Davis is considered to be the bicycle capital of the U.S.  Each year, we receive many requests about what makes Davis special.  This webpage is intended to provide information on what makes Davis great place to ride a bicycle.   

Bicycle Friendly Community

Every four years, the City completes the re-certification application to be designated as a bicycle friendly community for which it has earned Platinum status since 2005.  This award recognizes the Davis community for its commitment to providing safer streets and better bicycling for everyone.

The League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly America program sets the standard for how communities build and benchmark progress toward making biking better. This round of awards includes 51 new and renewing awardees, joining a total of 485 current Bicycle Friendly Communities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Platinum award recognizes Davis’s commitment to improving conditions for all people who bike through investments in bike education programs, regular bike events that promote and encourage people to choose biking, pro-bike policies, and bike infrastructure.

The 2020 Bicycle Friendly Community application evaluates communities by five criteria: (1) education; (2) engineering; (3) ridership, crashes, fatalities; (4) evaluation; and (5) encouragement.  More than 850 communities have applied for recognition by the Bicycle Friendly Community program, which provides a roadmap to making biking better for communities of all shapes and sizes. While the award process considers very visible elements such as bike infrastructure, other essential elements include efforts around adult and youth bike education, encouragement through events like Bike to Work Day, evaluation mechanisms, and enforcement all through the lens of equity. The rigorous application process is an educational tool in itself, and includes an opportunity for local bicyclists and active transportation advocates to provide input on their experiences and perceptions of bicycling in their community.  

City's 2020 application submitted to the League of American Bicyclists in fall 2020. 

 Infrastructure

• 63 miles of pathways. 
• 102 Miles of bike lanes.
• 75% of roads have a posted speed limit of 25 mph.
• 169 miles in the road network. 140 miles of roads 25 mph or less.  21 miles of roads between 25 mph and 35 mph.  8 miles of roads over 35 mph.  
• 1 mile of bicycle boulevards.
• 1 mile of cycle track.
• 4 miles of buffered bike lanes. 
• 4,300 bike racks within the City and over 2,000 bike racks downtown.
• We have 25 grade separated crossings in Davis.  Four overpasses and twenty-one underpass crossings.  We used grade separated crossing to move people on bikes and pedestrians over and under barriers like railroad tracks, busy roads, and the freeway.

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• Davis has eleven intersections with bike traffic signals.  Davis was the first in U.S. to install bike only traffic signals.  The bike traffic signal was created and designed by retired City of Davis City Engineer and Public Works Director Dave Pelz.  On February 16, 1994 this traffic control device was presented to the California Traffic Control Device Committee.

• The City of Davis uses cycle tracks to enhance bike connections.  The cycle track in the images below is located on J Street.  This cycle track connects to a Bike Boulevard on Drexel Drive.  School aged children ride their bikes on Drexel Drive to access Holmes Middle School and the nearby elementary school.  

•  Davis prides itself in being innovative and designing streets for people who drive, bike, and walk. 

• In 2014, Davis installed three experimental bike boxes.  Read more about bike boxes at http://www.davisenterprise.com/local-news/news-columns/safety-first-confused-about-bike-boxes-here-are-some-tips/.  

• In 2015, the City of Davis worked Collaboratively with New Home Company, the developer of the Cannery project, to construct an enhanced bike and pedestrian intersection at Covell Boulevard and J Street.

•  The City of Davis improves both pedestrian and bike facilities during resurfacing and other maintenance projects. 
• The 2014 Walk and Bike School Audit Report identifies barriers to walking and riding a bike to school and projects and program to improve safety and support walking and biking to school. 

• We have a bike and pedestrian navigational sign project called-Davis Pathfinder. 

• The City of Davis has six Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) crossings around town.  The RRFB is a flashing LED light that is activated by pressing a button.   RRFBs use an irregular flash pattern that is similar to emergency flashers on police vehicles.  The flashing lights enhance safety by increasing driver awareness.