Here's the official explanation from Columbia.
Paul Lata The report to Congress on the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program showed results in Columbia trailing the other three pilot communities. This is misleading. To be consistent, all four communities took before and after counts during the same two-hour window, on the same day, in 2007 and 2010. Weather can affect the results. Columbia's 2010 weekday data collection was taken during a day when there was occasional light rain. Thus the reported increase of only 14% in walking and 26% in bicycling. If the data from the 2011 count was used for the report, the results would have been very different. During the two hour window in 2011, pedestrian activity was up 74% and bicyclists up 147% over the baseline 2007 data. Unfortunately, the 2011 data was not available when the report to Congress was compiled. A follow-up report in 2013 is planned and should reflect much different results for Columbia. -- Ted Curtis Bike/Ped Program Mgr City of Columbia 701 E Broadway Columbia, MO 65205-6015 (573) 817-5048 Fax (573) 874-7132 Cell (573) 489-8853 From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Troy Thiel Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2012 9:50 AM To: Mitchell Nussbaum; Robbie Webber Cc: Bikies ListServe Subject: Re: [Bikies] Columbia, MO thinks they can't compete with WI and MN on biking i think there was some tongue in cheek...they self depricated themselves in the "pickup" truck comment.....and Columbia is about the snooty'ist place in Mo....a bit behind Clayton/Ladue/West County.....having lived there, the 100 degree heat and HUMIDITY..not to mention the reallllllllllllllly poor driving skills and crappy designed road system made cycling a death wish..they have a lot more catching up to do than we do. T _____ From: Mitchell Nussbaum <[email protected]> To: Robbie Webber <[email protected]> Cc: Bikies ListServe <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, May 7, 2012 5:38 PM Subject: Re: [Bikies] Columbia, MO thinks they can't compete with WI and MN on biking "Snooty places up north." Sheboygan? _____ From: "Robbie Webber" <[email protected]> To: "Bikies" <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, May 7, 2012 5:14:52 PM Subject: [Bikies] Columbia, MO thinks they can't compete with WI and MN on biking Seriously? they are making all sort of excuses in the editorial linked below for why Columbia, MO brought up the rear among the four cities that received funding for the non-motorized pilot project. The reports are all in to congress now, so we can see how all the cities did. Obviously, some changes can still be expected, because education and encouragement programs are still on-going; infrastructure is not even finished in some cases, and there is momentum. Here's some pretty weak tea on why Columbia is last in results: "The money is appropriated and largely spent. Columbia is not in a fair fight with the likes of Northern California, Minnesota and Wisconsin when it comes to pedaling. We have our share of students, but most live close to downtown; for after-hours high-heel trips to more remote places of entertainment, the bike is not the vehicle of choice. As for our general population, which likely includes more rednecks than those snooty places up north, getting us out of our pickups and onto skinny-tired street bikes seems like a substantial chore." http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2012/may/05/bike-funding/ Uh, you know we have, like, SNOW in Wisconsin and Minnesota, right? And you aren't competing against Madison, but Sheboygan County? More info about the projects, perspectives from the local press, and more links to the national/official reports can be found at the links below. Report on NMTP projects show marked increased in biking and walking with little $$$ - below are local press stories: Columbia, MO: http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2012/may/02/getabout-increased-non-motor ized-travel/ Twin Cities: http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/150105625.html Sheyboygan: http://www.sheboyganpress.com/article/20120503/SHE0101/120503026/Report-Nonm otorized-pilot-program-working-?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE Marin: http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_20490602/report-federal-bike-and-pedestr ian-plan-success-marin RTC post: http://community.railstotrails.org/blogs/trailblog/archive/2012/05/01/transp ortation-secretary-hails-pilot-project-as-quot-eye-opening-report-on-the-val ue-of-investing-in-nonmotorized-transportation-quot.aspx US DOT (Sec LaHood) post: http://fastlane.dot.gov/2012/05/bike-month.html Robbie Webber Transportation Policy Analyst State Smart Transportation Initiative <http://www.ssti.us/> www.ssti.us 608-263-9984 (o) 608-225-0002 (c) [email protected] _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
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