https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/palo-alto-bike-work-21953663.php
"Abdallah Abou-Ismail starts his day with a 14-mile electric bike ride down
Middlefield Road to his job at Stanford Shopping Center and an extra $5 in his
pocket.
Abou-Ismail, a Redwood Shores resident, is a user of Bike Love, an app the city
of Palo Alto launched in 2022 that tracks traditional bike, e-bike, e-scooter
and e-skateboard commutes and rewards them with cash to spend at local
businesses. It’s one of the ways the city, just about 34 miles south of San
Francisco and a neighbor to Stanford University, is gamifying the carless
commute to minimize carbon footprints and reduce road congestion.
“My energy levels are up,” said Abou-Ismail, a Neiman Marcus salesperson, in a
phone call with
SFGATE. He dines at nearby Zareen’s on California Avenue with
his bike earnings. “I don’t need to worry about whether I’m walking or running
enough. I feel a lot more sharp and fully awake.”
In 2025, Palo Alto Transportation Management Association programs reduced
demand for 482 parking spaces around town, and led to roughly 2.9 million fewer
vehicle miles traveled and 1,152 fewer tons of greenhouse gas emissions,
according to the organization. PATMA also provides free transit passes,
refurbished bikes and an after-hour Lyft ride service to people who work or
live in the city and make less than $111,700 per year.
Billy Riggs, a University of San Francisco professor who studies transportation
innovation, said programs like Bike Love are effective in changing commuting
habits, but they’re difficult to fund. One city that’s figured it out is
Healdsburg, which provides a $400 rebate to residents to purchase e-bikes."
Via Esther Schindler.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
