East 8th Street

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Westbound traffic on E. 8th St. during morning commute Go Slow signs affixed to debris containers calm traffic First responders at E. 8th & B Cyclist on E. 8th cut-off by vehicle at E. 8th & B

East 8th Street is one half of 8th Street which changes names and address numbers at A Street. At its eastern end East 8th Street curves / turns into Tulip Lane.

The addresses are not continuous which is a bane to new pizza delivery drivers. So if you live on 8th and are ordering a delivery, be very specific about which part of 8th you live on. Some have said in the past 8th is a good alternative to Russell Boulevard to avoid police; however, as of 2011 speed traps on 8th are rather common. Not to mention that 8th is a residential street and if you speed on it the residents are likely to get really pissed off at you.

While the speed limit is only 25mph for the length of 8th St, the traffic lights are timed quite well, making it an (often quicker) alternate to Russell Blvd.

West 8th Street, with Sycamore Lane, was added in 1967 as one of the few new post-WWII streets with bike lanes. Then UCD Professor Bob Sommer brought the idea to city planners in the mid 60s. The initial design was a success, and became the standard bike lane design for the rest of Davis, California. At first, bike lanes only went from Sycamore Lane to B Street, then later from J Street to Pole Line Road. The gap from B Street to L Street was too narrow for bike lanes and parking. Eventually, daytime parking was banned, then parking was permanently banned, and now 8th Street is easily the best street to go across town. Had the parkers won a victory in 1970, it would be much more dangerous for bicyclists. 8th Street now has bike lines for its entire length, and specific bicyclist-operated traffic signals at the intersections with L Street and B Street.

Nowadays, the E. 8th St. corridor is a vital corridor for cyclists. However, the stretch between B and F St. is especially narrow and residents put out toters for waste, recycling and yard clippings. There should be no yard waste piles on this section. High volumes of commuters, business-truck owners/contractors, delivery vehicles and UNITRANS use this section. Cycling lanes are marked but the well-posted 25 MPH speed limit is largely ignored by those hurrying between lights.

The intersection of E. 8th and B Streets is dicey for several reasons. It is rather problematic and has had several collisions and there are many near-misses. First, five different elementary and secondary schools are within a two-block radius, plus the Public Library. That means TONS of cyclists traverse through here each day. Secondly, as commute traffic lines up in the morning, lanes back up since there is but only one left-turn lane (a free left-turn on westbound E. 8th to southbound B). Some motorists dodge around left-turners who are blocking their passage and use the bike lanes. City officials claim that the traffic signal control unit is one of the oldest in town and cannot handle a controlled left-turn phase. If it helps, this is the corner where the Davis Lutheran Church is located.

Be careful bicycling through the F Street intersection on 8th Street. There are no left turn lanes for cars, so a bicyclist can be hidden behind a same-direction-car while approaching the light, and then hit by a left turner in the opposite direction after the same-direction car has passed. Or, if you are passing a car that is waiting to turn left, you are hidden from view and may have opposing left turners turn in front of you or hit you. Several serious, nearly fatal accidents have occurred this way in recent years.

Before East 8th St. was built, Cemetery Road extended from G Street east across the railroad tracks to the Davis Cemetery. Sweet Briar Road and Pennsylvania Place are remnants of Cemetery Road, and the section from J Street to the cemetery is now part of 8th Street. Part of old Cemetery Road can be seen if you walk into the bushes from the corner of Sweet Briar and H Street — there is some concrete and a yellow center line on an abandoned piece of street where it once crossed the railroad tracks. 8th Street ended just east of the cemetery until the mid 1990s when it was connected to Tulip Lane.

Notable Locations along 8th Street from include: