Tag: City of Sacramento

thinking outside the metal box (car)

Dan AllisonLeave a comment

The war of aggression started by The Felon Trump (grifter in chief) has sent gas prices soaring. Though the administration said this war was about nuclear weapons, I suspected from the beginning that is was not just about that. Whatever it was, the actions of Iraq and Israel and the US have now made it about oil.

This has had an impact on those who drive, and will eventually have an impact on those who fly and and even those who take the train, though long term contracts will stretch that increase out over time. For those who drive, this is a big issue. The cost of nearly everything has gone up, in part but not only due to Trump’s tariffs, and now this further increase on top of that. The cost of living is up, up, up. I have noticed myself that there are fewer cars on the street in Sacramento except during commute hours, when there are just as many as ever.

I have also noticed a remarkable lack of thoughtfulness on the part of people about what this means, and how to respond. In California, and elsewhere, politicians who were thought to be progressive are now touting the Republican talking points of reducing gas prices by suspending gas taxes, undoing climate change actions, and using oil reserves.

Several national media articles have summarized what drivers are thinking and how they are responding, with a few below, and thousands more in search (note: There were similar but more apropos articles, but I could not track back to them. Please comment if you have better links):

What nearly every article seems to miss is that dependence on gas prices is the result of decisions made, individually and by government.

Has anyone said “I’m going to get to work on transit.”? Has anyone said “I’m not going to drive to get coffee.”? Has anyone said “I’m considering a different place to work, or a different place to live, so I don’t have to drive to work.”? Has anyone said “I’m going to contact my representative to insist that transportation funds be spent on transit, walking, and bicycling instead of increasing highway capacity.”? Well, actually, yes, to this one, that is the message of transportation advocates every day.

The appropriate response to a crisis, and yes, this is a crisis for low income people, should be to step back and think about what is not working, and how to not get caught by the same crisis next time. The appropriate response is NOT to say “I want gas prices lower so that I can keep on doing what I’ve always been doing.”

An recent article on Streetsblog USA (2026-03-16), What If The Rising Costs of Car Dependency Were As Visible As Gas Prices?, addresses not just the higher prices for gas, but the overall higher prices for everything related to driving. And those higher prices don’t even come close to accounting for the external costs of driving to health, environment, and livability. The degree of car dependency in the US is not some natural effect that somehow just happened. It is the result of the automative industry (“…what was good for our country was good for General Motors, and vice versa.” – Charles Erwin Wilson, Wikiquote) and fossil fuel industries convincing Americans that driving a personal vehicle was the only way to live the good life, and that other ways of getting around were un-American. Of course the government went whole-hog on this, investing trillions of dollars on making it easier to drive (and harder to live). The automotive industry and the fossil fuel industry were wildly successful. Few Americans, and even fewer politicians, believe that any other life is possible. And so long as the government, at all levels, continues to expand highways and invest most of our transportation funds in cars, this will not change.

So, what to do against this backdrop of car dominance and forced car dependency? Resist! Protest! Change!

Most of the foreign actions of our government, under primarily Republican policy, but Democratic as well, have been about oil. We invaded Iraq and overthrew their government because their president had the temerity to think that their oil belonged to the people of Iraq (and himself, or course). We deposed the leader of Venezuela because he could not produce enough oil at low prices for the US desires. The list goes on and on. Though someday our wars may be about water, for now they are about oil.

What can you do? Stop driving for choice trips. Yes, it is convenient, and yes, it harms us all. Start making a long range plan to free yourself of car dependency. It might be quick, it might be slow, but please move in that direction. Speak up to your representatives, and attend meetings, asking that we stop funding highways and cars, are start funding transit, walking and bicycling.

The first image below is from the Streetsblog article. But the City of Sacramento Vision Zero program does, to its credit, have a Crash Dashboard, graphic following.

graphic from Streetsblog USA
graphic from Streetsblog USA
graphic from City of Sacramento Vision Zero Crash Dashboard
City of Sacramento Vision Zero Crash Dashboard

Safer Sac Streets

Dan Allison2 Comments

The website for Safer Sac Streets (Sacramento Safe Streets and Affordable Transit Measure of 2026) is now up. The website includes the full text of the measure. It has links to donate, get involved, and endorse.

The measure is a citizen measure, developed by a variety of walking, bicycling and transit advocacy organizations and others, unlike the fake ‘citizen’ measure of 2022 which was a Trojan horse for sprawl developer interests, and failed spectacularly. As a citizen measure, it requires only 50% + 1 to pass. It is also limited to the City of Sacramento, which has been strongly supportive of transportation and transit funding in past measures.

Signature gathering will start as soon as the city clerk signs off and assigns a letter, very soon. The measure will require about 31,000 signatures. Though some funds are available to signature gathering, most will be done by advocates, which is good since they will know more about the measure and local needs and perspectives, unlike the signature gatherers at grocery stores and farmers markets who often know nothing about the measures and propositions they are gathering signatures for.

The campaign kickoff will occur Sunday, March 15 at 1:00 PM, New Helvetia Brewing Company, 1730 Broadway, Sacramento.

Getting Around Sacramento will have more posts about the measure.

Arden-Auburn Mobility Plan

Dan Allison1 Comment

Yet another City of Sacramento planning project, Arden-Auburn Mobility Plan.

A community workshop will be held March 11, details on the webpage, including an optional Eventbrite registration. There will also be a survey and pop-up workshops. You can also sign up for email updates.

These two roadway segments are on the city’s Vision Zero High Injury Network, so attention is appropriate.

Fruitridge Road Safety and Mobility Plan

Dan Allison1 Comment

Yet another planning project starting up for the City of Sacramento, webpage at https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/public-works/mobility-and-sustainability/transportation-planning/current_transportation_planning_efforts/fruitridge-road-safety-and-mobility-plan.

A community workshop will be held March 4. See the webpage for details. There is an Eventbrite registration link, though you do not need to register to attend.

You can also sign up for email updates.

Fruitridge is on the city’s Vision Zero High Injury Network, so attention is appropriate.

daylighting enforcement?

Dan Allison1 Comment

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.

Whither daylighting?

Dan Allison2 Comments

See crosswalk daylighting in SacCity? for more information.

The city has confirmed that crosswalk daylighting, as required by AB 413 (2023, Lee), will not be a part of the Parking Strategies project. The city has also confirmed that it will not be a part of the Streets for All Active Transportation Plan, though that plan will recognize that where there is space created by daylighting, it may be used for bicycle and scooter parking.

So where will crosswalk daylighting be addressed? So far as can be determined, the city does not intend to address it at all. A search of the city website for ‘AB 413’ or ‘daylighting’ produces nothing. City staff seems to be suggesting that it will be addressed somewhere else, not part of the current projects, though that somewhere else has not been mentioned.

It is going to take public pressure to convince the city to take action on crosswalk daylighting.

San Francisco has been proactive in implementing the state law, with warning notices now being given, and enforcement starting January 1. Parking is far more contentious in San Francisco than Sacramento, so it is surprising that Sacramento is stalled while San Francisco is moving forward.

Broadway bicyclist press the button

Dan Allison2 Comments

Additional posts on Broadway Complete Streets are available at category ‘Broadway Complete Streets‘.

The bicycle signal face for Broadway eastbound at Land Park Drive/16th Street did not work for several weeks after it was turned on. Then it was ‘fixed’ so that it was part of every signal cycle. Now it has been further ‘fixed’ by the installation of a beg button which the bicyclist must press to trigger the bicycle signal. The beg button is the standard pedestrian button, it says nothing about bicyclists.

This signal should detect bicyclists and trigger the bicycle phase, without requiring any action by the bicyclist.

This is yet another example of the incompetence of city traffic engineers, who not only cannot design a signal that works properly, but will actively make things worse for bicyclists. Their concern is foremost, and only, with the free flow of motor vehicle traffic.

Bike signal for Broadway eastbound requires button push

traffic violence emergency at Sac City Council

Dan Allison4 Comments

It is likely that council member Caity Maple, along with Mayor Darryl Steinberg and council member Karina Talamantes, will introduce an emergency declaration on traffic safety at the city council meeting tonight, starting at 5:00 PM. The item is not on the agenda, so I presume it will be introduced during the ‘Council Comments-Ideas, Questions’ part of the agenda, after all the numbered agenda items. Council members get their ‘matters not on the agenda’ time, just like the public does. None of the advocates I have asked have a clear picture of how emergency declarations work. I presume the idea will come back to council one to many times in the near future, but tonight is your first chance to hear what the council has to say and comment on the ideas.

Caity Maple has posted about the recent injury (now fatality) and the emergency response she wants the city to take:

I’m devastated to see yet another person critically injured after being struck by a vehicle on Sacramento’s roads. Even beyond our City’s commitments to eliminate traffic deaths through Vision Zero, we need to take immediate and urgent action. This coming Tuesday, alongside my colleagues Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Mayor Pro Tem Karina Talamantes, I will be introducing a proposal that:

  • Declares a state of emergency for the City of Sacramento regarding the road safety crisis
  • Directs the City Manager to identify funding for a public education campaign focused on driver education, pedestrian/ bicyclist awareness, and traffic safety
  • Directs the City Manager to work with SacPD to ramp up enforcement of traffic laws that protect pedestrians, including speed limit enforcement, crosswalk violations, and distracted driving, especially in high-injury corridors
  • Reaffirms our commitment to Vision Zero and directs staff to expedite safety projects
Read More »

SacCity fails to act on traffic violence

Dan AllisonLeave a comment

At the June 11 city council meeting at which the 2024-2025 budget was adopted, seven of the council members spoke strongly about the need to address safety on the city’s streets, acknowledging that the city leads California as the most deadly for roadway users. But no modification was made to the budget to reflect that priority, and the city manager refused to make any changes to the budget to fund street safety.

In the two months since that council meeting, nothing has shown up on the council agenda to move forward on street safety, nothing has shown up to allocate funds, except some minor grant applications.

The city has long had a policy that it does not fund street safety projects, except for the required grant matches. Other than grant matches, no city general funds are expended to make our streets safer. The city certainly has been successful in getting some grants, but also has not been competitive on many others.

The Sacramento Active Transportation Commission (SacATC) made a recommendation in their annual report to allocate $10M to safety projects. Council members spoke in support of the idea, but no action was taken to fund those ideas.

We have an epidemic of traffic violence in the city. Yet the city is doing almost nothing to address that. Walkers, bicyclists, drivers and passengers are all dying in horrible numbers. What is the city doing in response? Submitting grant applications and hoping for the best. This is unacceptable.

The council must take this public health crisis seriously, and allocate funds to start solving it. It must also stand up to the city manager, who does not believe in spending money on street safety. The city manager runs the city according to his own whims, and rarely follows the direction of council on anything. The council must either stand up to, or fire, the city manager. So long as he is in the position, the city will not move forward on saving the lives of vulnerable roadway users.