City County Bicycle Advisory Committee Meeting - April 20, 2017

The City County Bicycle Advisory Committee (SacBAC) met on Thursday, April 20, 2017, at 6:00 p.m. in City Hall Council Chamber. The meeting lacked a quorum, so no formal votes were taken on action items. Members reviewed and discussed several informational items, including urban greening grant applications, bicyclist collision data for 2015, upcoming events, and a one-time funding opportunity. The committee also received an update on the regional bike share program.

Consent Calendar

• Item 1 – Approval of Meeting Minutes (March 16, 2017): Postponed to the next meeting due to the absence of a quorum.
• Item 2 – Bicycle Advisory Committee Log: Received and filed. The log serves as a guide for future agenda items; members had no further comments.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comments were made.

Discussion Items

• Item 3 – Urban Greening Grant Program (Lucinda Willcox, City Public Works): Staff presented three projects recommended for grant applications under the state’s cap-and-trade-funded Urban Greening Grant Program (76 million statewide, due May 1, 2017):

  • Hanami Riverfront Parkway: A cherry-tree-lined active transportation corridor along the Sacramento River, connecting Matsui Park to Old Sacramento, with phased implementation.
  • Rail Yards Green Streets: Green street improvements in the downtown rail yards, including wide sidewalks, Class II bike lanes, shade trees, and stormwater treatment.
  • Sacramento Northern Parkway: Rehabilitation of the existing trail, including removal of 15 acres of turf, planting native oaks, trailhead improvements, and water efficiency demonstrations. Members expressed strong support for all three projects. Christian emphasized the equity importance of the Sacramento Northern Parkway. The committee informally recommended drafting a letter of support, though no formal action could be taken without a quorum.

• Item 4 – Bicyclist Injury Collisions in Unincorporated County for 2015 (Dan Klinker, County Transportation): Dan presented data from the county’s Crossroads database. Key statistics:

  • 244 bicyclist injury collisions (9% of all injury collisions), including 5 fatalities, 26 severe injuries, 99 other visible injuries, and 114 complaints of pain.
  • Investigating officers attributed fault to the bicyclist in 76% of collisions, with 61% of those due to riding on the wrong side of the road.
  • For fatal collisions (5 total), three were caused by motorists veering into bike lanes from behind; two were attributed to bicyclist error (one riding against traffic at night without lights, one running a red light and being struck by a truck).
  • A three-year moving average showed about 5 bicyclist fatalities and 14 pedestrian fatalities per year. Pedestrian fatalities were disproportionately at night (33 of 40 in 2013-2015).
  • Collision hot spots included Power Inn Road, where three projects (totaling nearly $7 million) are planned for completion by 2019-2020. Members discussed the limitations of officer-reported fault, the need for rate-based data (e.g., collisions per trip), and the challenges of bike lanes on high-speed arterials.

• Item 5 – Great Scott Bike and Walk Event (Dan Klinker): The 7th annual event will be held Sunday, May 7, 2017, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring a family-friendly road ride in the Folsom/Rancho Cordova area. Construction delays on Bidwell Scott Road have been resolved, allowing the route to be open. Members encouraged participation.

• Item 6 – Sunday Street on Broadway (Jennifer Donlon Wyant, City Active Transportation): The city’s first open-streets event (Ciclovía) will take place Sunday, May 21, 2017, from 8 a.m. to noon on Broadway from Riverside to 26th Street and 2nd Avenue. The zero-budget pilot aims to stimulate the neighborhood economy, encourage physical activity, and re-envision street use. Fifty activity applications were received. The route was shortened due to traffic concerns (e.g., farmers market access). Member Walt Seifert had suggested including the historic cemetery and farmers market, but those sites were not included in this pilot.

• Item 7 – May is Bike Month City Events (Jennifer Donlon Wyant): The city will host free Urban Biking 101 classes (second Thursday of each month, plus an extra in April), lunchtime sessions for city staff, two evening staff rides, weekly raffles (for most trips and most miles), a booth at Capitol Bike Fest (May 11), and the Sunday Street event.

• Item 8 – One Time Funding Opportunity (Jennifer Donlon Wyant): A project list for the mayor’s one-time mid-year budget surplus allocation for biking has been submitted to the city manager’s office for review. No further update was available.

Key Outcomes

• No formal actions were taken due to the lack of a quorum. The minutes approval was postponed.
• The committee expressed strong support for all three urban greening projects and informally recommended drafting a support letter. (No vote was held.)
• Bike share program announcement: Jennifer Donlon Wyant announced that SACOG’s board authorized staff to enter into an agreement with Social Bicycles (same vendor as Portland’s system) for the regional bike share program. A small rollout will begin May 15, 2017, with a full rollout (approximately 800 bikes) planned for fall 2017.
• The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 18, 2017, at 6:00 p.m. in the same location. New members will be appointed following interviews on May 9.