City County Bicycle Advisory Committee Meeting - October 19, 2017

The Sacramento City County Bicycle Advisory Committee (SacBAC) met on October 19, 2017, at 6:00 p.m. in City Hall Council Chamber. The meeting initially lacked a quorum, so the consent calendar was deferred until later. After a quorum was achieved, the committee approved the consent calendar with amendments, heard public testimony, and received updates on the Downtown Bikeways Project, Measure A expenditures, bike parking, and Vision Zero.

Consent Calendar

• Item 1: Approval of Meeting Minutes of September 14, 2017 – Approved with corrections. Committee Member Melvin noted his name was misspelled on motions; Walt pointed out that Item 4 was incorrectly listed as an information item (should be action item) and that the motion language was inaccurate (the committee approved the language of a letter, not just identified key points; also the recommendation to send a letter to the air quality district was misstated). Staff noted they would review the tape. Motion to approve as amended carried by voice vote, with Vice Chair Farland and Member Casey abstaining.
• Item 2: Bicycle Advisory Committee Log – Received and filed as part of the consent calendar.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Josh Croft (Sacramento resident) expressed strong support for protected bike lanes, stating he feels unsafe biking in Sacramento and currently uses a scooter on sidewalks. He praised the concept and hoped for more such facilities.

Discussion Items

• Item 3: Sacramento Downtown Bikeways Project (Information Item, 30 min) – Megan Johnson, Associate Civil Engineer, presented a project to install parking-protected bikeways (left-side bike lanes) on H, I, P, Q, and 10th Streets to fill gaps in the bikeway network and improve safety on the High Injury Network. The project is funded by mayor's budget and tied to Vision Zero. Key features: removing one travel lane, shifting parking, adding a 7-foot bike lane with 3-foot buffer, and flexible bollards. A pop-up demonstration (Oct 4-6) and community open house (Oct 9) generated 40 comment cards; majority support. Some concerns about intersection design, street sweeping, and right-turn maneuvers. Next steps: final design, then construction after the rainy season. Committee members commended the rapid turnaround and asked about intersection treatments, bollard choice, street sweeping, and left-side bike lane turning maneuvers. Johnson noted that bike boxes and two-stage turn boxes are being considered.
• Item 4: Accounting of Measure A Expenditures (Information Item, 15 min) – Chair Whelan presented the annual fiscal year 2016-17 collection and distribution data. Total revenue of $11.8 million, with distributions to city and county. Committee members Walt and Jordan requested more information on the “complete streets” provision in Measure A and whether SB1 money will also be tracked. They suggested inviting STA or city/county finance/transportation staff to explain monitoring. Chair Whelan agreed to explore invitations.
• Item 5: Bike Parking Update (Information Item, 15 min) – Drew Hart presented the city's bike rack program: free racks to businesses in the public right-of-way, with priority given to businesses lacking private space. 22 racks are being installed in Oak Park, 8 in midtown, 2 in downtown. Committee questioned the policy of deferring to business owners who don't want racks (Floleane argued for public good), and asked about funding source (public works operations budget, likely Measure A). Hart noted the program is steady but not increasing. He also mentioned the upcoming secured bike parking at Sacramento Valley Station (bike spa, key card access, opening December/January).
• Item 6: Vision Zero Update (Information Item, 15 min) – Drew Hart presented multiple projects: Top Five High Injury Network Corridor Study (30% designs, 18 months), School Safety Study (analyzing opportunities for school zones to lower speed limits), Systemic Safety Analysis Report Project (SSARP, 12 months, identifying contributing factors for crashes and applying for HSIP funding), and a Safety Outreach Campaign (six messages, neighborhood-level events). Funding sources include grants (OTS, HSIP). Committee members asked about behavioral causes (speeding, distracted driving, DUI) and suggested addressing all three in outreach. Hart noted that police reports will be a starting point for analysis.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Calendar approved with amendments (motion by Lewis, second by Jordan; 2 abstentions).
• Downtown Bikeways Project – Committee reviewed and commented; design will continue with consideration of intersection enhancements. Construction expected after rainy season.
• Measure A – Committee requested staff to invite STA or city/county representatives to discuss complete streets compliance and SB1 integration.
• Bike Parking – Committee noted concern about business owner veto power; staff will continue program. Secured bike parking at Sacramento Valley Station will open in December/January.
• Vision Zero – Draft action plan expected in December 2017. Committee provided input on outreach campaign content.
• Next Meeting – November 9, 2017, at 6:00 p.m. December 14 meeting is still on calendar; committee may continue into January before dissolution.
• Committee Comments – Request for staff report on barriers to improving bikeway gateways under freeways where Caltrans owns right-of-way. The committee noted that Caltrans has a new sustainability manager (Jeannie Ward Waller) who is familiar with Sacramento.