In August 2005, Congress conducted an experiment with bicycling and walking. This was an experiment in which $100 million was allocated to build non-motorized infrastructure in four American cities. The purpose of the experiment was to investigate the impact of significant investments in bicycling and walking infrastructure such as sidewalks, bicycle facilities, crosswalks, etc.
Does it work to fund safe, low-stress biking and walking infrastructure?
Walking increased by 22% Bicycling increased by 49% Primarily for utilitarian trips
Cartraffic reduced by 3% – permanently
Recreation and exercise also increased
This happened in 3 years
From 2006 through 2009, over $25 million was provided annually to each of four pilot communities. Each community used its money to implement local strategies to increase the use of non-motorized transportation.
Columbia, Missouri
Marin County, California
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Sheboygan County, Wisconsin
In 2007, and again in 2010 after many of the facilities had been constructed, the number of bicyclists and pedestrians at key locations were counted. These counts revealed that walking had increased by 22 percent and bicycling had increased by 49 percent. Surveys of the walkers and bicyclists indicated that the increase in bicycling and walking was attributable primarily to utilitarian trips, although recreational and exercise activity also increased.
The findings of this experiment estimated that the number of driving trips were reduced by 3 percent. That may not sound like a lot but because driving is such a huge part of our transportation picture, that 3% can mean big changes. Between 2007 and 2010, that small drop resulted in 1.67 million gallons of gasoline not being burned and more than 31 million pounds of carbon dioxide not generated by those trips. And because this infrastructure is permanent, those savings continue being reaped long into the future.
Unfortunately, this experiment was not able to build everything needed for a complete active transportation network in each community. With this momentum, these communities continue to build-out their networks today.
This research shows what can happen when a real bicycling and walking network starts to be realized.
_______________________________________________________________________________ Michael Williams Transportation Consultant and Shasta Living Streets Advisory Group Member bikepedx@gmail.com @bikepedx advisorybikelanes.com
We’re making new lawn signs. Our signs will be designed and printed locally. This is one simple way to help support our community in this extraordinary time.
Designs underway. We will have a few for you to choose from. With colorful, friendly graphics. Not too big, so they withstand the wind. Messages like these:
Please Drive Slowly, Children at Play
Please Drive Slowly, Children – Adults – Grandparents at Play!
20 is Plenty
Walking, biking, and rolling – for everyone now, getting out in our neighborhoods is more important than ever. People need to get out daily, ride and take walks solo and with their families. Kids at home need to get outside. You may have noticed more people walking, biking, skating, rolling.
We are all distracted and it’s good to remember to take care when driving through neighborhoods. These signs will give a reminder to everyone to check your driving speed around homes and yards.
Are you interested in a lawn sign for your yard?
Please let us know your preference 530.355.2230 Or contact Anne at athomas@shastalivingstreets.org
We’ve made a number of signs over the years . . . maybe you remember a few of these
We are excited to announce that we have received a grant from TheMcConnell Foundation to serve as Activation Lead for Downtown Warehouse Activation! This is located in the the renovated warehouse at the site of the former police station in downtown Redding.
Demolition is nearing completion, and the effort to salvage a portion of bricks has been successful. The project was originally dubbed The Green Door Project for the distinctive green doors that have also been salvaged. Now, as warehouse renovation nears completion to launch as early as September, the project has taken on its official name: California Street Labs.
The McConnell Foundation has made a ten year commitment to downtown revitalization. We begin with California Street Labs, a project that is temporary by design. Leveraging the tools of tactical urbanism, this project is intended to invite the public to experience a sampling of what is possible in a vibrant downtown. – Rachel Hatch, Program Officer for Community Vitality with The McConnell Foundation.
The Foundation is working with community groups to activate the warehouse. To activate means to program the space with people and objects to enliven it. Today, the Foundation announces a grant to Shasta Living Streets, who will serve as the Activation Lead on the effort. This builds on Shasta Living Streets’ successful 2015 pop-up venue, Market Hall at 1729 California Street (described in Enjoy Magazine, August 2015 here http://bit.ly/2AXf9g4).
It is more important than ever to give our community a place to participate and connect. We see this as a bright spot in our city as downtown development projects and community revitalization are underway. – Anne Thomas, Executive Director of Shasta Living Streets.
Examples of activities that will happen in the space include: art installations, pop-up retail, music performances, film screenings, bike-related activities, meet-up groups, and more. Community participation will revolve around 7 key themes: Civic Life, DIY (Do It Yourself), Future City, Real Play, Science & the Natural World in the City, Culture, Arts & Entertainment, and New Economy.
Community members who are interested in learning how to participate in the California Street Labs should attend the
SNEAK PEEK EVENT Wednesday, September 5th from 4-7 PM Drop by 1313 California Street, meet the team from Shasta Living Streets, tour the space, and learn how to take part in this exciting endeavor.
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About Shasta Living Streets: Shasta Living Streets is a local organization that since 2010 has been dedicated to building better bikeways and trails, walkable cities and vibrant public places in Shasta County.
About The McConnell Foundation: This year marks 30 years of giving for the foundation located in Redding with a mission of “helping build better communities through philanthropy.” For updates on downtown projects, see: https://www.mcconnellfoundation.org/community-vitality/the-latest/
The Shasta Bike Depot creates a mobility hub at the Redding Transit Center to provide amenities to empower and encourage biking, walking and transit commutes by residents and tourists.
The main facility is at the nexus of major bicycle routes bringing people in-and-out on connected, convenient bikeways to other areas of the city and county. It is in the center of a walkable business and entertainment district, an easy walk to the Sacramento River Trail, Turtle Bay Park, and a little further to Hilltop Avenue.
The active transportation commute services will complement transit options to provide people in our community with a full-suite of coordinated, car-free travel options between Redding’s three main walkable districts. Depot services will assist people using the future Salmon Runner inter-city transit connection between Redding and Sacramento.
A Bike Station + Trail Services
The Shasta Bike Depot offers a full-service set of features for active transportation commutes and to serve visitors to our region.
Providing amenities • Creating Community • Empowering People
Education for safety and access
Encouragement events
Bike Match program (coming soon!)
Community activities, public engagement
Tourism services
Bike tours (coming soon!)
These new services will empower commuters and build on enthusiasm for trails and outdoor living. The Bike Depot and Bell Room Plaza will create another great downtown space to forge community identity, support local business, and help grow our regional economy.
Shasta Bike Depot is located today in the warehouse at 1313 California Street. We are developing programs and prototyping services. Construction of the new building across the street is underway now.
Freedom from Training Wheels
Workshops and meetings
Coming Soon!
A mobility hub at the transit center
The Shasta Bike Depot creates a mobility hub at the Redding Transit Center to provide amenities to empower and encourage biking, walking and transit commutes by residents and tourists.
The main facility is at the nexus of major bicycle routes bringing people in-and-out on connected, convenient bikeways to other areas of the city and county. It is in the center of a walkable business and entertainment district, an easy walk to the Sacramento River Trail, Turtle Bay Park, and a little further to Hilltop Avenue.
The active transportation commute services will complement transit options to provide people in our community with a full-suite of coordinated, car-free travel options between Redding’s three main walkable districts. Depot services will assist people using the future Salmon Runner inter-city transit connection between Redding and Sacramento.
A Bike Station + Trail Services
The Shasta Bike Depot offers a full-service set of features for active transportation commutes and to serve visitors to our region.
Providing amenities • Creating Community • Empowering People
Secure bike parking, bike station, bike theft prevention
Education for safety and access
Encouragement events
Community activities, public outreach
Tourism services, bike tours
Redding Bikeshare
Bike Depot programs engage youth participation and include job training and experience, for example in our partnership with Shasta College.
These new services will empower commuters and build on enthusiasm for trails and outdoor living. The Bike Depot and Bell Room Plaza will create another great downtown space to forge community identity, support local business, and help grow our regional economy.
Vision
We imagine Downtown Redding as the center hub of a connected city. It’s a people-friendly, walkable, bikeable district with vibrant public places. Downtown is linked to nearby walkable districts by transit-oriented and trail-oriented development.
This is a cross between traditional small-town America and a modern, progressive thinking city.
When we give a lot more people the resources, skills and confidence they need to get around safely and conveniently walking and biking, they discover the ease and joy of active living. When we add high-quality facilities and experiences, our community becomes healthier, happier, and more prosperous.
Challenges we face with no transportation choice
In our region, the high cost and lack of transportation choice destabilizes families, leads to poor health, and drives talented young people and retired couples to seek another place to live and play. Leaving our families stressed, our businesses without the employees they need, and our children at risk.
Today Shasta County has unacceptably high rates of debilitating health outcomes directly related to inactivity, along with some of the highest levels in the U.S. of death and life-altering injuries from car collisions with people walking and biking.
Unprecedented local opportunity
Major transformation is now possible for regions like ours. New pedal-assist e-bike technology makes bicycling a single-mode transportation option for six to ten miles. This now makes cycling comfortable and easy for everyone – regardless of distance, heat, or hills. To take advantage of this opportunity, we must create safe spaces for people of all ages and abilities to walk and bike. Additionally, California policy and funding supports are now supporting change by our cities to build the networks of safe and separated facilities for biking and walking that we need.
In the past three years our local agencies and community organizations have come together like never before to revitalize our region. The scope of city and regional plans and projects is transformational. Funding for projects includes two of the state’s largest Sustainable Community grants with coordinated active transportation and transit improvements and affordable housing.
Our region is poised to be a model for smart growth and transit and trail-oriented development for non-coastal cities in California, if we continue to move forward and shape our future to benefit families and businesses with transit and trail-oriented development.
The Active Living Innovator Award recognizes excellence in active living, bringing people wellness, prosperity, and joy.
We are so pleased to recognize Gary Larson for his achievements over many decades as owner of Chain Gang bike shop in Redding. He long-ago put Shasta County on the map as a world leader in cycling.
Gary led the first organized mountain bike race in the world, the Whiskeytown Downhill. The first ever – right here in Shasta County, starting in 1981 it grew to a race of 500 riders. Then in 1985, his shop led theVulcan Tour,a local stage race held in Redding that attracted the worlds top racers in road riding. Gary devoted his business and his time and attention to support many cycling efforts in our community. We all benefit now as we build on his accomplishments. Thank you to Gary and his family, and the many people who have worked in his shop and partnered with him on projects.
What is that golden trophy? It’s a Skyway TUFF Wheel! The first-of-it’s-kind wheel was developed by Chuck Raudman and manufactured by Skyway in Redding starting in 1976.
As a major cycling innovation, a Skyway TUFF Wheel hangs in the Smithsonian Institute.
We figured it’s a great physical representation of active living excellence in Shasta County! Thank you to OnCourse signs and engraving for turning it into a trophy.
What is a Walking School Bus and how do children in your neighborhood get one?
This year Redding School District will have walking school buses at Juniper, Cypress, Sycamore, and Turtle Bay.
Shasta County has 37,000 children.
One third of all families in Shasta County have children under the age of 18.
Shasta County is ranked a low 56 of 57 counties for health indicators for all counties in the state.
Walking one mile to and from school each day is two-thirds of the recommended sixty minutes of physical activity a day.
Kids are less active today than in the past, and 23% of children get no free-time physical activity at all.
Over the past 40 years, rates of obesity have soared among children of all ages in the United States, and approximately 25 million children and adolescents—more than 33%—are now overweight or obese or at risk of becoming so.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Would you like to help children and families in your neighborhood walk or ride their bikes to school? Contact Shasta Safe Routes to School.
SRTA, RABA, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area and Redding Recreation are joining together to make the Beach Bus a reality.
This program comes directly from feedback given in recent unmet needs surveys that show strong interest in summer service to the lake. This was validated as a priority by the nine member Social Services Transportation Advisory Council (Reminder: We are lucky to have Margie McAleer represents us on this council, on behalf of Shasta Living Streets members and mission.)
ACTION ALERT: Join us at the RABA meeting next Monday to show support for this program!
Monday June 20, 5:15pm at Redding City Council Chambers. You’ll find us in the right side seating / towards the front.
Local agencies are responding quickly to your voices on the transit unmet-needs surveys. Thank you to everyone for taking a little time to make comments.
Great things happen when we work together!
Let’s continue to show our support for improvements to transit that build excellence and support active lifestyles in Shasta County!
California Walks brings together professionals, academics and community leaders to share their most promising work and discuss ways to eliminate traffic fatalities and build walkable cities and vibrant public places.
Dave Moore, Director Caltrans District 2 will be a featured speaker, presenting successes and challenges from four projects in the North State, including projects in Downtown Redding.
Anne Thomas, Shasta Living Streets, Sara Sundquist, Shasta Safe Routes to Schools, and Shellisa Moore, Healthy Shasta will also represent Shasta County at the Summit.
California Streetsies: Local Advocacy with the Biggest Statewide Significance
Congratulations everyone! We – YOU – won a Streetsie! Silly name, nice award. How great to be celebrated for the contributions by our volunteers and supporters, members and donors. It’s nice to see Redding and Shasta County recognized for these positive community results.
The parklet project is an example of the type of demonstration strategy Shasta Living Streets produces to showcase community support for improvements and innovations. Together we are making a real difference for better bikeways, walkable cities, trails and vibrant public places. Thank you for your support.
This award is a tribute to the dozens of volunteers and the collaboration of many groups and businesses who made the project possible, including: Enjoy the Store, Cascade Properties, Ryan Russell Studio, Dignity Health, Mix 101, Aztec Construction, Sierra Pacific, Scout & J.Miller Coffee, Carnegie’s, Tantardini’s, J&A Foods, Amarte, Dulceblomma, Foundry Square, In-Dwelling, Sierra Nevada, California Street Shop, Healthy Shasta, The Shasta Historical Society, Moseley Family Cellars, Carousel, Shameless O’Leery’s, View 202, Lucy Hair Enhancement, Red Arrow, Rader Excavating, Civic Auditorium, TEDx Redding, Catalyst Young Professionals, Op-Test, and the thousands of people and participants who came by and enjoyed the parklet. This project was a collaborative effort with both the City of Redding and Caltrans District 2.
Building quality of life for everyone: better bikeways, trails and walkable cities
What is that golden trophy? It’s a Skyway TUFF Wheel! The first-of-it’s-kind wheel was developed by Chuck Raudman and manufactured by Skyway in Redding starting in 1976.
