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Agenda Item 5.

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TRANSPORTATION AGENCY FOR MONTEREY COUNTY
Memorandum
To: 

Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Advisory Committee

From:

Ariana Green, Principal Transportation Planner

Meeting Date:

March 1, 2023

Subject:

Bike Month 2023

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Bike Month 2023

  1. RECEIVE report on the Spring 2023 Monterey County Move It Challenge; and
  2. PROVIDE direction to staff on Monterey County Bike Month 2023.
SUMMARY:
Bike Month is a national public awareness event held annually in May to promote bicycling. The Agency has dedicated Transportation Development Act funds for public education, and requests direction from the Committee for 2023 Bike Month outreach. 
FINANCIAL IMPACT:

The Agency's approved 2022/23 budget includes $27,500 to support Bike Month and other year-round bicycling events and educational activities. This budget comes from the State Transportation Development Act 2% funds for bicycle and pedestrian education and encouragement activities.

DISCUSSION:

The League of American Bicyclists has designated the month of May as National Bike Month. The purpose of Bike Month is to raise public awareness of bicycling as a form of transportation. One of the findings of the 2014 Alliance Benchmarking Report prepared by the Alliance for Biking and Walking is that more people bike and walk to work in communities with strong bicycling and pedestrian advocacy.

 

Bike Month 2022 Recap 

In 2022, TAMC focused limited staff resources on conducting the Monterey County Move It Challenge.  The Move It Challenge is a competition aimed at encouraging employees, students and residents in Monterey County to walk and bike to work, school, and shops during the Month of May.  The 2022 Challenge ran from April 18 - May 31 and included 85 participants who walked and biked a total distance of 18,419 miles, saved 6.6 tons of CO2 emissions, and saved $10,000 dollars by not driving.

 

Bike Month 2023

TAMC staff recommends continuing to celebrate Bike Month by promoting participation in the Move It Challenge and posting local bike events on the TAMC and Safe Routes to School websites and social media channels. 

 

The Challenge will be promoted to employers, schools and members of the public through email notifications, social media advertisements, and flyers. Participants may compete as an individual or part of a team. There will be prizes for the top team and top three individuals who take the most walking and biking trips during the Challenge. There will also be a random drawing for any participant who registers for the Challenge and takes at least one walking or biking trip.

 

Prizes are as follows:

  • Random Drawing = New bike
  • Top Team = $200
  • 1st Place Individual = $100
  • 2nd Place Individual = $75
  • 3rd Place Individual = $50
  • Top Workplace - Electric Bike
  • Top School - scooters, bikes, skateboards and bike/skate rack

 

TAMC staff goals for the 2023 Challenge are to at least double the number of participants, biking and walking miles, lbs of CO2 emissions saved, and number of dollars saved by not driving.