http://www.davisenterprise.com/loca...s-were-aiming-to-sparkle-with-diamond-status/And now on a somewhat more positive note:

Maybe Emerald, Sapphire, or Ruby should be hurdled before Diamond. That should be reserved for a bike eutopia.
The city of Davis was the first in the United States to receive the League of American Bicyclists’ platinum-level bicycle-friendly community designation in 2005. This designation is very special to Davis as we are one of only five cities who can claim the honor. This distinction not only benefits Davis residents, but it also has positive impacts on commerce and tourism.
Davis has maintained platinum-level bike-friendly status for the past 11 years. To challenge the city of Davis to go beyond platinum, in 2012 bike advocates and city officials worked collaboratively with the League of American Bicyclists to develop an even higher bike-friendly designation — diamond level. This new level requires cities to further improve infrastructure, develop effective enforcement campaigns, increase education and encouragement programs and improve integration of bikes with transit.
To help Davis achieve diamond-level status, the 2014 Bicycle Action Plan was developed. The Action Plan includes programs and projects with a primary goal of increasing bike commute trips from 23 percent in 2015 to 30 percent by 2020. The Action Plan is available on the city bike and pedestrian website at www.cityofdavis.org.
This year, the city is submitting its application to the League of American Bicyclists for recertification as a bicycle-friendly community. The recertification is required every four years. The application includes 111 questions focused on what we in the bike world like to call the five E’s — engineering, encouragement, enforcement, education and evaluation. For a copy of the application and to find out more about the League of American Bicyclists, go to www.bikeleague.org.
Applying for the recertification is a great time to take a moment and reflect on our accomplishments over the past four years. Below are some of the more prominent bike and pedestrian projects and programs we have completed since the city’s 2011 bicycle-friendly platinum-level designation:
* A new bike- and pedestrian-friendly intersection at J Street and Covell Boulevard was recently constructed.
* Six rectangular rapid flashing beacons were installed near schools and at major bike and pedestrian crossings en route the schools. The beacon is a flashing LED light that is activated by pressing a button.
* Bike and pedestrian enhancements on Fifth Street from A Street to L Street. This project included adding bike lanes, painting bike boxes at two intersections, painting green conflict zones at every intersection, constructing pedestrian-accessible ramps and marked crosswalks at every intersection supplemented with street lights and installing rectangular rapid flashing beacons at two major bike and pedestrian crossings.
* Road resurfacing projects with bike lane striping enhancements, including buffered bike lanes on First Street and B Street. Wider bike lanes with wide bike lane striping on Eighth Street and L Street.
* Updated the Transportation Element in the General Plan that included a new “complete streets” policy and established performance objectives for active transportation.
* Added four on-street bike corrals downtown.
* Constructed the Drexel Drive “bike boulevard.”
* Constructed the J Street and Sycamore Lane two-way protected bike lanes.
* The Walk and Bike to School Audit Report was prepared. This report identifies barriers to walking and riding a bike to school and includes recommended infrastructure and programs.
* Updated Suggested Routes to School Maps were prepared for all elementary and junior high schools.
* Staff hosted annual bike rodeos at schools in collaboration with Davis Bicycles!
* Collaboratively worked with Ken’s Bike-Ski-Board to support fun casual bike rides around town.
* Provided senior travel training to share information with the senior citizens about transportation options.
* Partnered with Active4.me scanning system and school volunteers at eight schools to scan students who walk and bike to school. The scanner sends a text message to the parents of the student and lets them know that their child arrived school safely. The scanner also collects various data, including mileage, calories burned, etc.
The city aggressively pursued grant funding on behalf of our community. Several projects on this list were made possible due to these efforts; in all, we were awarded $3 million from 11 grant applications.
Please check out our bike and pedestrian website to find out more about our programs and projects. Send any questions or comments to jdonofrio@cityofdavis.org.