Sacramento Active Transportation Commission Special Meeting - August 20, 2020
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Sacramento Active Transportation Commission Special Meeting – August 20, 2020
The Active Transportation Commission (ATC) held a virtual special meeting on Thursday, August 20, 2020, beginning at 6:00 p.m. Vice Chair Ward Waller presided in the absence of Chair Heim; Commissioner Brazzle was also absent. The commission handled a heavy agenda, including consent items, informational presentations, and four action items forwarded to the City Council. All action items passed, with one vote occurring under an acting chair due to recusals.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the July 30, 2020 meeting minutes and received and filed the ATC Log by unanimous consent. Commissioner Haupt noted that he had been absent for the consent calendar in the prior meeting and asked that the record reflect that correction.
Public Comments & Testimony
- A public e-comment asked the commission to place on a future agenda the creation of a letter requesting the City Council to implement a slow streets program, noting support from individual council members and the mayor's commission on climate change.
- A second e-comment, apparently affiliated with the Sacramento Rail Preservation Action Group, opposed the Del Rio Trail project, asserting that the city failed to consider alternatives to destroying a portion of the Sacramento Southern Railroad and that a lawsuit (court date postponed to August 28) would likely result in a major loss. The comment also claimed the project benefits wealthy, politically connected interests and diverts resources away from equity priorities and the Sacramento River Bike Trail.
- No call-in public comments were received during the meeting.
Discussion Items
- Commission Staff Report – Jennifer Donlon Wyant reported that the Del Rio Trail had not been delayed by COVID, with a preliminary CEQA ruling expected August 28 and 60% design anticipated this fall. The Sacramento Valley Station grant was partially awarded, funding bike/ped access to the Railyards Plaza. The West Broadway Specific Plan goes to City Council on August 25; no dates were set for the Broadway Bicycle Master Plan Amendment or Vision Zero School Safety Study. Staff apologized for failing to agendize a slow streets subcommittee, but the city attorney advised that the chair could appoint an ad hoc subcommittee outside the Brown Act because it would be fewer than a quorum.
- 2040 General Plan Mobility Element (Information) – Ryan Dodge, Jennifer Donlon Wyant, and Matt Hertel presented proposed ‘right-sizing’ of streets, including many lane reductions, with the goals of prioritizing walking, biking, and transit, improving safety, and advancing equity. A scientific survey on these strategies had been mailed to 10,000 randomly selected households. Commissioners expressed general support while asking about survey methodology, engineering criteria, and future community engagement opportunities.
- Railyards Specific Plan Bicycle Master Plan Amendment (Action) – Greg Taylor presented amendments to the bikeway network, including class I and class IV facilities. A class IV segment had been mislabeled in the staff report as class II, and the commission agreed to reference the corrected exhibit. The motion to forward the recommendation to City Council passed unanimously.
- I Street Bridge Deck Conversion Project (Information) – Megan Johnson presented two ramp concept options: a spiral ramp (lower cost, more compact, less direct to Sacramento Valley Station) and a straight ramp (more direct, approximately 20% higher cost, smaller footprint). Commissioners asked about ADA accessibility, ground-level uses, and safety for the movable bridge. No action was taken.
- Downtown Traffic Controller and Communication Upgrade Project (Information) – John Matoba presented completed upgrades at 132 intersections, including new cabinets/controllers, 100,000 feet of fiber-optic cabling, and CCTV cameras. The project finished about one month ahead of schedule and was under budget. Commissioner Carpenter asked about near-miss detection technology; staff said it was being explored but faced technical and cost challenges.
- Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 10 Grant Applications (Action) – Leslie Mancebo presented two proposed applications: advanced dilemma zone detection on Marysville Boulevard and up to $250,000 for RRFBs (rectangular rapid flashing beacons) at pedestrian crossings. Two commissioners with Caltrans connections recused themselves, and Commissioner Cole served as acting chair for this item. The motion to forward the recommendation to City Council passed 6-0.
- Vision Zero Top 5 Corridors Draft Plan (Action) – Leslie Mancebo summarized the draft plan for the city’s five highest-crash corridors, covering data analysis, community engagement, countermeasures, and policy recommendations such as automated speed enforcement. The public comment period was open through August 28. The motion to forward the recommendation to City Council passed unanimously.
- Draft City of Sacramento Criteria and Guidance for Creative Crosswalks (Action) – Valerie Hermanson presented draft guidelines allowing only organizations (not individuals) to apply, restricting treatments to standard crosswalks at stop-controlled or signalized locations with speed limits of 30 mph or less, and requiring permits, insurance, and maintenance. Commissioners raised questions about liability for community groups and whether the city itself could apply. The motion to forward the recommendation to City Council passed unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Approved the consent calendar, including the July 30, 2020 minutes and the ATC Log.
- Forwarded a recommendation to City Council to approve the Railyards Specific Plan Bicycle Master Plan Amendment, referencing the corrected exhibit.
- Forwarded a recommendation to City Council to approve the HSIP Cycle 10 grant applications (passed 6-0, with two recusals).
- Forwarded a recommendation to City Council to approve the Vision Zero Top 5 Corridors Draft Plan.
- Forwarded a recommendation to City Council to approve the Creative Crosswalks Criteria and Guidance.
- The commission chair will appoint a subcommittee to develop a slow streets letter for a future meeting; staff will provide a forward look at upcoming agenda items to help the commission prepare.
Meeting Transcript
Vice Chair Ward Waller, we are ready to call the meeting to order. Thank you. All right. I'm calling the meeting to order. Jennifer, can you take the roll? More than happy to. Thank you, Vice Chair. Commissioner Jesse. Here. Here. Commissioner Cole. Here. Vice Chair Ward Waller. Present. Commissioner Berdugo. Here. Commissioner Haupt. Here. Commissioner Carpenter. Here. Commissioner Brazzle. Commissioner Smith. Here. And Chair Heim is absent. Wonderful. We have a quorum. Thank you. And some housekeeping things. This meeting is broadcast live over the internet. This is our third stream meeting. Please give us patience as we work through challenges. There will be delays with phone calls coming in. I would like to remind commissioners and staff when they are not speaking to please mute their microphones. The public was able to provide comments via e-comment on the agenda page before this meeting. We have a number of e-comments that we'll read into the record. If the public would like to comment during the meeting, you can call in to 916 808 7213. That's 916 808 7213 and follow the instruction given. The speaker limit is three minutes. Thank you, Vice Chair Wardwaller. All right. Do we have any comments on consent calendar items? This is uh Commissioner Haupt. Uh, I do have a correction on the consent calendar. The consent calendar shows me both as voting for and being absent from the motion on the consent calendar. I was in fact absent for the consent calendar and joined the meeting a little later. Noted. All right. With that change, do we have a motion on the items in the consent calendar? I move to approve the consent calendar. We have a second.
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