The city of Sacramento wants input on how to make walking and biking safer on both major thoroughfares and neighborhood streets.
The public can give feedback on proposed bike lanes, crosswalks and other improvements throughout the city via online comments or in workshops through Aug. 11.
Comments will shape the city’s Streets for People Active Transportation Plan, a blueprint for improving the city’s roads and intersections for pedestrians, bikers and people who use mobility devices, such as wheelchairs. Draft recommendations for the plan include hundreds of miles of new sidewalks, bike lanes and shared-use paths.
An interactive map on the city’s website shows current walking and biking routes as well as proposed connections and additions, Transportation Planner Jeff Jelsma said. The public can add comments to the recommendations and propose their own. Gaps in the network include places with sidewalks on only one side of the road and little separation from vehicle traffic.
“We’re really looking to close those gaps so folks feel more comfortable walking,” Jelsma said.
Comments are left on the the city of Sacramento’s Streets for People Active Transportation Plan at the Natomas Farmers’ Market July 27, 2024.Kristin Lam/CapRadio
The plan will combine and update Sacramento’s master plans for walking and biking, Jelsma added. The city adopted them in 2006 and 2016, respectively. The plan also ties into the city’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan passed earlier this year.
Through the Streets for People plan, the city aims for walking and biking to account for 6% of transportation in Sacramento by 2030 and 12% by 2045. Walking and biking accounted for about 2% in 2016, according to the CAAP.
In addition to sharing the draft recommendations at neighborhood association and virtual meetings, the city has asked residents for feedback at in-person walking workshops. Mellissa Meng, executive director of North Natomas Jibe, attended one such event in North Natomas on Saturday. The nonprofit works to improve walking, biking and public transit in the area.
Workshop participants asked questions ranging from how effective decorative crosswalks are at slowing driver speeds to how the city can ensure speed bumps don’t cause a safety hazard for bikers. Meng said the workshop gave perspective on local neighborhood concerns within the larger citywide plan.
“People really want to dig into specific intersections, which is really helpful,” Meng said. “But it’s also taking a little bit broader approach to look at corridors and ways people get to specific locations.”
Arlete Hodel, chair of the city’s Active Transportation Commission, also participated in the workshop. She said it’s great that the city is collecting public input, but said it needs to invest more money to make the proposed changes.
“City Council really needs to make active transportation and the safety of bicyclists, walkers and rollers their number one priority,” Hodel said. “Which means you’ve got to make active transportation a part of the regular budget and not make them rely on writing grants.”
Remaining walking workshops on the plan are scheduled as follows:
- South Hagginwood area
- Friday, Aug. 2 from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
- Northgate and South Natomas area
- Saturday, Aug. 3 from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
- Hollywood Park area
- Saturday, Aug. 10 from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
The public can register for the workshops on the city’s website. The city aims to release a draft plan in the fall and adopt it early next year, Jelma said.
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