The grant from the Office of Traffic Safety will fund new and current safety programs on campus
By SYDNEY AMESTOY — campus@theaggie.org
The UC Davis Police Department (UCDPD) has received a $71,250 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) to be used to enhance bike and pedestrian safety on campus, according to a recent press release.
UCDPD applied for the grant through the OTS last year, according to one of the department’s lieutenants, Joanne Zekany.
“With so many people using bicycles and other personal vehicles on campus, we want to make sure people can get around campus efficiently and safely,” Zekany said via email.
According to the OTS, the purpose of the grant is to reduce the increasing number of pedestrian and bicyclist accidents and deaths, especially among the younger population.
The grant will allow UCDPD to provide bike and pedestrian safety training for students, as well as fund initiatives to give out helmets and other safety equipment, according to the release. The grant program will also help fund current bike safety initiatives and programs on campus.
While the grant was addressed to UCDPD, it will be used in collaboration with UC Davis Transportation Services (TAPS), according to Zekany, to create these training opportunities and safety equipment handouts.
UCDPD has worked with TAPS on bike and pedestrian safety programs in the past. According to Zekany, UCDPD previously collaborated with TAPS’ Bicycle Education and Enforcement Program (BEEP) before its dissolution in 2016.
Jeffrey Bruchez, the bicycle program coordinator for TAPS, said that BEEP included a citation system for bicyclists, which TAPS has no intention of reinstating. Instead, it is now focused on building other transportation programs and initiatives, as well as “[promoting] the available education on campus.”
Some of these available sources of education include the “CyclingSavvy” and “Helmet Hair Don’t Care” programs, according to Bruchez. A new program called “Lit not Hit” is also in development, which will provide free bike lights to bicyclists on campus.
TAPS has also applied for the OTS grant for the next grant cycle, independently of their collaboration with UCDPD, according to Bruchez.
“We [also] worked together to update the grant applicability for the next cycle, with hopes that if we are awarded, we can launch some really radical new programming,” Bruchez said via email.
Written by: Sydney Amestoy — campus@theaggie.org
