Bicycle Friendly Communities

Folsom, CA | Silver Level

Education: The Folsom Cordova School District requires all students sign a bicycle contract. It’s an agreement that states students and parents understand, and will follow, all safety rules and municipal laws that apply to bicycle riding. Law enforcement officers help to reinforce this safety effort by paying special attention to bicyclists’ behavior at the start of the school year.

Encouragement: Folsom’s annual Bike to Work day continues to be the community’s biggest bicycle encouragement event and attendance has increased every year. The event is organized in coordination with the statewide Bike to Work Week celebration and the 50 Corridor Transportation Management Agency. The event includes a lunchtime rally at the Folsom historic railroad block, celebrating Bike to Work Day. Attendance has risen from about 70 on the first event to over 400. Awards are presented to the most bicycle friendly employer and to an individual who has worked to promote and improve conditions for cyclists in the region over the last year. Ride the Folsom Trails is another event that is held annually to introduce the residents to the existing network of on-street and off-street bikeways and also to the new bike facilities added to the system over the last year. This event draws a large crowd with all skill levels. Another activity is quarterly bike rides with city staff and the Folsom Area Bicycle Advocates. The ride helps City staff understand first-hand the issues and concerns facing cyclists. A specific route is determined and detailed notes are taken during the ride. City staff follows up with a written summary of the issues encountered.

Engineering: Folsom, in cooperation with the Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, has committed to spending approximately $8 million toward bike facilities on the new Folsom Dam Bridge/Road Project. This includes adding full width bike lanes on the bridge and also providing a separated Class I Bikeway along the length of the bridge and along the approaches to the bridge. Providing the proposed bike facilities make a long awaited and much needed bike commuter connection across the American River/Lake Natoma between Folsom and the many communities on the other side of the river. It will also connect the existing and proposed Folsom Bikeways with the 30-mile Regional American River Bike Trail with downtown Sacramento.