MacGregor Eddy | The Californian

Construction workers with Capital Rail Constructors lift a 2,000-pound girder into place on the Dulles extension of the Silver Line of the Metro last month. (Pete Marovich For The Washington Post)California is now the eighth-most bike friendly state in the nation, according to the annual list compiled by the League of American Bicyclists. Two years ago, in 2013 the Golden State ranked 19th. Ratings were based on overall scores derived from five categories: legislation, policies, funding, education and planning.

So, what happened in 2014? Well, a lot.

The California Transportation Commission allocated more than $360 million in 2014 for locally administered Active Transportation Program (ATP) projects, with 2015 ATP grants expected to total even more. Locally the Via Salinas Valley project will use state ATP money to improve bike paths and sidewalk safety in east Salinas and south valley cities.

Caltrans has set a goal of tripling the frequency of cycling, adding bicycle-friendly features to streets as part of its Complete Streets Implementation Action Plan.

In 2014, Caltrans also officially endorsed the street design guidelines of the North American City Transportation Official, which includes augmented features for bicyclists and pedestrians. Salinas will implement complete streets policies with the downtown Vibrancy plan. Read more