, and there are shops and restaurants in other Davis shopping centers with large parking lots.

Parking meters will hurt both downtown business returns and City tax revenue overall, while not solving the parking problem. My recommendations for improving downtown street parking availability are described above.

If the purpose of this question is to promote use of bicycles to reduce the need for automobile parking, then I can recognize that fewer cars might result in more available parking spaces in the downtown core area, unless those additional bicycle riders were already parking elsewhere. My emphasis as a City Council Member, however, would be to help improve downtown parking availability by encouraging employees and business professionals to choose alternative sites for long term parking.

3. If the purpose of this question is to determine my position on the 5th Street reconfiguration project, then my answer is of little value since this project is underway and is likely to be finished before newly elected City Council Members take office. The question also includes a statement about design benefits that is given without reference. I do not follow the logic of two lanes having a greater capacity for traffic flow than four lanes, and I would need to see the actual studies of “similar designs” to determine whether cited safety statistics can be applied to this or other situations in Davis. If the purpose of the question is to determine my potential support for similar projects in the future, then I would need to have my own questions about traffic capacity and documentation of safety effects answered.

As stated above, I am running for the City Council to help Davis put its financial house in order. I expect that residents of Davis will continue to travel downtown in cars, and I would not favor proposals that make such trips more difficult. Bicycles and cars need to share the road, each having respect for the other.

4. I am not going to try to outbicycle the other candidates. Nor am I going to critique an 83 page report as a candidate. If elected, I will make a point of reading and understanding the “Bicycle Action Plan” and other such reports in order to make informed decisions. I can say that we need to always be looking for opportunities to improve bicycle use and safety. I also think that Davis has been, for the most part, on the right track.

I really am running for the City Council to help Davis put its financial house in order. Like streets, bicycle paths need to be maintained to provide for safe and reliable use. This will not be possible unless and until Davis fixes its financial problems. A city that is going broke will not be able to maintain or repair either its roads or its bike paths, nor will it be able to implement improvements for use of bicycles.

The proportion of residents relying on bicycles may have declined in recent years because of the greater distances that many singlefamily and student residents must travel from more widely dispersed new neighborhoods and rental complexes. And improved bus service may have also cut into the number of bicycle riders.

It is neither possible nor desirable to undo these changes, so we must also recognize the need to accommodate additional automobile and bus traffic that shares our streets with bicycles.

This does not mean that I am somehow opposed to use of bicycles, only that I have other reasons to be running for the Davis City Council. As a student from 1969 through 1973 and again from 1978 through 1983, bicycles were my primary means of transportation in Davis, and my wife still rides a bicycle from North Davis to work at UCD. But my reason for becoming a candidate is primarily a concern about City finances, which would be the focus of my efforts as a Council Member.

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Rochelle Swanson

1. I am not only aware of the CAAP (Climate Action and Adaption Plan) goals, I have supported them both on the record and off while serving on the Davis City Council. I believe we now have ambitious goals in place to continue to up the mode share of nonmotorized, single driver mode share everything from our pledge to match the Kyoto treaty a couple years ago to being carbon neutral in 2050. That said, it is imperative that we not solely focus on bicycle mode share that leaves those with reduced mobility left in the margins. While roughly two fifths of our greenhouse gas emissions are from personal vehicles, we have a broad continuum of options available in Davis. I would like to see more education and outreach, via partnerships with nonprofits and other partners, that help residents understand the various options of transportation and paths to get to all parts of our community.

2.  I believe that our downtown parking issues stem from a combination of lack of supply and an inadequate management of current parking stock.

I stand by the statements and votes I’ve made as a member of the City Council regarding the Downtown Parking Task Force. I agreed with most of their recommendations but believe we need more data before moving forward with implementing more paid parking in the downtown area. I’m not opposed in principle, but feel that we can use new technology to develop a better understanding of the parking habits of our downtown workers and patrons.

We also need to encourage our downtown businesses and employees to get X permits to free up existing customer parking spaces in the downtown area. Currently, only about a third of those businesses have employees that use permitted parking and we lose hours of productivity in addition to potential customers for every business owner or employee that uses two hour parking. I’m interested in talking to those groups to see how we can best accomplish this.

I’m also hopeful that state legislation currently under consideration will free up bonded money to construct another parking garage so we can increase our downtown parking capacity.

3. I’m encouraged by the results that other communities have seen from similar projects but, like with any project, I appreciate seeing the research as it applies in this community before making more permanent decisions. I pushed for restriping in place of a fullblown reconstruction so that we could make sure the project was worth the investment and would deliver the benefits that it promised.

I also see the validity behind the concerns many Davis residents have regarding the cost of the project, impacts on traffic (especially given our parking woes), and the timing given our fiscal situation which is why I believe we need to see the results of the restriping before we move forward with permanent hardscape alterations. I believe it is in everyone’s interest to ensure our investments in infrastructure are successful based on sound metrics.

4. Diamond level status is designed, per the League of American Bicyclists, in conjunction with the needs of the community. Rather than a dictated set of principles, LAB will work with our community via outreach to determine needed areas of improvement. As with any ambitious City of Davis goal of improvement to infrastructure, funding is our greatest challenge. One goal I want to see us achieve in the near term, Diamond designation or not, is to truly complete the bike loop throughout our entire community.

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Sheila Allen

1.  Yes, I am aware of the Climate Action Goals (Plan presented June 2010 and Implementation Update in Oct. 2010). 53% of GHG emissions were from personal vehicle transportation.

I have been particularly involved in the Safe Routes to Schools activities and goals and have been supportive of activities to increase alternative modes to school (biking and walking). I have been a leader in continuing to have neighborhood schools to increase the likelihood of biking and riding. I have also worked with city bike staff and school district staff to assure that we have adequate bike racks at our schools. The school district has also made progress on installation of solar with arrays at 3 of our schools. I would support working with the schools to continue to increase nonvehicle transportation and increase solar use in parking lots, roofs and land behind Harper Junior High.

2. I support the vote and current direction of the city council. I generally agreed with the proposal for paid parking in a limited area as suggested by the Parking Task Force but I cannot support moving forward at this time without a clear financial plan. I support the work of the Task Force and would like to see the other recommendations put in place and look forward to the report within a year to asses if the incremental changes helped to alleviate peak parking time problems.

Two recommendations need to be implemented immediately: signage to help visitors find existing, underutilized parking garages/spaces and educating downtown business owners on the existence of employee parking passes for employees. Business owners should want to maximize the customer experience by increasing parking availability and minimize disruptions in the work day by workers leaving to move their cars. Longer term we need to work with downtown building owners to encourage a more diverse mix of retail, restaurant, residential and office space. If we have an optimal business-type mix, the high parking demand at meal time would be decreased and it will have the added advantage of varied tax income.

With the loss of RDA monies a parking structure will need a different funding source. Potential sources could include bonding when fiscally prudent (not now) and as a part of a larger planned transportation hub in conjunction with the Richards underpass, the conference center and the Nishi project.

For location of a multilevel parking structure I prefer the current Amtrak lot site which is almost always full. I am interested in a resident pass to recoup some funds from out of town parkers. This structure would also be a more ideal location for employee parking in the impacted area. It would be safer for late night workers as it is closer and better light than distant neighborhood parking pass locations.

3. I have read the reports but I remain skeptical that decreasing the number of lanes from 4 to two will be an improvement for vehicle traffic. It will obviously be a safer section of road for bikes and I am pleased that pedestrians will be able to more safely cross the road but I worry about the collateral effects. E.g: more bicycle and car traffic on 8th Street which is already very busy, especially during the morning DaVinci Charter High and UCD start times. I had hoped that a better bicycle alternative could have been implemented rather than decrease the flow of traffic. I am also concerned about loss of revenue to downtown if people avoid going down because of actual or perceived traffic congestion.

When I am walking and knocking on doors and talking with Davis citizens I have heard many times that they believe this project to be a waste of city funds.

All of this being said, this is a project that is funded primary through SACOG grants (with some Davis general fund) and has already started so it is too late to decide if it is a good policy decision. What will be timely and important for the next council is to receive follow up reports to assure that the changes do indeed reap benefits of increased safety and not an ill effect on business.

4. The greatest challenge will be funding. While we are very lucky in Davis to have a highly engaged bicycle community including volunteers for many of the strategies. The proposed major changes to infrastructure will require additional funding that is not currently available.

Through a balanced budgeting approach and strategies to increase economic development we will be able to better address infrastructure needs in the future. The city has been doing a fairly good job of reaching out to regional partners including SACOG and regional transit to address some of the goals. The council can take leadership in these areas to utilize partnerships to reach goals.

There is significant interest in continuing to expand the safe routes to schools. In my work as the Executive Director of the Yolo Healthy Aging Alliance I am aware and have helped to educate seniors on the transportation trainings. Support for biking and walking for all ages will strengthen the program in the future.

I would love to see more partnering with UCD especially in the area of bike safety and rules. The early fall is a very dangerous time in Davis as new students arrive and have not yet adjusted to following traffic rules.

UCD had a great video on bike safety on campus and around town. It was very good information but quite long. I would support working with the university to universally have students receive this information each fall.

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Robb Davis

1. A key vision within the City’s 2010 Climate Action and Adaptation Plan is that by mid-century residents would make more than half their trips by foot, bike, transit, or other low carbon mode. The plan estimates that in 2006, 53% of all city-generated green house gas (GHG) emissions came from the transportation sector. A Natural Resources Commission presentation in April 2013 entitled “Climate Action and Adaptation Plan Update” estimated that in 2010 personal vehicles emitted 43% of city-generated The General Plan Transportation Element updated (adopted in December 2013) set the following mode share goal: Davis will provide a comprehensive, integrated, connected transportation system that provides choices between different modes of transportation. The performance objective for this goal is mode share distribution for all trips by 2035 will be as follows: 10% of trips by walking, 10% of trips by public transportation and 30% of trips by bicycle. Finally, the newly approved Beyond Platinum city bicycle plan sets 2020 as the date by which 30% of all trips within Davis will be by bicycle.

The Climate Action Plan seeks carbon neutrality in the city by 2050 and reductions to achieve a 28% reduction below 1991 levels by 2020. Will the foregoing transportation goals and performance plans help achieve that? While no explicit calculations to this effect are provided in any of the plans, the Transportation Element is considered consistent with the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.

While it is difficult to obtain an exact estimate of current mode share splits, studies by transportation choices to UC Davis, to schools and by commuters indicate that well over 20% of such trips occur by bicycle. Without a full mode share study it is difficult to estimate the exact mode share split at this time.

And that point brings me to the first policy I would propose concerning transportation: I would propose that Davis commit to conducting full transportation analyses using a rigorous methodology (such as Boulder’s diary method) to assess mode share for trips within the city. Such studies should be conducted at least once every 5 years to guide policy decisions about how to encourage movement from high to low GHG emitting transportation choices. Data should drive programming decisions and such studies will also permit us to assess progress towards the goals laid out above.

A second policy priority will be to change the image of Unitrans from a “UCD” bus system to a community bus system. To achieve this will require marketing and communication efforts as well as changes to bus schedules to better serve community needs—especially during times of the year when student demand is The full implementation of the Beyond Platinum Bicycle Action Plan is a third area I will emphasize as a Council member. This plan lays out very specific objectives and metrics designed to achieve the 30% bicycle mode share goal and the City Council should request twice a year updates on this plan to assess progress towards each objective based on its performance plan.

Finally, City staff should be encouraged to aggressively pursue SACOG and CalTrans grant funding that focuses on rectifying areas around the city identified as potential or real mode conflict zones or unsafe bicycling and walking areas. Such grants may also help pay for needed street improvements.

2. I was a member of the Downtown Parking Task Force (DPTF) and voted for the integrated plan and for each of the 19 individual recommendations. The only recommendation with which I had a disagreement was listing the 3/4/E/F location as a potential site for a future parking garage (Recommendation 16). I believe that site is inappropriate for a future structure because it will bring vehicles into the core of downtown.

A perusal of the DPTF plan makes it clear that parking management (rather than constrained supply) is at the heart of our current parking problem. Data analyzed by the task force make it clear that at most times on most days occupancy across the downtown does not exceed 85%, a level considered optimal in that it guarantees that those seeking spots are likely to fine one on each block face. The challenge we face concerns the desire of many users to secure spots in the “core of the core,” an area roughly bounded by 3rd, C, 1st and G Streets.

The vast majority of recommendations deal with this management problem by 1) proposing means to move longer term parkers (employees primarily) out of the core by creating more spaces in the Old North Davis neighborhood, possibly in East Davis, in the regal lot; 2) encouraging visitors to downtown to choose alternatives; 3) maximizing the use of underutilized parking resources—primarily the 4th and G Street parking garage and open private lots for after-hours use; 4) improving enforcement of parking regulations; and 5) encouraging more rapid turnover in the most desired spots (in the “core of the core”) by implementing paid parking in this limited zone.

The latter recommendation, the most controversial, has the advantage of providing an ongoing stream of revenue to enable the accomplishment of the other recommendations. Specifically, revenue from paid-parking  will provide resources to upgrade parking enforcement equipment, improve wayfinding and to collect data on occupancy and turnover so we can constantly assess outcomes of decisions and plan for changes.

While I do not believe that lack of supply is an immediate problem, I do support conducting feasibility studies to assess sites for a new parking structure. I support this for two reasons: 1) with UC Davis set to grow by 5000 students I think supply constraints could emerge and 2) I understand and accept the argument that creating a denser downtown with mixed use buildings will require new “off site” parking for new residents and visitors coming into our denser downtown.

3. I support this reconfiguration for several reasons. First, this corridor is one of the least safe travel locations in the city. It is the site of auto/pedestrian, auto/bike and auto/auto crashes. It marks a transition from neighborhoods to the commercial core and is traversed by users of all transportation modes.

A reconfigured 5th Street offers marked crosswalks and, at two locations, flashing beacons for pedestrians desiring to cross the street. It offers bike lanes for bicyclists enabling cyclists and drivers a safer and more predictable travel experience through the corridor. It offers drivers of automobiles a more rapid transit through the corridor (up to 45 seconds faster for a round trip according to two independent analyses) thanks to a reduction from 3 to 2 phases on traffic lights at F and G Streets and a left turn pocket at intersections.

Safety is enhanced for automobile drivers entering 5th Street because the redesign eliminates the possibility of hidden cars in a second lane of traffic. Slower speeds in the corridor will reduce the risk of rear-enders.

4. Only one of the four goals in the plan directly deals with achieving Diamond Level status but I assume you are referring to all the Beyond Platinum Bicycle Action Plan goals. I believe the greatest challenge concerns the plan’s 3rd goal: “Davis will integrate cycling with transit options both locally and regionally.”

While the train station will continue to be a unique resource for our town and region, our bus systems are still not connected to it or to robust bicycling infrastructure.

A bike share program will contribute to integration but lack of bus/bike connections with nearly all of the adjacent Solano County—especially the towns of Fairfield, Vacaville and Dixon—greatly limit our ability to achieve this goal. If the focus is on counties to the east of Davis then one can be more optimistic.

However, Davis, because of the University, has connections to the west as well. Without more frequent bus service to these towns I am skeptical that we can say we have achieved regional integration.

I believe the council must seek out opportunities to link Davis to Dixon and Vacaville. Transit options to Vacaville are limited to an infrequent commuter bus service and there is no bus service to Dixon at all. An analysis of the number of people who come to Davis from these locations could spur a more serious analysis of the possibilities and should be explored.

Further, our very own Yolo County bus service does not service either regional train station directly. Though there is a cost associated with expanding the bus service to run closer to or directly to the Davis Amtrak station, we should explore all possibilities to achieve this goal. This will make our train station an attractive option for people of both Sacramento and Woodland and, perhaps, reduce demand for parking at the station from those coming from outside of town.

I believe that Goal 1: “Davis will develop and maintain a community of safe, confident, and comfortable cyclists” is very much within our reach provided we can do two things: 1) build a greater collaboration with the University to provide ongoing training and education for students who cycle there, and 2) build a greater collaboration with the DJUSD to provide more and more frequent cycling instruction to all students as part of the curriculum.

Partnership with the University has improved but each year we have a new group of students in need of education about basic bicycle safety and training in safe cycling skills. To accomplish this we need greater collaboration and coordination among the university’s TAPS program, the University Police Department, the Davis Police Department, city staff and organizations such as Davis Bicycles! and the Davis Bicycle Club.

We need to develop and agreed upon curriculum, short videos, coordinated enforcement/education efforts and a “bike school” program that spans city and university as a diversion program for those who break the A better partnership between the City and the DJUSD—with the nonprofit sector providing support—would enable us to move beyond a limited after school bike rodeo program (which uses school grounds but is run by parents) to a more comprehensive approach that draws on parental volunteerism but enables students to get more intensive training and support for safe cycling.

I believe that to increase our mode share we must provide parents, especially, with the confidence that their children can bicycle safely to school and to other activities. This confidence will come from more intensive and coordinated bicycle safety training—discussed above—as well as a focus on dealing with safety issues defined in each of the school audit activities carried out in 2013/2014. These audits provide a critical roadmap to defining the most difficult bicycling challenges for students at each school. Focusing on education and dealing with critical safety needs (infrastructure, speed issues, school approach issues, etc.) as outlined in the plans are the best ways to increase bicycling mode share for students for trips to school and to extracurricular activities.

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Daniel Parella

1.  Transportation remains the number one generator of greenhouse gas emissions in the city of Davis. The easiest, most cost effective way I can think of to reduce two trips a day for Davis residents is to work with the DJUSD to have more students bike to school. Improving safety in my eyes is the the most important way to of increasing bike mode share. If residents have protected bike lanes all the way to work/School they will be far more likely to ditch the car.

While bicycling gets the bulk of the attention I support all forms of public transit. Increasing the share of multi-modal trips for people leaving and coming into Davis is the aspect of the Beyond Platinum Plan that appeals to me the most.

2. I believe the problem with downtown parking is primarily distribution.I would not support a parking garage in the downtown core area. For starters the downtown parking task force was very clear that our current parking structure on Fourth and G is underutilized at all times of the week, including during the most highly trafficked peak hours on Friday and Saturday.

Not only is the Fourth & G structure underutilized but also the entire Northeast quadrant of our downtown is underutilized. Even on-street parking rarely exceeds 60% occupancy rates and before we consider building another parking garage we should focus on directing traffic to the part of our downtown to improve our I believe that the Downtown gateway improvement project should have the Wayfinder project as a priority.

The Wayfinder project is a series of signs leading from Richards Underpass to the Fourth & G structure as well as the entire Northeast Quadrant. That idea has a lot of merit, the problem right now is we have tourists who have no idea where to go from the underpass and drive around aimlessly trying to find a spot. Not only does it pollute the air but it causes congestion in the downtown area. If we can effectively direct traffic to where parking spots are available we can improve our downtown without needing to increase the supply.

I did not support the idea of a 3 block by 3block radius that was originally proposed in the Downtown Parking Task Force report. I thought it was too much too fast and as someone who refuses to pay for parking I thought it would affect downtown businesses.

I think parking meters could be useful in certain parts of our downtown. I liked the idea of putting them at the Amtrak station to try and encourage shoppers to park there. I was surprised that the City Council shut  down parking meters in its entirety, I figured they would reach some sort of compromise. The idea of a block-by-block rollout from Brett Lee seemed to have some merit in my eyes. The idea of validation parking seemed feasible to me as well. I do think that streamlining our parking downtown will reduce traffic and make downtown Davis a little more walkable.

3.  Biking down Fifth Street has always reminded me a bit of the game Frogger. Yes I supported the Fifth Street Redesign, if we are going to hit 30% Bike Mode Share all of our major thoroughfares need to be  navigable by Bike. Protected Bike Lanes are a great idea and I look forward to having them all over town.

4. I believe the hardest goal to achieve is “Davis will offer a complete, seamless, and integrated bikeway network on and off street that is accessible to and comfortable for people of all ages and abilities.” The backlash against the Fifth Street Redesign has been palpable on the campaign trail. If the council is going to overcome this challenge the city needs to do a better job of educating people as to why the redesigns are being made and provide examples to the public of other successful redesigns. The goal that seems the most in reach is “Davis will develop and maintain a community of safe, confident, and comfortable cyclists.”

In particular progress is being made with college students, the university has finally started training its incoming students as to the rules of the road, I have high hopes the number of crashes will decrease.

Without question I believe the greatest opportunity to improve bike mode share has to do with the schools. Despite easy access to the bulk of the K12 schools in town many parents choose to drive to school EVERY morning which not only decreases our bike mode share but it contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.

Safety is the reason many parents drive their kids to school and the beyond platinum effort to identify the safest routes to school for children and put more crossing guards in the morning could increase bike use for our school children. I think a report on what intersections are the most dangerous for bikers and how to avoid them could convince a lot of parents that biking is a safe way for their children to get their daily exercise and get to school on time. In particular focusing on the schools with notoriously low bike use and identifying why that is the case and implementing “bike to school” challenges could increase the bike mode.

The most surprising aspect of the beyond platinum report was that the gender gap in town is increasing. I thought the report did a good job of identifying why there is a gender gap for cyclists in general, but very little information was given to understand why the gap has widened over the years. Figuring out why our gender gap has widened could yield valuable insight into improving our bike mode share.

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