Earlier this year 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis earned platinum status as a Bicycle Friendly Business, adding to the campus鈥檚 gold status as a Bicycle Friendly University. But it was a platinum in the university category that we really coveted.
Today (Nov. 14) we have it 鈥 as awarded by the League of American Bicyclists. 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis thus becomes only the second school in the country to be designated a platinum Bicycle Friendly University.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a double platinum year for 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis,鈥 said Cliff Contreras, director of Transportation and Parking Services, which includes the campus . 鈥淲e鈥檝e worked hard for decades to encourage sustainable commuting modes to our campus, and this acknowledgement by the league shows that we have been on the right track.鈥
In fact, according to league officials, Davis (the campus and the city) 鈥渟hines on all fronts,鈥 referring to the city鈥檚 status as a platinum Bicycle Friendly Community, and now 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis鈥 platinum status in the business and university categories.
In upgrading 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis from a gold to platinum Bicycle Friendly University, the league recognized the school鈥檚 commitment to improving conditions for bicycling through investment in bicycling promotion, education programs, infrastructure and pro-bicycling policies.
新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis has invested more than $7.7 million in bicycle facility improvements over the past four years. The projects include three new roundabouts; an expanded, car-free campus core; and more than $500,000 in new bike rack installations.
The campus also boasts, in front of the , Davis鈥 first green bike lanes 鈥 an added safety measure to separate bicycles and cars. The green lanes are for bicyclists only (not people driving in and out of the garage).
The league also commended what it described as 鈥渁 pioneering effort鈥: the Bicycle Education and Enforcement Program, or BEEP, launched by TAPS and the Police Department two years ago.
BEEP includes an that serves as an alternative to expensive fines as well as an effective means of providing bike safety education to the entire campus community. More than 2,000 people have successfully completed the course.
Proud to be a model campus
The league鈥檚 began in 2011, honoring 20 schools in all with one platinum (Stanford), two golds (新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis and 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Santa Barbara), nine silvers and eight bronzes.
Upon receiving the gold award, Contreras said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to continue to work hard to make the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Bicycle Program the best in the country.鈥
And now they have. 鈥淭here are many campus individuals and departments who share the credit for this award and I especially want to acknowledge the hard work of TAPS staff who strive daily to ensure that bicycling continues to be the most popular commuting mode to campus,鈥 Contreras said.
David Takemoto-Weerts, Bicycle Program coordinator, said: 鈥淚鈥檓 proud to be part of the campuswide team that has earned this recognition through many years of doing our best to promote bicycle commuting.
鈥淲ith a bike mode share approaching 50 percent, upwards of 20,000 bikes on campus during peak use days, and ever-improving infrastructure and safety programs, we hope to continue to serve as a model for other colleges and universities working to increase the beneficial use of bikes for daily transportation.鈥
In a , league President Andy Clarke said: 鈥淎s our Bicycle Friendly University program grows, the promise for a more Bicycle Friendly America does, too. Colleges and universities propel our leaders of the future, and more and more of those students are choosing bicycles as their transportation option of choice.
鈥淲e commend universities like Bowdoin College, University of California, Davis, and the University of Montana, who are leading the way to a healthier, more sustainable future.鈥
With today鈥檚 announcement, the league has now recognized 75 Bicycle Friendly Universities in 32 states and the District of Columbia. The list includes Bowdoin of Brunswick, Maine (silver) and Montana (gold).
Earlier coverage
Dateline 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis (April 22, 2013)
Dateline 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis (March 9, 2011)
Media Resources
Dave Jones, Dateline, 530-752-6556, dljones@ucdavis.edu