Davis,CA bicycle ridership down 5% over ten years - Page 2 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

03-02-2005, 11:05 AM

max wrote:

> I'd bet it is some combination of increased sprawl, higher traffic
> density on bike route streets, increased number of monster vehicles
> driven by increasing number of more distracted drivers.

> I'd bet good money that Davis' ridership is down because of hostile
> cycling environmental developments.

Increased non-university population and sprawl may indeed be the issue. But I
don't think traffic density or monster trucks have anything to do with it.
Roads there are very wide and bike friendly, so the amount and nature of the
traffic hardly makes a difference. Plus, Davis is riddled with bike paths.
Many riders wouldn't spend much time on the roads anyway.

Even if the roads are more hostile, or perceived that way, the ridership
decrease is probably due to a general trend. Few students have ridden since
childhood and even then not all of them. They're not about to start while going
to college. We have the same problem here at VA Tech. Besides, only losers
don't have cars, right? ;-)

Matt O.

03-02-2005, 11:11 AM

Ken Marcet wrote:

> Interesting figure, I wonder if this is a national trend or the
> people of Davis are just getting lazy?
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

What struck me was this absurdity: "Yet we have college students waiting for
20 minutes to ride a bus for a half a mile." If that's not lazy, I don't know
what is -- especially for a 20 year old.

Matt O.

03-02-2005, 11:11 AM

Ken Marcet wrote:

> Interesting figure, I wonder if this is a national trend or the
> people of Davis are just getting lazy?
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

What struck me was this absurdity: "Yet we have college students waiting for
20 minutes to ride a bus for a half a mile." If that's not lazy, I don't know
what is -- especially for a 20 year old.

Matt O.

03-02-2005, 12:28 PM

"Ken Marcet" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
> Interesting figure, I wonder if this is a national trend or the
people of
> Davis are just getting lazy?
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
> Looks to me like the town wants to improve on those numbers.

It may be typical in college towns with a growing amount of off-campus
housing.

I went to college at a large university in Florida, where it was rare
for students not to bicycle around campus, and even into campus from
off-campus housing.. I was back there recently, and was surprised to
find that bicycle use was way down. The student population had gone
from around 27K when I was there, to 48K now, and newer buildings were
necessarily further away from the center of campus, but still within
easy cycling distance.

I think that what happened is that more and more students moved
off-campus to housing that was further away, and they drove to campus
every day, and took the bus within the campus (when it was too far to
walk between buildings). When I was there, even car commuters often
carried a bicycle with them to ride from the distant parking lots to
the center of campus.

The advent of the upright handlebar, mountain and hybrid bicycles,
versus the drop bar "ten speeds" made bicycling a much less attractive
warm-weather option as well, though much safer.

Part of the problem could also be the misperception by student's
parents that cycling is too dangerous. When I was in college, the
biggest problem was pedestrians getting hit by bicyclists.

03-02-2005, 12:28 PM

"Ken Marcet" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
> Interesting figure, I wonder if this is a national trend or the
people of
> Davis are just getting lazy?
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
> Looks to me like the town wants to improve on those numbers.

It may be typical in college towns with a growing amount of off-campus
housing.

I went to college at a large university in Florida, where it was rare
for students not to bicycle around campus, and even into campus from
off-campus housing.. I was back there recently, and was surprised to
find that bicycle use was way down. The student population had gone
from around 27K when I was there, to 48K now, and newer buildings were
necessarily further away from the center of campus, but still within
easy cycling distance.

I think that what happened is that more and more students moved
off-campus to housing that was further away, and they drove to campus
every day, and took the bus within the campus (when it was too far to
walk between buildings). When I was there, even car commuters often
carried a bicycle with them to ride from the distant parking lots to
the center of campus.

The advent of the upright handlebar, mountain and hybrid bicycles,
versus the drop bar "ten speeds" made bicycling a much less attractive
warm-weather option as well, though much safer.

Part of the problem could also be the misperception by student's
parents that cycling is too dangerous. When I was in college, the
biggest problem was pedestrians getting hit by bicyclists.

03-02-2005, 12:38 PM

Matt O'Toole wrote:
> Ken Marcet wrote:
>
>
>>Interesting figure, I wonder if this is a national trend or the
>>people of Davis are just getting lazy?
>>[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
>
> What struck me was this absurdity: "Yet we have college students waiting for
> 20 minutes to ride a bus for a half a mile." If that's not lazy, I don't know
> what is -- especially for a 20 year old.
>
> Matt O.
>
>

UCD apparently instituted free busses in the recent past. This would
kill bicycling and walking, much the way an escalator next to steps is
used more. People generally take the physically easier route. Here in
Chapel Hill NC, free busses have also absolutely killed bicycling and
walking.

Wayne

03-02-2005, 12:38 PM

Matt O'Toole wrote:
> Ken Marcet wrote:
>
>
>>Interesting figure, I wonder if this is a national trend or the
>>people of Davis are just getting lazy?
>>[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
>
> What struck me was this absurdity: "Yet we have college students waiting for
> 20 minutes to ride a bus for a half a mile." If that's not lazy, I don't know
> what is -- especially for a 20 year old.
>
> Matt O.
>
>

UCD apparently instituted free busses in the recent past. This would
kill bicycling and walking, much the way an escalator next to steps is
used more. People generally take the physically easier route. Here in
Chapel Hill NC, free busses have also absolutely killed bicycling and
walking.

Wayne

03-02-2005, 02:02 PM

Wayne Pein wrote:

> UCD apparently instituted free busses in the recent past. This would
> kill bicycling and walking, much the way an escalator next to steps is
> used more. People generally take the physically easier route. Here in
> Chapel Hill NC, free busses have also absolutely killed bicycling and
> walking.

I don't think it's the free buses that killed walking/biking in college towns --
it's the free cars from parents. Furthermore, well-funded students are the last
ones universities want to scare away, so they tend not to make driving/parking
too inconvenient.

Also, since going to college has become so expensive, no one's in a "pay as you
go" mode anymore. Many students see a car as just a minor addition to the pile
of debt they expect to accumulate anyway.

Matt O.

03-02-2005, 02:02 PM

Wayne Pein wrote:

> UCD apparently instituted free busses in the recent past. This would
> kill bicycling and walking, much the way an escalator next to steps is
> used more. People generally take the physically easier route. Here in
> Chapel Hill NC, free busses have also absolutely killed bicycling and
> walking.

I don't think it's the free buses that killed walking/biking in college towns --
it's the free cars from parents. Furthermore, well-funded students are the last
ones universities want to scare away, so they tend not to make driving/parking
too inconvenient.

Also, since going to college has become so expensive, no one's in a "pay as you
go" mode anymore. Many students see a car as just a minor addition to the pile
of debt they expect to accumulate anyway.

Matt O.

03-02-2005, 02:42 PM

Matt O'Toole wrote:

> Wayne Pein wrote:
>
>
>>UCD apparently instituted free busses in the recent past. This would
>>kill bicycling and walking, much the way an escalator next to steps is
>>used more. People generally take the physically easier route. Here in
>>Chapel Hill NC, free busses have also absolutely killed bicycling and
>>walking.
>
>
> I don't think it's the free buses that killed walking/biking in college towns --
> it's the free cars from parents.

Free cars probably contribute, but a retired professor at UCD reports
that the free busses did indeed kill bicycling and walking there, and it
certainly happened here at UNC too. The plunge was dramatic.

Furthermore, well-funded students are the last
> ones universities want to scare away, so they tend not to make driving/parking
> too inconvenient.

Here, parking has become more and more restricted on campus.

> Also, since going to college has become so expensive, no one's in a "pay as you
> go" mode anymore. Many students see a car as just a minor addition to the pile
> of debt they expect to accumulate anyway.
>
> Matt O.

Driving does supplant bicycling when people have the means to have car
and parking access. Cars are status symbols and bikes are low status
symbols.

I believe that the internet has also reduced the need for travel, and
trips to campus are no exception. Text messaging and cell use might also
reduce some trips.

Wayne