BIKES

Education: City residents voted to get rid of public school busses many years ago, so many children walk or bike to school. There is a comprehensive local bike map with tips and resources on the back, and the university offers Bike Ed courses and has League Cycling Instructors on staff.

Encouragement: Bicycle volumes are so high on campus that there is a car lockdown during class changes. Bicycling is so core to this community’s identity that the city’s logo is a bike. The City of Davis and UC Davis are in the process of establishing a west coast bicycle museum. Davis has secured $400,000 from state TEA funds to purchase a rare collection of bikes ranging from 1835 to 1920. Davis was one of the first cities in the U.S. to actively start planning for and incorporating the bicycle into its transportation infrastructure. This process began in the mid-1960s, at a time when this country was still very much caught up in its love affair with the automobile, so this kind of commitment to a multi-modal transportation network was simultaneously hailed at the time as both crazy and visionary. During the month of May, the city holds a month- long celebration of the bicycle called Cyclebration that includes one double century, a bike auction, a historic bike tour, and a bike commute day. Davis has had a city/university bike map in one iteration or another since the 1970s. They update the map every few years, and typically do print runs of 20,000 - 40,000 maps at a time. These maps contain routing/distance/travel time on one side, and bike-ed info on the back. This map is multi-colored, it is free, and it is distributed through the city, university, and local bike shops.

Enforcement: The community lowered the fines for cycling offences to encourage police officers to increase enforcement. The local police officers give away blinking rear lights to people who don’t have them.

Engineering: Davis has bike lanes on approximately 95 percent of all its arterials and collectors. The city has 27 different grade separations for bicycles and pedestrians. In the last ten years alone, the city has spent well over 14 million dollars just on bicycle projects. The city has recently spent $7.4 million dollars completing a bicycle undercrossing of a two lane county road, six lanes of Interstate 80, and two sets of railroad tracks. The year before that, we spent $3.2 million dollars on a bicycle overcrossing of I-80 at the other end of town. Davis budgets about $100,000 per year for bike path maintenance, and has just initiated another bicycle undercrossing project of a major arterial. The community is great at trying experimental facilities such as bike detectors, signal heads and bicycle-only roundabouts. Davis began planning for bicycles at a time when it was uncommon to do so. It was not easy — it had “never been done before” — but earlier residents and elected officials recognized “quality of life” issues before they were even part of the national dialogue. They weren’t just responding to crisis they were trying to avoid one. They looked around at other growing urbanized areas throughout the country, and made the proactive decision that they did not want to become just another auto-dominated city. The City of Davis took a lot of chances to create a bi cycle friendly city.

Evaluation: This great community grew from 6,000 people to 60,000 with bicycling at the core of the comprehensive plan. There are more bikes in Davis than there are cars, and 17 percent of trips are by bike. This is the only U.S. community that has two full-time bike coordinators (one for the city and one for U.C. Davis), plus staff, and two bicycle advisory committees (one on campus and one in the city). Davis has a seven-member Bicycle Advisory Commission, and U.C. Davis also has a separate Bicycle Programs Committee. When the city began planning for bicycles nearly 40 years ago there were no local, state, or national guidelines at the time, so the city researched and developed its own guidelines. When the California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS) began formulating its own guidelines a number of years later, much of their work was loosely based on what Davis had developed. And, when national guidelines were developed, a lot of it was based on what CALTRANS had done. So the research, planning, and design work that Davis began 40 years ago has had a dramatic “trickle-down” effect on communities throughout the country.

City of Davis Bicycle Plan – Adopted 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this Bicycle Plan is to improve and maintain the safety, convenience, attractiveness, and inclusiveness of bicycle transportation in Davis. This is an update of the 2001 Draft Bikeway Plan in an effort to maintain a Bicycle Plan which is meaningful to the city and which meets the requirements contained in Section 891.2 of the California Streets and Highways Code.

Primary Goal: The primary goal of the Plan is to increase the amount of bicycle trips as a percentage of all trips to 25% by 2012, a level formerly achieved in 1990.

• Comprehensive Bicycle 

Bike Safety and Education

Riding a bicycle is fun and by using your bicycle instead of a car, you can help reduce air pollution and traffic congestion. Bikes are great for errands. Trips to the convenience store, the park, a restaurant, etc. are easy and fun.

·  Obey Traffic Signs And Signals 
Bicycles must drive like other vehicles if they are to be taken seriously by motorists

·  Never ride with headphones;

·  Always wear a helmet

·  Never ride against traffic 
Motorists aren't looking for bicyclists riding on the wrong side of the road. State law and common sense require that bicycles drive like other vehicles.

·  Use Hand Signals 
Hand signals tell motorists and pedestrians what you intend to do. Signal as a matter of law, of courtesy, and of self-protection.

·  Don't Weave In Between Or Leave The Curb Between Parked Cars 
Don't ride out from between parked cars. Motorists may not see you when you enter traffic.

·  Follow Lane Markings 
Don't turn left from the right lane.

·  Chose The Best Way To Turn Left 
There are two ways to make a left turn. (1) Like an auto: signal, move into the left turn lane and turn left. (2) Like a pedestrian: ride straight to the far-side crosswalk. Walk your bike across.

·  Don't Pass On The Right 
Motorists may not look for or see a bicycle passing on the right. Pass on the left like other vehicles.

·  Make Eye Contact With Drivers 
Assume that other drivers don't see you until you are sure that they do. Eye contact is important with any driver which might pose a threat to your safety.

·  Scan The Road Behind 
Learn to look back over your shoulder without losing your balance or swerving. Some riders use rear-view mirrors, but still look before turning.

·  Avoid Road Hazards 
Watch out for gravel or debris. Cross railroad tracks at right angles.

·  Keep Both Hands Ready To Brake 
You may not stop in time if you brake one-handed. Allow extra distance for stopping in the rain, since brakes are less efficient when wet.

·  Be visible: wear bright colors in daylight and use lights at night

·  Keep your bike in good repair 
Adjust your bike to fit you and keep it working properly. Check brakes and tires regularly. Routine maintenance is simple and you can learn to do it yourself.

·  About traffic circles:

o Merge into the circle smoothly just like you would on a freeway onramp.

o Traffic always flows counter-clockwise.

o Bikes already in the circle have the right-of-way over bikes entering the circle.

o If you miss your exit, just continue around the circle until you reach your exit point again.