This short video includes a few clips from Davis, CA and a simple message about how we must legitimize cycling if we are going to see greater success. Myself, other professionals, and elected officials took a short study trip to Davis to learn how they have planned for and encourage cycling. The college campus sees a high rate of cycling (beyond the 20-24% reported for the city as a whole) and the rest of town sees a much higher cycling rate than most US cities. Generally speaking, cycling must be safe and convenient - this means following the 5 design principles of the Dutch Crow manual (Cohesion, Directness, Safety, Comfort, and Attractiveness) and planning land use in a way that brings destinations closer to where people live (ties into convenience).
I will need to create a future video on Davis to show the whole picture, including: how they planned a network of connected greenways with trails; the push and pull from different people in the community for conventional bike lanes vs. separated/protected paths; traffic circulation; the discouragement of driving through regulation of parking; the encouragement of cycling through increased convenience; how Davis could be further improved as there are still many conventional painted bike lanes (such as what is in front of their high school); their bus network; and more!
One interesting note; Davis claims to have had the world's first bike roundabout! I am glad they built them with forgiving angled curbs (I had a couple close calls with straight vertical curbs in the Netherlands!). The roundabouts were actually kind of fun to ride through, though they really aren't super necessary for traffic control or traffic calming since people walking and cycling can mitigate busy junctions through eye contact and slower speeds. More on this all to come at a later date!
27 апр 2023
