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Davis Expanding Bike Lane Infrastructure With European-Inspired Design Plan

DAVIS (CBS13) — Davis is poised to expand on its reputation as a bicycle-friendly city by spending several million dollars on bike lane infrastructure to attract more riders.

The European-inspired design will be the first of its kind in California.

Mayor Pro Tem Robb Davis says the improvements will be built along Covell Boulevard, a major road in Davis. Instead of white paint to distinguish a bike lane, barriers will be built to separate bikes and cars.

"It's about visibility and creating safe spaces for the crossings and also making cyclists prominent and in front of vehicles," he said.

Two intersections will be transformed into Dutch junctions, which Davis says will help make bikes more visible to drivers.

"The whole concept is really designed for bikes and pedestrians to be able to move across it and along it without coming into conflict with the vehicles that are traveling at higher speeds," he said.

The infrastructure is needed, he says to keep riders and drivers safe. He hopes it will also attract more bicyclists.

Davis hopes the improvements will help more vulnerable groups like kids and the elderly feel safe enough making the switch to use bicycles as their major form of transportation.

Cycling here is a significant piece of our transportation flow and if you are going to make it and keep it a significant part and have ambitious goals to increase it and reduce vehicle miles traveled for the purpose of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, then you've got to develop and maintain the infrastructure that prevents that," he said.

The multi-year construction plan will start in the next three to six months.

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