Sacramento Active Transportation Commission Meeting - October 20, 2022
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Sacramento Active Transportation Commission Meeting - October 20, 2022
The Active Transportation Commission met virtually on October 20, 2022, to review and comment on several transportation plans and programs. The meeting included presentations on the South Sacramento Parkway Trail West update, speed management programs, and draft concept plans for Freeport and Northgate Boulevards. The commission also heard public comments on speed management and general safety concerns.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the minutes from the August 18, 2022 meeting and adopted the Active Transportation Commission Log. The motion passed 6-0-2 (Commissioners Heidorn and Ward-Waller abstained).
Public Comments & Testimony
- On Speed Management Programs (Item 5):
- Jeremiah Kay (District 4 resident) expressed concern that the city has prioritized car travel over active transportation safety, criticizing the lack of funding for slow streets and inadequate speed management programs. He urged the commission to advocate for lower speed limits and increased budget.
- Matt Anderson (District 4 resident) asked about the potential to reduce prima facie speed limits to 20 mph in business districts under AB43 and noted over a thousand traffic investigation requests annually with only about 13 speed lumps per year. He suggested the commission consider funding advocacy.
- On Matters Not on the Agenda:
- Matt Anderson noted that since the last meeting, at least six people walking or biking had been killed in Sacramento, underscoring the urgency of active transportation safety. He encouraged the commission to advocate for dedicated ongoing funding and increased staff capacity.
Discussion Items
- Commission Staff Report (Item 3): Received and filed. Staff announced that the city was awarded two Active Transportation Program grants (Franklin Boulevard Phase 3 design and Envision Broadway planning) from a statewide pool. Introduced new Commissioner Nicolas Heidorn.
- South Sacramento Parkway Trail West Update (Item 4): Amber Castle-Keane presented the project to pave 0.6 miles of Class I multi-use trail connecting Freeport Boulevard and Meadowview Road. Construction is set for spring 2023, with a 40-day work window, aiming for summer 2023 opening. Commissioners expressed support and asked about connections to the Del Rio Trail and Cosumnes River Boulevard.
- Speed Management Programs (Item 5): Megan Carter presented current practices on setting speed limits (using 85th percentile speeds, following California Vehicle Code), the impact of COVID-19 on speeds, and upcoming implementation of AB43/AB1938. The city has 530 speed zones updated on a 7-year cycle. Recent traffic calming efforts include $1.45 million invested in speed lumps over 6 years (70 lump street segments) and a $640,000 budget for 2022. Commissioners discussed equity in request-based programs, the need for a traffic calming toolbox, and future policy considerations.
- Freeport Boulevard Transportation Plan Public Draft Concept Review (Item 6): Leslie Mancebo presented the draft concept, covering from Sutterville Road to Blair Avenue. Key features include a proposed roundabout at Sutterville/Freeport (community-led idea), new pedestrian signals, buffered/separated bikeways, and driveway consolidation. Public workshops were scheduled for October 26 and 29, 2022. Commissioners raised questions about roundabout design for bicyclists and pedestrian crossings.
- Northgate Boulevard Transportation Plan Public Draft Concept Review (Item 7): Presentation covered the corridor from I-80 to Del Paso Boulevard, including a lane reduction in the middle segment, new pedestrian signals (e.g., at Tanaya, Bridgeford, Wilson, Cleveland), separated bikeways, and a two-way cycle track near Garden Highway. Community engagement included a virtual workshop on October 17 and an in-person event on October 22. Commissioners praised the community engagement and asked about lighting near Camp Pollock and traffic behavior.
- Commissioner Comments – Ideas and Questions: Commissioner Ward-Waller shared a personal story of a friend seriously injured while biking with her child, urging continued safety focus. Commissioner Heidorn noted interest in micro-gaps in bicycle network connectivity and funding generation. Vice Chair Paullins highlighted recent state legislation (AB 2147 – Freedom to Walk Act) as supportive of active transportation equity.
Key Outcomes
- The consent calendar was approved with abstentions.
- All discussion items (staff report, South Sacramento trail update, speed management programs, Freeport and Northgate concept plans) were received and filed or reviewed and commented on; no formal votes were taken on those items.
- The commission will await staff's development of a traffic calming toolbox and the draft plans for Freeport and Northgate before further recommendations.
- Public comment emphasized the need for increased funding and faster implementation of safety measures.
Meeting Transcript
Chair Staff is Ray when you are. All right. Uh good evening and welcome to the October 20th, 2022 Active Transportation Commission meeting. The meeting is now called to order. Will the clerk please call the roll to establish a quorum? Thank you. Commissioners, please unmute and turn on your video for roll call vote. Commissioner Brazzle. Here. Commissioner Bren Roastrow. Here. Commissioner Haim. Here. Commissioner Hydorn. Here. Commissioner Haupt. Here. Commissioner Wardwaller. Appears to be absent. Vice Chair Pollins. Here. Chair Deer Westbrook. Present. Thank you. And Commissioners Carpenter, Grenville, and Harris are absent. We have a quorum. Great. This meeting is virtual via Zoom. For members of the public who wish to join, please refer to the agenda for the Zoom link. Once you have joined the meeting and wish to speak, use the raise your hand feature to provide public comment when the chair confirms the public comment speaking period for your desired item. If you're joining us online, click raise your hand at the bottom of the screen. If you're joining us via phone in the mobile app, you can raise your hand by tapping raise hand option on the more tab. And if you're calling in via telephone to raise your hand, dial star nine, then to unmute or mute, dial star six. Speakers will be called on by the last four digits of their phone number. And we'll now proceed with today's agenda. Okay. Um please raise for the opening acknowledgments in honor of Sacramento's indigenous peoples and tribal lands. Oh, sorry about that. Okay. To the original people of this land, the Nissanon people, the Sutter and Maidu, Valley, and Plains Miwok, Winton Peoples, and the people of the Wilton Rancheria, Sacramento's only federally recognized tribe. May we acknowledge and honor the native people who came before us and still walk beside us today on these ancestral lands by choosing to gather together today in the active practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacramento's Indigenous People's History, contributions, and lives. Thank you. Please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. You can now be seated. All right. So our first business today is approval of the consent calendar. Madam Clerk, are there any members of the public who wish to speak on the consent calendar? Thank you, Chair. We currently have no members of the public with their hands raised.
openpublica.com