Small flat college towns in the middle of farm country are perfect places for bikes to be the go-to around town transport, and Davis apparently has cornered the title of best in class, but growth brings, as it does for all of us, its own challenges.
Raising bar on biking
Cited for success, Davis takes on new challenges
By Tony Bizjak - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Davis has again been crowned the nation's pre-eminent cycling city, but don't let the laurels lull you.
Some residents are saying the university town with the cyclist logo is no pedal-pusher paradise.
The League of American Bicyclists last week named Davis as the only city in the country to earn its "platinum" or top bike-friendly status.
It's the second platinum award in two years for Davis, and city and university officials say it corroborates their sense that decades of efforts to make bikes partners on streets have paid off.
But those same officials say growth on the once sleepy college town's fringes is creating new challenges to the community's biking mentality.
More new residents are car commuters to Sacramento and Bay Area.
"Newcomers are not as tied into the bike culture here," says David Takemoto-Weerts, UC Davis' bicycle program coordinator.
Population growth also means more congestion around town, leaving less elbow room for cyclists.
