First Bicycle Lanes in Davis - Davis, CA - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

This plaque is located in front of the US Bicycle Hall of Fame in downtown Davis. It reads:

"In the early 1960’s, conflicts between bicyclists and vehicles were increasing as Davis and UC Davis both grew rapidly. Petitions from residents requested the creation of bicycle lanes and bike parking as the town developed. In 1965, local citizens Frank and Eve Child and Dale and Donna Lott suggested that Davis should create bicycle lanes similar to those in the Netherlands.

In 1966 Norm Woodbury and Maynard Skinner were elected to the Davis City Council after advocating support for bicycle lanes. By June 1967 these two joined then-Mayor Kent Gill to approve the very first Davis bicycle lanes. A subsequent bill establishing the right for California cities to install bike lanes was also passed by the California state legislature and signed by then-Governor Ronald Reagan.

By late July 1967, the very first official bike lane in Davis and in the United States was created on 8th Street between A Street and Sycamore Lane. It was the first time that a lane for the preferential use of bicyclists had been designated as part of an existing roadway meant for vehicles. Other bike lanes soon followed on Sycamore Lane (between Russell Blvd. and W. 8th St.), J Street (between 3rd St. and 8th St.) and on this section of 3rd Street (between the railroad tracks and B St. after work was completed on downtown drainage pipes).

Although paths for bicycles had existed as far back as 1895 in Brooklyn, no one had ever developed design standards for bike lanes on city streets. How wide should the bike lanes be? How would bicycles turn left through an intersection? Where should bike lanes be placed in relation to parked cars? Through trial and error, the city’s Public Works Department with the help of bicycle advocates and citizens, developed bike lane safety specifications and regulations that were adopted by Caltrans and copied across California and the United States.

The League of American Bicyclists awarded Davis with its first ever Platinum Level Bicycle Friendly Community award in 2005. Within its eleven square miles, the city has over 100 miles of designated bike lanes and paths. Davis has more bike commuting residents per capita than any other city in the U.S. The City of Davis is truly America's #1 "City of Bicycles"."

Group that erected the marker: City of Davis Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: 303 3rd St Davis, CA USA URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the marker, preferably including yourself or your GPSr in the photo. A very detailed description of your visit may be substituted for a photo. In any case please provide a description of your visit. A description of only "Visited" or "Saw it while on vacation" by anyone other than the person creating the waymark may be deleted by the waymark owner or the category officers.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.