The Sacramento Active Transportation Commission (SacATC) will meet Thursday, August 21, 2025, at 5:30 PM. The meeting will be at Sacramento City Hall, council chambers. The meeting is livestreamed from the Upcoming Meetings Materials page at the time of the meeting. Comments may be made in-person, or via eComment on the Upcoming Meetings Materials page up to the time of the meeting, but should be submitted well ahead of time if you wish the commission members to see the comment before the meeting. No comments are taken online.
This is a big meeting! I hope you can attend and comment, or use eComment. I have not yet reviewed the documents, but may add additions to this post if appropriate.
Getting Around Sacramento author Dan Allison is participating in the stakeholder group, wearing the Sacramento Transit Advocates and Riders (STAR) hat. Safety from traffic violence is a key part of encouraging transit use, since people need to walk or bicycle to and from transit stops and stations. Dan has attended three Vision Zero meetings, April 7, 2025 Task Force #1, June 2, 2025 Task Force #2 (the stakeholder group), and June 18, 2025 Working Group (combined Task Force and Technical Advisory).
The slides from these meetings are presented below as slideshows.
Vision Zero Action Plan update intro
Safe Systems Approach
Benchmarking & Crash Analysis
Vision Zero Action Plan Benchmarking & Crash Data Analysis presentation
SacCity Vision Zero Action Plan update, Benchmarking & Crash Data Analysis presentation
The People for Bikes analysis on Sacramento is at https://cityratings.peopleforbikes.org/cities/sacramento-ca. Note that only cities are rated, not counties, so there is no rating for unincorporated Sacramento County. Sacramento’s score was 36, Rancho Cordova’s 29, Folsom 37, Elk Grove 23, West Sacramento 25, and Citrus Heights not scored.
The lead photo on CapRadio is a concrete-separated bikeway on Broadway. But it is only one block long, and is the only one in the city.
A quote from Jennifer Donlon Wyant is revealing of exactly the problem with Sacramento bike facilities:
“M Street from Sac State to Midtown through East Sacramento is known to be an all-ages and abilities bikeway connecting schools and health care and retail, and that is shown as a high-stress facility,” she noted. “When known low-stress facilities like this are showing up as high stress, that concerns me.”
Yes, parts of M Street are great, and should be recognized with a neighborhood or greenway status. Though it is an overly wide street along much of its length, traffic is slow and light, and it meets the definition of a low-stress bikeway.
However, what happens at either end? Approaching Alhambra, M Street ends, with no bike lanes on Alhambra, and no wayfinding for how to shift to a low-stress route to continue westward. At the east end is Elvas Avenue, one of the most hazardous bike routes in the city. Bicyclists exiting onto Elvas Avenue from 62nd Street must cross four lanes of high-speed, high volume motor vehicle traffic to reach the safety of the Hornet Tunnel and SacState. Most bicyclists cross early and ride against traffic. It is slightly less hazardous to go westbound to M Street. There is no wayfinding for how to best deal with this situation.
The city has been aware of the Elvas problem for years. Nothing has been done. This blog has written about it many times: tag:Elvas-Ave.
All of the parking-protected, separated bikeways in the city are discontinuous:
10th Street northbound: starts at W Street with an awkward transition from east side to west side; ends at I Street
9th Street southbound: starts at I Street; ends at Q Street; design is very inconsistent with bike lane-only blocks
P Street westbound: starts at 21st Street; ends of 9th Street
Q Street eastbound: starts at 9th Street; ends at 21st Street
J Street eastbound: starts at 19th Street; ends at 28th Street
19th Street southbound: starts at H Street; ends at W Street with an awkward transition from east side to west side; at Broadway the route transitions to Freeport Blvd with no bike facilities
21st Street northbound: starts at W Street with an awkward transition from east side bike lane to west side separated bikeway; ends at H Street with a semi-protected bike signal
For few of these routes do the separated bikeways take you to a final destination. There are transitions to regular bike lanes, or no bike lanes at all, at the ends of each segment. That is not a connected network. It is disconnected!
Almost every advocate in the city is supportive of Jennifer Donlon Wyant and all she has accomplished to make the city more bikeable, more walkable, more livable. However, the city policy, by staff at a higher level, and city council, to spend almost none of its general fund on transportation safety, and to rely only on state and federal grants. means that the city will continue to rank low on any assessment of bicycle friendly.
Sacramento needs a connected network, and we are far from that.
Google map of Elvas Ave from 62nd St to Hornet Tunnel
I do not have time at the moment to look in detail, but the lack of lane reduction stands out at a glance. The Designs Considered But Not Included document is a long list of things that can’t be considered because of the prior assumption that lanes cannot be reduced.
Howe Avenue north of Fair Oaks Blvd is in Sacramento County, and plans for the city section should be consistent with plans in the county. Though not the highest crash location, the intersection of Howe Avenue and Fair Oaks Blvd is significant, but does not seem to be part of this project.
Alternative 1 removes the bike lanes, probably in recognition that traditional bike lanes on a high speed arterial are not safe. The posted speed limits are 40 to 60 mph, with actual speeds of course higher. Both alternatives say ‘lower speed limits’ but don’t provide the target.
Strong SacTown is recommending lane reductions and better design alternatives. Their street design team will be analyzing the plan on Sunday, and making recommendations.
There is a last community engagement phase 2 workshop: July 17, 2025, 3:30 – 5:00 PM; Campus Commons Clubhouse, 650 Commons Dr, Sacramento
Comments under community engagement phase 2 are due July 21.
The City of Sacramento has announced that it will be enforcing the state intersection daylighting law, AB 413 (Lee, 2024), starting today. Tickets will be $25.
Higher income people will of course just see this as the cost of parking, and won’t care. An open spot at every corner, only $25? Yes! With the new parking rates, a person could park in a daylighted space for 8 hours for less than the cost of a metered space.
Daylighting increases safety for people walking by providing increased visibility between drivers and walkers crossing the street. As with all crosswalk laws, it applies whether the crosswalk is marked (painted) or not.
I’m a little cynical about this. Over the years, I have reported about 60 violations of drivers parked ON the crosswalk. Once, the driver was cited. Often I would wait to see if parking enforcement officers would show up, and what they would do. Sometimes, the vehicle was gone. Often, the vehicle was still there, but the 311 report closed without action. Sometimes, it was closed without the officer even showing up.
Traditionally, parking enforcement has only been concerned about drivers overstaying time at parking meters.
Administration of the parking and parking enforcement program has changed, so perhaps the city is serious about enforcing daylighting. Time will tell.
Tomorrow, Thursday, June 12, there will be at least three transportation-related public meetings:
SACOG (Sacramento Area Council of Governments) Board of Directors, 10:15 AM to about 12:00 PM, at Conzelmann Community Center, 2201 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95814 (not at SACOG offices on L Street). agenda
Sacramento Transportation Authority (SacTA): 1:30 PM to about 3:00 PM, at the County Board of Supervisors Chambers, 700 H St, Ste 1450, Sacramento. agenda
Sacramento Active Transportation Commission (SacATC): 5:30 PM to about 7:30 PM, at City of Sacramento Council Chambers, 915 I Street, Sacramento. Note, SacATC usually meets on the third Thursday of the month, but the June meeting is on the second Thursday. agenda
The city is asking for public input on a project to increase safety and mobility on Norwood Avenue in north Sacramento. I have not had a chance to look at the details, so for now I’ll just repost the article from the city’s Sacramento City Express. The project web page has more details, including street cross-sections for the three alternatives.
Community invited to weigh in on plan to address safety on Norwood Avenue
Residents in north Sacramento are invited to help shape the future of Norwood Avenue as the next phase of a transportation safety and mobility project gets underway.
The Norwood Mobility Project is focused on a two-mile stretch of Norwood Avenue between Main Avenue and Arcade Creek—an area identified as part of the city’s High Injury Network due to its history of serious traffic collisions.
After initial community engagement beginning last fall, City transportation staff are now presenting a set of proposed design alternatives and gathering public input to develop a final concept that improves safety and mobility for all users, including pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders and drivers.
“We’ve heard from residents about the challenges they face walking or biking along Norwood, especially near schools and bus stops,” said associate transportation planner Charisse Padilla. “This is the community’s opportunity to directly influence the changes we make to the corridor.”
Upcoming public engagement opportunities include an in-person open house on Saturday, June 7, from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Robertson Community Center, and a virtual workshop on Monday, June 9, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Registration is required for the virtual meeting.
Residents can also share their feedback on the proposed alternatives through an online survey.
The Norwood Mobility Project is funded through a Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant. A draft plan is expected this fall, with final recommendations anticipated in early 2026.
Having a Council-adopted plan ensures the City is eligible for competitive grant funding for any next phases such as Preliminary Engineering Design, Environmental Clearance, Final Design and Construction.
For more information or to provide input, visit the Norwood Mobility Project page at norwoodmobility.org.
Added comments on agenda 3 ‘Vision Zero School Safety Project’, below.
The Sacramento Active Transportation Commission (SacATC) will meet Thursday, May 15, 2025, at 5:30 PM. The meeting will be at Sacramento City Hall, council chambers, The meeting is livestreamed from the Upcoming Meetings Materials page. Comments may be made in-person, or via eComment on the Upcoming Meetings Materials page up to the time of the meeting, but should be submitted well ahead of time if you wish the commission members to see the comment before the meeting.
Agenda (pdf; the agenda below is abbreviated; consult the pdf agenda for details)
Consent Calendar
Approval of Active Transportation Commission Meeting Minutes
Nomination and Appointment of One Active Transportation Commission Member to the Secure Bike Parking Pilot Evaluation Panel
Commission Staff Report
Commissioner Comments – Ideas and Questions
Public Comments-Matters Not on the Agenda Adjournment
Agenda item 3 Vision Zero School Safety Project
I support this project. The focus on lower-income schools with existing safety issues, and use of relatively inexpensive measures such as high visibility crosswalks, and curb and bike lane paint, are good.
The diagrams, both in the staff report and the presentation, should include the posted speed limit of each street. RRFBs are inappropriate for speeds over 25 mph, due to driver non-compliance, so the posted speed is an important consideration.
APS (accessible pedestrian signal) ‘upgrades’ (West Campus, Natomas, Smythe, Kenney) should implement appropriate accessible messages, but SHOULD NOT implement required push buttons. Nothing in PROWAG requires that APS signals require button press for permission to cross. Required ‘beg buttons’ are inappropriate at these locations, and at all locations in the city.
Though permanent curb extensions are probably beyond the funding of these school projects, I was surprised to not see any temporary or quick-build curb extensions, which are one of the most effective measures for calming traffic.
The Sacramento City Council will meet Tuesday, May 13, 2025 (today!) at 5:00 PM. There are two items that might be of interest to transportation advocates.
Item 02 on the consent calendar is ‘Approve Criteria and Guidance to Accommodate Active Transportation in Work Zones Policy’. There is a staff report, and the policy itself. Though items on the consent calendar are not expected to be controversial, and will only be discussed by council if a council members pulls it from consent calendar, this is nevertheless worth supporting. This policy has been delayed for years. It is not perfect, but it is an immense improvement over existing policy and practice.
The City of Sacramento is holding a community workshop on Wednesday, April 23, 2025 on the Fruitridge Road Improvement Project. The in-person location will be Earl Warren Elementary School, 5420 Lowell Street, Sacramento, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM. There are not online options at this time for this phase of the project.
From the city email:
After the workshop held in August 2023 at Earl Warren Elementary School, the Fruitridge Road Improvements team has been updating the design plans based on community feedback while considering enhancements between Stockton Boulevard and the 65th Street Expressway.
Phase 1 runs from the 65th Street Expressway to Power Inn Road
Phase 2 runs from Stockton Boulevard to the 65th Street Expressway
About Project: The City of Sacramento is upgrading Fruitridge Road between 65th Street and Power Inn Road to enhance safety for all travelers. The project will add continuous bike lanes, fix pavement, upgrade signals, and create ADA-compliant curb ramps. Due to space limitations on the current four-lane road with intermittent bike lanes, the team is considering lane reductions to better accommodate bicyclists, improve pedestrian crossings, and enhance transit access while connecting to existing and future bikeways.
Getting Around Sacramento 