Davis accepts $500K in state grants for bike lane barriers, pedestrian upgrades
The Davis City Council on Tuesday accepted two state grants for pedestrian and bike lane improvements. The funds come from the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program, administered in California by Caltrans.
Davis has been aggressive in its pursuit of outside funding such as these grants, which allow the city to make progress on its goals without contributing to the city’s budget shortfall.
The city will receive $240,480 to install physical barriers along the Lake Boulevard bike lanes between Russell Boulevard and Arlington Boulevard. The barriers are expected to be installed next year. Davis’ bicycle network currently includes four miles of protected bike lanes, 25 grade-separated crossings and more than 100 miles of bike lanes.
Davis’ design standards require protected bike lanes on arterials wide enough to accommodate them. Lake Boulevard is wide enough and it “provides access from several residential neighborhoods to the UC Davis campus,” according to the grant application.
The bike lane improvements will also include larger stop signs and advance warning signs of approaching stops.
The city will also receive $307,710 for improved pedestrian crossings on Cannery Loop, at the corner of F Street and 6th Street and at the corner of B Street and 6th Street. Improvements for the three crossings include trimming vegetation and installing flashing beacons and other high-visibility markings.
In 2023, Davis conducted a safety review of its roads and developed a plan for improvements. The Local Road Safety Plan evaluated 12 years of traffic injury data to identify areas where improvement was most needed.
One of the plan’s recommendations was to identify uncontrolled pedestrian crossings in need of upgrades such as flashing lights. The city chose the three intersections because they “have the potential for higher demand than other locations due to their proximity to local parks, the senior center, or the local Co-op,” according to an August 2024 grant application.
