About

Caltrans Bay Area (District 4) manages nearly 1,400 miles of State Highway corridors throughout the Bay Area. The goal of this Study is to understand where Bike Highways may be installed alongside State Highway corridors.

The Study builds off of the recommendations included in the 2018 Caltrans District 4 Bike Plan and the 2017 California State Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, Toward an Active California.

What is a Bike Highway?

A bike highway is a high-quality, continuous, long-distance bikeway that reduces barriers to destinations that people want to travel to and from, especially places which may normally be difficult to bike to. Bike highways may consist of a mix of on-street facilities and fully-separated trails and should be designed so as to accommodate people of all ages and abilities riding bikes, as well as people walking and rolling where appropriate and feasible. For this Study, Caltrans is evaluating bike highways parallel to State highway corridors.

Caltrans acknowledges that communities of color and disadvantaged communities experience fewer benefits and a greater share of negative impacts associated with our state’s transportation system. Furthermore, Caltrans acknowledges that the term “highway” may be tied to the impacts that these communities have experienced. For the purposes of this Study, the working term “bike highway” is subject to change and sensitive to the input of affected communities. Among the objectives of the Study is to propose outcomes that are equitable and reparative of the negative impacts associated with State Highways. Caltrans District 4 is committed to prioritizing equity in this Study and in future initiatives.

To read the full Caltrans Equity Statement, visit https://dot.ca.gov/about-caltrans/equity-statement.

Caltrans acknowledges that communities of color and disadvantaged communities experience fewer benefits and a greater share of negative impacts associated with our state’s transportation system. Furthermore, Caltrans acknowledges that the term “highway” may be tied to the impacts that these communities have experienced. For the purposes of this Study, the working term “bike highway” is subject to change and sensitive to the input of affected communities. Among the objectives of the Study is to propose outcomes that are equitable and reparative of the negative impacts associated with State Highways. Caltrans District 4 is committed to prioritizing equity in this Study and in future initiatives.

To read the full Caltrans Equity Statement, visit https://dot.ca.gov/about-caltrans/equity-statement.

Final Report

Check out the final report including recommendations on how Bike Highways could be implemented in the Bay Area. Click on the links below to download PDF versions.

FINAL REPORT
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APPENDICES (Complete)
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Appendices

Appendix A – Bike Highways Planning Best Practices Review
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Appendix B – Bike Highways Design Best Practices
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Appendix C – Working Group Meeting Notes
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Appendix D – Stakeholder Meeting Listening Session Notes
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Appendix E – Public Survey Summaries
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Appendix F – Prioritization Methodology
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Appendix G – Design Concepts
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Timeline

What Makes a Good Bike Highway?
Where Should Bike Highways Go?
Where Can Bike Highways Go?
What Should Bike Highways Look Like?
How Can Bike Highways be Implemented?

Working Group Meeting

Working Group Meeting

Working Group Meeting

Working Group Meeting
Community Survey
Community feedback on priority corridors
Outreach to communities living near proposed corridors
Public Draft Study
Working Group Meetings
Fall 2020, Winter 2020-2021, Spring 2021, Summer 2021

Community Survey
Winter 2020 - 2021
Community feedback on priority corridors
Spring 2021
Outreach to communities living near proposed corridors
Summer 2021
Public Draft Study
Winter 2021 - 2022

Resources

Explore the following resources to learn more about this project and bicycle highways:

Bike Highway Study – Final Report
Download pdf
California State Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan (2017)
Visit
Caltrans Bay Area
Visit
Caltrans D4 Bike Plan (2018)
Download pdf
European Cycle Highway Manual
Visit

Working Group Organizations

This was a collaborative process! The following organizations supported the Study as members of a Working Group providing feedback throughout the duration of the project:

  • Alameda County Transportation Commission
  • Bay Trail Project
  • Bike East Bay
  • City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County
  • Contra Costa Transportation Authority
  • Marin County Bicycle Coalition
  • Metropolitan Transportation Commission/Association of Bay Area Governments
  • Napa County Bicycle Coalition
  • Napa Valley Transportation Authority
  • Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
  • San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
  • San Francisco County Transportation Authority
  • Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
  • Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition
  • Solano Transportation Authority
  • Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition
  • Sonoma County Transportation Authority
  • Transportation Authority of Marin