UC Davis police receive grant for bicyclist and pedestrian safety program
Droves of UC Davis students bike to class on a daily basis – as UC Davis Police say, this mode of transportation is part of the campus culture. Thanks to a recent grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, Aggie students may soon see some upgrades when it comes to bicyclist and pedestrian safety.
UC Davis Police say the $71,250 grant will go toward measures such as distributing helmets and conducting pop-ups of proper bicycle helmet fittings.
They additionally plan to spend time educating key groups of students on bike safety. These key groups include first year, transfer and international students who may be new to using bikes as their main mode of transportation.
"We always struggle with that influx of bicyclists coming in every year and have students that are not aware of the basic laws, rules of the road or how to check their bicycle," Lt. Joanne Zekany said.
Zekany says this safety education will not only include the rules of the road, but teaching students about the equipment students are using. She says basic training like how to check tires, make sure brakes are functioning and adding a bike light are all checklist items that could help set students up for safer travels.
UC Davis already has two working bike programs on campus: the Micro-mobility Infrastructure Improvement Task Force (MII) and the Micro-mobility Education and Outreach Work Group (MEOW). MII focuses on possible infrastructure improvements while MEOW focuses on safety education and outreach. This grant will supplement these existing programs.
The program is expected to run through September.