"Oh what fun it is to ride on CR32A…"
Really? If you've ever ridden a bike on this road east of Davis along the north side of I-80, you know that it is one of the most uncomfortable and dangerous roads in the Davis area during commute hours… unless you enjoy being passed by cars and trucks driving at freeway speeds, while riding on a narrow shoulder.
We at Bike Davis are working hard to change that and realize the construction of a bikeway on the 2-mile stretch between the railroad crossing at County Road 105 and the Yolo Causeway. This would make for a complete, protected bike route from downtown Davis to West Sacramento, with Olive Drive, old Highway 40 and the causeway as the other segments.
How would we do that? Well, you may have heard that Union Pacific Railroad has filed a request to "close, alter or relocate" the railroad crossing, which sees many motor vehicle crashes -- mostly from westbound drivers missing the sharp S-turn. The matter has gone up to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), and Bike Davis has succeeded in becoming a party in the dispute between Union Pacific and several local government agencies. Bike Davis proposes a compromise solution: keep the eastbound lane of the road open to cars, and close the westbound lane to all but bicycles and farm vehicles. You can read more about our work in this Enterprise article.
The CPUC has proposed opening a voluntary mediation between all the parties. We still don't know if that mediation process will be accepted, and what will come out of it, but we will keep you informed as things evolve.