the worst drivers

2025/06/05 Dan AllisonLeave a comment

I frequently travel to cities on the west coast and the intermountain west, and just recently traveled to several cities in the southern and eastern states. When I travel, I am always paying attention to transportation systems and driver behavior, in no small part because I get around by walking, bicycling and transit. From these experiences, I can state clearly that Sacramento has the worst drivers of any city I’ve visited. The incidence of aggressive and belligerent drivers is probably about average. What is so different, though, is the low skill level of drivers here. A brief list:

unawareness of traffic law (California Vehicle Code), both old and new
oblivious to what is going on around them, focused on their phone or car or daydreaming, not paying attention to others on and off the roadway
no understanding of taking turns at intersections with four-way stop signs; the most basic rule of intersections, first come – first served, is apparently not known by most drivers
uncertainty about where their vehicle is on the road; drifting into adjacent traffic lanes and bike lanes, stopping where they probably did not intend to stop; this is not just a problem of oversized trucks and SUVs where the driver cannot actually see the roadway, but for most drivers of most vehicles; the damage to vertical delineators, medians, traffic circles and roundabout, and curbs, attests that they don’t know where their vehicle is, or don’t care
unwillingness to stop (or yield, as the law states) for people walking across the street at intersections
failing to look when entering or exiting driveways for people on the sidewalk
running stop signs
running red lights

And most irritating to me, stopping for bicyclists when the driver has the right of way and the bicyclist does not. This teaches bicyclists to go when it is not legal for them to do so, and not safe. It also delays bicyclists. I once totaled up the amount of time I wasted waiting for drivers to take their legal right of way, and it was about 20 hours per year. Time that I will never get back.

I agree that really solving bad driver behavior requires correcting the roadways. But we have spent billions building unsafe roadways, and will have to spend billions making roadways safe again. When will we have that kind of money?

Again, Sacramento is sort of in the middle of cities making changes to their roadways. Much less than many cities (most notably the bay area), but significantly more than many cities. So the lack of safe roadways does not explain all of the bad driver behavior. Drivers here really are less skilled.

Why? I don’t know. But I’m certainly getting tired of it. Nearly every trip I take walking and bicycling, I am threatened by unskilled drivers, yes, and sometimes belligerent drivers. Sometimes many times on a single trip. I have a high level of skill in both walking and bicycling, watching out for and responding to unskilled driving. But what of everyone else who does not have that skill level? It is ironic that I, as a walker and bicyclist, need a high level of skill to navigate our transportation system, but the same expectation of drivers does not exist.

coffee shops (tea) on the grid: update 2024-12

2024/12/252024/12/25 Dan AllisonLeave a comment

I first posted on coffee shops on the grid in April 2023, and have made minor updates since then. Time for a more significant update, as there are a number of new coffee shops, and a few have gone. I visited each new coffee shop, and re-visited about half of the older ones. 44 is my current count. The text below is largely the same as the original post, with some minor updates.

*table of grid coffee, 2024-12, not clickable*

Though the links in the png above look clickable, they are not. You must use the xlsx or pdf versions for links. The columns are what interested me. Reuse means they offer reusable cups for tea and coffee service, outdoor means they offer outdoor seating, and tea indicates my take on the number and variety of teas offered. Hours are to the best of my knowledge, but will vary and change.

Disclaimer up front: I don’t drink and don’t even like coffee, but I do drink and love tea, and the majority of coffee shops offer tea as well, but most other businesses do not. So I can tell you absolutely nothing about the variety or quality of coffee at any of these shops.

I have long believed that the frequency of locally-owned coffee shops is a key indicator of livability and walkability. Though I’ve not done the calculations, I think this measure would be just as effective a ‘walk score’ as the WalkScore offered by Redfin, which uses a complicated and proprietary algorithm to determine walkability, measured as distance to amenities. Note that WalkScore does not assess the walking environment such as presence or condition of sidewalks, and safety of crossing streets.

I live in the Sacramento central city, the area bounded by the Sacramento River to the west, Broadway to the south, Alhambra Avenue to the east, and the railroad tracks to the north. I have focused my coffee shop visits on this area. Though there are certainly coffee shops throughout the urbanized county, the number of locally-owned coffee shops drops off rapidly outside the central city. In much of the suburbs, there are only chain coffee shops such as Starbucks and Peets.

My preferred locally-owned coffee shop is Naked Lounge, on the southeast corner of Q Street and 15th Street, across from Fremont Park. I go there for tea, and for socialization. For those who remember ‘the old days’ when people socialized more and spent less time on their computers, yes, I miss those days. Some days I write in my journal, some days I read, some days I talk to people. I decided to no longer take my laptop to coffee shops, so that I could focus on the above.

If you also like to drink tea at home, as I do, I recommend Tea Cozy, 1021 R Street, next to Fox and Goose, with a very large and diverse offering of bulk and packaged teas. And in Davis, Mishka’s Cafe, 610 2nd Street, offers a selection of brewed tea unparalleled in the region, so far as I know.

I changed from a slide show to a gallery for coffee shop photos, so that they could be captioned, though that work is only partially done.

Blueprint Coffee outside — Blueprint Coffee counter

NACTO shared micromobility report

2023/12/132024/04/14 Dan Allison1 Comment

NACTO released it’s Shared Micromobility in the U.S. and Canada 2022 ‘130 Million Trips’ report in September 2023, and the report has a summary webpage at https://nacto.org/publication/shared-micromobility-in-2022/. The report is interesting throughout, but one paragraph in particular is important for the Sacramento situation in which Lime has removed its bikes from the region, and Bird is offering few bikes. Bike share in Sacramento is more or less dead. It is clear that the model of privately owned and managed bike share does not work here. If we are to have bike share, we need a new model. I’ll have one or more posts on that shortly.

From the report (page 10):

“Shared micromobility systems that see consistent growth and equitable outcomes are typically municipally-owned or closely managed through long-term partnerships with private operators. Long-term contracts have resulted in more sustainable results for ridership and the durability of systems. The enduring viability of private sector operators remains uncertain, especially as companies with short-term permits respond to financial troubles by pulling out of cities–often abruptly–altogether. Shared bikes and e-scooters can and should be integral parts of a city’s transportation network, but that is only possible if they are consistently available and resistant to the volatility of market conditions. Partnership models where local governments have greater involvement in their shared micromobility programs generally lead to better outcomes, like more equitable pricing structures, greater investment in historically underserved communities, and ultimately, a greater likelihood of long-term viability.”

Another issue for the Sacramento area was that rental prices for bikes saw several increases during the JUMP and Uber times, and a huge jump when Lime took over. The system had become unaffordable for many former users. Lime originally offered a free for a low monthly fee rental program for people in CalFresh or similar programs, but this year changed to a half-off discount, helpful but hardly affordable. Bird has a similar half-off program. Again, from the NACTO report (page 14):

“The cost to ride a shared bike or scooter continues to rise in numerous cities, posing a threat to affordability. In a year of widespread consumer price increases–including public and private transportation modes–shared micromobility was no exception. Annual membership hikes, alongside rising e-bike surcharges, led to a 70% increase in average per-trip costs for members of station-based bike share systems from the previous year. Pay-as-you-go trips on e-bikes or e-scooters were the most expensive, with average per-trip costs more than double the typical fare of a one-way trip on public transit in the U.S. and Canada.”

I have not yet used the Spin bike share in Davis yet. I’m always in Davis with my own bike, so haven’t been motivated, but I should test it out.

midtown wayfinding

2023/11/072023/11/10 Dan Allison5 Comments

Update: With some help from others, I located the Governors Mansion and Handle District signs, and have added that information.

The Midtown Association (Sacramento) has installed a series of wayfinding signs in the midtown area. More information is available at Explore Midtown – Your Way!. It appears that SAFE Credit Union is also a sponsor, as the central origin of the signing is the northwest corner of 15th Street and K Street, on the grounds of the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center and Performing Arts District. This location references 15 other wayfinding locations with its 16 posts. The other locations have four posts, one for the location itself and three destinations. The posts have QR codes which link to an Explore Midtown page for that location, listing nearby attractions and businesses. Businesses not a member of the association are not shown.

Midtown Association wayfinding signs at SAFE Convention Center and Performing Arts District

Number	Location	Intersection	URL
01	SAFE Credit Union Convention Center	1401 K St; 15th & K NW	http://bit.ly/MA-SAFE
02	Memorial Auditorium	1515 J St; 16th & J NW	https://bit.ly/MA-Memorial
03	Governors Mansion	1526 H St; 16th & H SE	https://bit.ly/MA-Governors
04	Muir Park	1515 C St; 16th & C NW	https://bit.ly/MA-Muir
05	Fremont Park	1515 Q St; 16th & P SW	https://bit.ly/MA-Fremont
06	Truitt Bark Park	1818 Q St; 19th & Q SW	https://bit.ly/MA-Truitt
07	Handle District	18/19/L/Capitol; 19th & L NW	https://bit.ly/MA-Handle
08	Lavender Heights	20th & K NW	https://bit.ly/MA-Lavender
09	Golden Hub	24th & K NW	https://bit.ly/MA-Golden
10	Marshall Park	915 27th St; 28th & J NW	https://bit.ly/MA-Marshall
11	Sutter’s Fort	2701 L St; 28th & L NW	https://bit.ly/MA-Fort
12	Midtown Sutter	27/28/J to N; 28th & Capitol SW	https://bit.ly/MA-Sutter
13	29th & R Streets	29th & R SE	https://bit.ly/MA-29th
14	Winn Park	1616 28th St; in park	https://bit.ly/MA-Winn
15	Alhambra District	Alhambra Blvd, J to S; Alhambra & J SW	https://bit.ly/MA-Alhambra

table of Midtown Association wayfinding locations

Note that I am not completely sure about the location numbers. Just as I was visiting each site, a contractor was placing base plates on each sign post, which covered the location numbers that were on each post.

Some of these names are well known and long used, but several seem to be made up for this project. I’m not against this idea – giving people a neighborhood name can increase identification and therefore support for your local neighborhood. On the other hand, efforts by developers to create their own neighborhood or district names are often laughed at, and San Francisco has a number of those.

The wayfinding sign locations are in the slideshow below. I’ve also included bike racks and utility box designs that highlight the Alhambra District.

Bird Bikeshare

2023/06/172023/06/19 Dan AllisonLeave a comment

Update 2023-06-19: There are now many more Bird bikes than last week, so it seems to be part of a major deployment. I’m not on Bird’s email list, perhaps they have provide some info through email. I rode a Bird bike twice. They handle differently from the Lime/JUMP bikes, so as with any bike that is new to you, start out slowly until you get accustomed to it. The bikes have a digital speedometer, and they are the 15 mph limit that the city agreement enforces. They have swappable batteries, similar to but not the same at the Lime bikes. I did not ride through any of the slow or no parking zones, so don’t know if Bird has the same as Lime.

I noticed this morning that Bird Bikeshare bikes have shown up in Sacramento. The ones I saw and show up in the Bird app are in midtown, though there may be ones elsewhere. Bird devices are primarily in the central city of Sacramento, with some further out and in West Sacramento. After selecting a device, the use boundary shows up, a light blue background outlined with a blue line. Though it is more detailed, it is generally east to Power Inn Rd/Howe Ave, south to Fruitridge Rd, west to ship channel in West Sacramento, and north to El Camino Ave.

The app does not seem to have the ability that the Lime app does of selecting for just bikes or just scooters. Since the scooters are far more common, they may cover up the bike icons, and you will have to scroll around and zoom in to find bikes.

Bird has a community pricing membership for low income riders in Sacramento, 50% off rides. The access program with a low cost membership and limited free rides is not yet available in Sacramento. Bird bikes and scooters are $1 to rent and $0.49 per minute. There also seems to be a promotional 25% off.

Lime bikes, after a period of being better maintained, seem to have declined again. I rented five bikes today, and only one of them was in decent shape. All the bikes have been crashed, once to multiple times. Bent wheels, bent handlebars, loose seat posts, single gears (the old red Lime/JUMP bikes are supposed to have three gears, where as the newer white/green bikes have variable responsive gearing). I know riders are crashing bikes, mostly when drunk, but I also wonder if Lime is dumping damaged bikes into Sacramento.

Sacramento bike share update

2022/08/03 Dan Allison3 Comments

There are a number of new white and green Lime bikes on the street in Sacramento. There are not the easy-to-steal white and green ones of a few months ago, some of which were promptly stolen and the others quickly pulled from service. Though they still seem to be called Gen 4 bikes, they now have a cable lock very similar to those used on scooters. I have seen more of these bikes downtown/midtown than elsewhere. See photo.

There continue to be red JUMP/Lime bikes on the street. I had the impression that there were fewer of these bikes than there used to be, but it may be that they are just being distributed differently. I’ve seen racks (the old SoBi/JUMP racks) full of these bikes, which had not had more than one or two bikes since the return of bike share. Lime does not make its GBFS (General Bikeshare Feed Specification) available to the public, nor does it have a map of bike share other than in the app, so it is difficult to say whether the bikes are being appropriately distributed/balanced.

While looking to see if there was a web map, I ran across an interesting ArcGIS Story Map from the City of Sacramento, Shared-Rideables in Sacramento. It was created in January 2022, and has not been updated, but is quite interesting.

Lime still seems to be failing to track and pick up dead bikes. By dead, I mean that the battery has run down to the point that it no longer powers the GPS unit, so Lime loses track of where these bike are. Several months ago there were a number of these bikes, reported to both Lime and the city, but not picked up after three weeks. Lime promised to me and to the city to do better. However, recently there were two bikes parked on the pathway from Sacramento Valley Station to the platforms for more than five days. Bike parked anywhere other than in very visible location on the street network do not get picked up for significant periods of time.

I used a Lime bike (white and green) Saturday without incident, returning from a trip. But on my outbound trip, using Lime/JUMP bikes, when I was on a tight schedule, I had no luck finding a bike that worked properly. The first one was stuck in first gear. The second had no pedal assist. The third had a jammed seat post that could not be adjusted. I managed to make the train on time, but barely. The bikes are simply not being maintained as they should be. I have noticed that if I report a problem, though the app, the bike is still there days later, and still rentable by another victim.

When reporting a bike problem, the app provides a limited number of issues (below), and no longer provides a text field for entering detail. The diagram says pedals, but there is no indication here or anywhere whether than means a problem with the pedals or cranks, or means problem with the pedal assist.

Lime app, problem report screen

One feature that was added to the app a few months ago that I really like is that the user can select scooters only, or bikes only, or both, for map display.

The app seems to show whether the bike in question is one of the new white and green ones or the older red Lime/JUMP bikes with the fabric covered locking cable. I’ve said before and will say again that it was a mistake for JUMP to drop the U-bar lock mechanism used on the SoBi and early JUMP bikes. So far as I know, a properly locked bike with U- bar was never was stolen.

car sickness on Capitol Ave

2022/06/29 Dan AllisonLeave a comment

I walked by the section of Capitol Ave in Sacramento, east of 18th St, as I have done many times, but today it struck me how dead this street is, now. It was alive for a while:

Capitol Ave, Sacramento, pandemic street closure, August 2020

But now it is sick again. To extend the analogy, it has always suffered from car sickness (a street dominated by motor vehicles), but had a relatively brief recovery when the street was closed to cars and opened to people walking and bicycling, and now a relapse into car sickness:

Capitol Avenue, Sacramento, opened to cars but not people, June 2022

The street feels abandoned. There are no people walking or bicycling. There are a very few people at the restaurants. It is hot, hot, hot, with insufficient street trees and an overly wide pavement. Note that if the street were closed (to cars) again, the street could be significantly narrowed, just space for bicyclists. Parking, unnecessary. Bike lane, unnecessary. Travel lanes, just enough width for emergency vehicles. Leaving plenty of space for outdoor dining, and street trees, and even a little nature.

During the closure (to cars), the street felt alive, even when there were few people there, even in the morning before most of the restaurants opened. People were walking and bicycling, and hanging out.

I don’t know why the closure was ended, and all the street canopies and seating removed. I’ve heard a lot of different stories: it was the city, it was the Midtown Association, it was the business owners. So I can’t point any fingers. But what I can say is that what was once clearly alive is now barely hanging on. Will it die? Probably not, but it won’t ever be healthy again, until the cars are again removed.

Cars kill business, cars kill cities. Why do we allow our city to be dominated by cars?

excess car capacity!

2022/03/232024/01/21 Dan AllisonLeave a comment

Kevin Dumler posted this to Twitter, and it caused me to pay more attention to all the utility and construction projects going on in the central city that have reduced general purpose travel lanes (car lanes). What follows are some photos of other locations.

10th St past P St, lane reduction two to one

I St past 10th St, lane reduction three to two

J St past 10th St, lane reduction three to two, also parking and bike lane closure

N St past 10th St, lane reduction from three to one (same location as Kevin tweeted)

L St past 12th St, lane reduction from three to one

It is only in this last example, on J Street between 12th and 10th, where there was some congestion. However, no vehicles were being stuck at signals, nor failing to make it through the signal at 11th Street, so this is very minor congestion.

The point, well made by Kevin, is that we have excess capacity for motor vehicles on many of our roadways, particularly three lane roadways, that could better be used for other things, like bike facilities, wider sidewalks, planter strips or wider planter strips. Or even narrowing the street for housing!

Smart Cycling class Feb 1, 3, 5

2022/01/08 Dan AllisonLeave a comment

North Natomas Jibe, Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates (SABA) and other partners are offering a Smart Cycling class in the Sacramento area on February 1 and 3, evening ‘classroom’ presentations through Zoom, and an in-person field day on Saturday, February 5, for parking lot skills and road skills.

This class is oriented towards people who would like to go on to the League Cycling Instructor (LCI) Seminar which will be offered March 27-29, for which passing scores on the skills and test are a prerequisite, but it is open to anyone who is interested. North Natomas Jibe’s Project Ride Smart, San Juan Unified’s Bicyclist Education Program, and several other programs in the Sacramento region use LCI’s as instructors for in-school and out-of-school youth programs.

When you sign up for the class (use the QR code in the graphic above), you will receive a Zoom link to the ‘classroom’ presentation, held Tuesday, February 1 and Thursday, February 3, 6:00 to 7:30PM. There will be a chance to ask questions.

The class includes Saturday, February 5 field day, 9:00AM to 3:00PM. It will include parking lot skills for bike handling and hazard avoidance, and a road ride in traffic in the area of the Jibe office, followed by a debrief and multiple choice exam for people who want a certificate and/or are going on to the LCI Seminar. Lunch will be provided, but you can bring your own. Bring snacks as well, if you get hungry.

For the field day, you need a bike in good working order (ABC Quick Check), a bicycle helmet (required for our insurance), clothing appropriate for the forecasted weather, and a water bottle if you wish. The class will take place in most weather, except heavy rain and high winds. If you are borrowing a bike, please ride it beforehand so you are familiar with how it handles. If your bike needs repairs or adjustments, we can suggest a bike shop in your area to get it ‘up to speed’ before the class.

For more information, contact:

Dan Allison, allisondan52@gmail.com, 775-997-4937
Mellissa Meng, mellissa@jibe.org, 916-419-9955

Smart Cycling class Nov 2, 4, 6

2021/10/262021/10/27 Dan AllisonLeave a comment

North Natomas Jibe, Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates (SABA) and other partners are offering a Smart Cycling class in the Sacramento area on November 2 & 4, evening ‘classroom’ presentations through Zoom, and an in-person field day on Saturday, November 6, for parking lot skills and road skills.

This class is oriented towards people who would like to go on to the League Cycling Instructor (LCI) Seminar which will be offered in the spring, for which passing scores on the skills and test are a prerequisite, but it is open to anyone who is interested. North Natomas Jibe’s Project Ride Smart, San Juan Unified’s Bicyclist Education Program, and several other programs in the Sacramento region use LCI’s as instructors for in-school and out-of-school youth programs.

When you sign up for the class (use the QR code in the graphic above), you will receive a Zoom link to the ‘classroom’ presentation, held Tuesday, November 2 and Thursday, November 4, 6:00 to 7:30PM. There will be a chance to ask questions.

The class includes Saturday, November 6 field day, 9:00AM to 3:00PM. It will include parking lot skills for bike handling and hazard avoidance, and a road ride in traffic in the area of the Jibe office, followed by a debrief and multiple choice exam for people who want a certificate and/or are going on to the LCI Seminar. Lunch will be provided, but you can bring your own. Bring snacks as well, if you get hungry.

For more information, contact:

Dan Allison, allisondan52@gmail.com, 775-997-4937
Mellissa Meng, mellissa@jibe.org, 916-419-9955

Getting Around Sacramento

by foot, bicycle, and public transit (car-free!)

Tag: Sacramento