Bike More Challenge at Mid-Month; Institutional Support Remains Spotty

At mid-month it's always interesting to check in on the Bike More Challenge here in Salem.

Unsurprisingly, it is the small groups that are able to compete statewide best. These results are filtered for Salem-Keizer groups, but the numbered rankings are from the statewide list.

This is a mystery "State of Oregon" group!
(But South Salem Cycleworks is looking to that retirement!)

Northwest Hub is doing well

DLCD is often competitive

Cherriots could do better

It would be nice for Public Works to embrace it more

In years past Garmin has led the top

Here are some individual groups of interest:

Three folks cycling for Cherriots

Three folks cycling in Public Works at the City

25 at Salem Health

Here's copypasta from last year, which seems still all too apt this year:

Looking at the leader boards for the Bike More Challenge in Salem, it's hard not to conclude that it's not very effective at the moment. People who already bike may not find it useful or interesting, and as an incentive for new people to try out bike trips it also may not be useful or interesting.

The Challenge has been around for a while, and participation even in Portland has been flat or declining. Its peak seems to have been in 2011, so in addition to whatever trends might characterize Salem in particular, there are larger statewide trends as well.

Even so, entities that you might think would embrace the Challenge as a public symbol and statement about institutional values have generally not embraced the Challenge and have not put much institutional force or many resources behind it. For them it remains a fringe-y side show. But maybe it's time for institutions and leadership to say "this is important." It's supposed to be a fun Encouragement project, and in that way shouldn't be taken too seriously. But maybe we aren't taking it seriously enough.

The City's lack of participation and leadership is especially disappointing. You might remember the "Transportation Demand Management" chapter of our Transportation System Plan:

OBJECTIVE NO. 5
The City of Salem shall encourage the use of alternative travel modes by serving as an institutional model for other agencies and businesses in the community.
Policy 5.1 Employee Incentive Programs
The City shall serve as a leading example for other businesses and agencies by maximizing the use of alternative transportation modes among City employees through incentive programs. The City shall provide information on alternative transportation modes and provide incentives for employees who use alternatives to the single-occupant vehicle.

(Though things are gappy from 2012-2015, at the link you can read more about the Bike Commute Challenge, its successor the Bike More Challenge, and a few other Encouragement contests, from 2008 to the present.)