Week 0: Fremont's New Bike Lanes — hit or miss?

Hello!

This is my first blog post briefly introducing my Senior Project.

If you drive anywhere in Fremont, you will see a number of street corners under construction. For Fremont residents, the reason why is obvious—the growing number of bike lanes and changing streets have been gaining attention. Many drivers complain about how this new infrastructure will increase traffic congestion, especially because they do not see an increase in bikers.

My senior project will better understand the perception of these new bike lanes. Since proposing my senior project, I have decided to focus my surveying on young individuals in Fremont rather than surveying the entire population.

Engagement with public opinion when designing policy is significant for implementing equitable and efficient policy. Fremont lacks engagement with marginalized groups, and conversations with my External Advisor highlighted the need to receive feedback from middle and high schoolers in Fremont to help design infrastructure based on the data I collect from my project.

Over the next few weeks, I will attend on-site high school and middle school transportation and safety events to collect data on students’ perceptions of the new bike lanes. My external advisor has connected me with our city’s Safe Routes to School Events Coordinator to attend these events. I will connect with on-site student event coordinators to become a guest and visitor at these events.

Before attending these events, I will create a simple and quick survey for students. This survey will include information about how students get to school, their perception of transport, and their opinions on biking safety designs. I will work with my external and internal advisors to approve these surveys and collect the data.

Follow me through my Senior Project journey!