OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Active Transportation Commission Meeting - March 12, 2026

Active Transportation Commission — Thursday, March 12, 2026
BodySacramento, California
SessionActive Transportation Commission
DateThursday, March 12, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:49:13

Transcript — Verbatim
0:36

Good evening and welcome to the Thursday Mayor March 12th, 2026 meeting of the Active Transportation Commission.

0:42

This meeting is now called to order.

0:43

Will the clerk please call the roll to establish a quorum?

0:49

Thank you, Chair.

0:50

Members, please unmute your microphones.

0:52

Member Hodell is absent.

0:55

Member Harris?

0:56

Here.

0:56

Member Gibson.

0:57

Here.

0:58

Member Wadwani.

0:59

Here.

0:59

Member Ratio Patel.

1:01

Here.

1:02

Member Gonzalez.

1:03

Member Haupt.

1:04

Here.

1:05

Member Tao.

1:06

Here.

1:07

Member Rubenstein?

1:08

Here.

1:09

Member Moore.

1:10

Present.

1:10

Member Amin.

1:12

His absence.

1:13

Member Banks.

1:14

Here.

1:15

And Chair Gonzalez.

1:16

Here.

1:17

Thank you.

1:17

We have quorum.

1:19

Thank you.

1:20

I'd like to remind members of the public and chambers if you would like to speak on an agenda item, please turn in a speaker slip before this item begins.

1:26

After an item is called, we will no longer accept any speaker slips.

1:30

And you have two minutes to speak once you're called on.

1:33

We'll now proceed with today's agenda.

1:35

And I'm gonna ask uh please stand and uh Vice Chair Gibson will read today's acknowledgement of indigenous people.

1:46

Please rise for the opening acknowledgments in honor of Sacramento's indigenous peoples and tribal lands to the original people of this land, the Nissanan people, the Southern Maidu, Valley and Plains, Miwok, Patwin, Wintu, Peoples, the people of the Wilton Rancheria, Sacramento's only fellow federally recognized tribe.

2:06

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 an active practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacramento's indigenous peoples' history, contribution and lives.

2:21

Thank you.

2:22

Thank you, Vice Chair.

2:23

Please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance.

2:39

Okay.

2:41

Our first business today is the Commission staff report.

2:44

Staff, please proceed.

2:46

Thank you, Chair.

2:47

Um for our staff report out today.

2:51

Um I want to start out with um my uh uh a staff introduction.

2:56

I'm very excited to introduce uh Virginia Morgan who joined uh the transmission planning staff uh last week and uh she is this is the I think third meeting in a row.

3:06

I've been able to introduce new staff.

3:08

Unfortunately, that ends this this meeting, but we're very happy to have her and we are fully staffed up.

3:14

Um I also do want to announce uh the Mary's vo uh Marysville Boulevard Quick Build Construction Project uh that we've seen here uh that starts construction on Monday.

3:29

So excited for that to move forward.

3:32

Um also want to report out that the Active Transportation Commission annual report was heard in front of the budget and audit committee uh on Tuesday this week and was then forwarded to council.

3:43

So that'll be coming to council at a uh a future time, and I'll let you know when that is.

3:47

I've got great comments.

3:48

I'd like to thank uh outgoing chair Hodell for uh doing that presentation uh in a very rushed way because we were very much behind on that meeting.

3:57

Uh but we got some great comments and uh we're looking forward to advancing that to the city council.

4:02

Uh did also want to announce that the both the Howe Avenue and Norwood um avenue uh plans uh were both adopted by city council, uh I believe February 24th.

4:13

Um then my last update, I wanted to address the the log item update uh that we talked about at the last meeting.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Transportation Safety█████████████████████████████████████████████61%
Public Comments████████11%
Community Engagement████████11%
Procedural███████9%
Public Safety███4%
Public Works█2%
Infrastructure█1%
Parks and Recreation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Active Transportation Commission Meeting - March 12, 2026

The Sacramento Active Transportation Commission met on Thursday, March 12, 2026, from 5:33 PM to 7:22 PM at City Hall. Chair Isaac Gonzalez presided with 10 commissioners present (Dania Ahmed Amin and Arlete Hodel absent). The commission reviewed four major corridor projects, heard public testimony, and discussed safety, equity, and design priorities.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of February 19, 2026 Meeting Minutes (File ID: 2026-00055) – Passed unanimously.
  • Active Transportation Commission Log (File ID: 2026-00410) – Adopted unanimously. Staff noted the log update was deferred to the April meeting due to limited time between meetings.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Dan Allison (on T Street Bikeway Gap Closure): Supported the project but urged a leading pedestrian interval, no right on red, and opposed RRFBs. Asked for single eastbound lane under Highway 50 and Caltrans to improve lighting.
  • Larry Bernstein (on T Street): Supported the project but objected to reducing T Street to one lane eastbound under the freeway, citing traffic congestion for neighborhood access.
  • Matt Anderson (on Fruitridge Road): Urged continuous class IV bikeways, closure of slip lanes, driveway consolidation, and coordination with SacRT. Advocated for evaluating all options despite high traffic volumes.
  • Zach Trowbridge (on Fruitridge Road): A resident near Mendocino Blvd, highlighted the need for protected pedestrian crossings near the new Fruitridge Community Center (funded by $7.5M Prop 68) and nearby schools.
  • Dan Allison (on Stockton Boulevard): Requested safe crossings, trees with 8-ft buffers, driveway modifications, and no continuous center turn lane. Supported the hybrid BRT alignment and asked not to preclude future light rail.
  • Matt Anderson (Matters Not on Agenda): Congratulated the commission, noted bike lane sweepers from SABA, and warned about BRT dangers in Oakland (vertical delineators and speed cushions recommended).

Discussion Items

1. T Street Bikeway Gap Closure Project (R15200030)

  • Location: T Street from 34th Street to Stockton Boulevard, District 4, 5, 6.
  • Presented by: Kelli Lacey, Assistant Civil Engineer.
  • Proposed improvements: Class II bike lanes with green conflict markings, compliant ramps, RRFB at 35th Street, high-vis crosswalks, right-in/right-out only at Gerber Avenue (eliminating a signal phase), relocation of an RT bus stop, and lane realignment. Two eastbound lanes under Highway 50 maintained per community input.
  • Commissioner feedback:
    • David Moore supported bike boxes, dedicated phasing for cyclists, and no right on red.
    • Justine Recio-Patel called for concrete protection (not just paint) and cautioned against center bike lanes on 34th Street.
    • Daniel Rubinstein requested KSI/PCF data, future-proofing due to Aggie Square, and more protection for left turns.
    • Jim Houpt asked about Caltrans lighting (staff noted recent activation but pedestrian-scale lighting is in scope).
    • Debra Banks supported bike boxes and pedestrian priority in signal timing.
    • Donald Gibson advocated for class IV separated bikeways (concrete or bollards), especially given drivers exiting freeways, and opposed two eastbound lanes without physical protection.
    • Chair Gonzalez echoed no right on red and no RRFBs, citing lack of driver compliance.

2. Fruitridge Road Safety and Mobility Plan (2026-00669)

  • Location: Fruitridge Road from Riverside Blvd to Stockton Blvd, District 5, 6, 7.
  • Presented by: Chris Dougherty, Principal Planner.
  • Context: 4.5-mile corridor, part of high injury network. 14% of all collisions involve pedestrians/cyclists, and killed/serious injury (KSI) collisions are predominantly non-motorists. Community engagement phase 1 underway (survey open through March), with design phase starting summer 2026 and final plan adoption spring 2027.
  • Commissioner feedback:
    • David Moore asked about coordination with SacRT (staff confirmed ongoing).
    • Debra Banks noted SacRT's open survey on Fruitridge and encouraged engagement.
    • Melissa Harris raised county-city boundary challenges; staff described coordination with the county (which identified a road diet opportunity) and Caltrans.
    • Chair Gonzalez criticized the county for repaving without striping changes, and cited the first pedestrian fatality of 2026 on this road and seven fatalities between 2013-2025 near the light rail station.

3. Arden-Auburn Mobility Plan (2026-00670)

  • Location: Arden Way (Del Paso Blvd to Ethan Way) and Auburn Blvd/Harvard Street (Marconi Circle to Arden Way), District 2.
  • Presented by: Nicole Zhi Ling Porter, Senior Planner.
  • Context: Corridors are on the high injury network; Arden Way is a top 10 corridor. Community engagement launched with workshop, online survey, and pop-ups (March 21 at Arden Fair Mall, March 24 at Arden-Del Paso light rail station). Draft goals: safety, equity, multimodal mobility, livability, feasibility.
  • Commissioner feedback:
    • Melissa Harris encouraged public engagement, noting development and the bike bridge crossing to Cal Expo.
    • Donald Gibson highlighted missing sidewalks and hostile conditions for pedestrians near the mall.
    • David Moore asked about coordination with reconnecting communities and bypass traffic analysis; staff confirmed overlap and noted anecdotal evidence of bypass traffic.
    • Debra Banks requested demographic data to make designs people-centric.
    • Emel Wadhwani asked about Arden Fair Mall engagement; staff reported property managers are interested in facade and driveway improvements.

4. Stockton Boulevard Safety and Transit Enhancement Project (T15245100)

  • Location: Stockton Blvd from Alhambra Blvd to Florin Road, plus Bus Routes 38 and 51, Districts 4, 5, 6.
  • Presented by: Jesse Gothan (Supervising Engineer) and Greg Kyle (Consultant).
  • Context: Partnership with SacRT and Sacramento County. Funded for alternatives analysis (through summer 2026) and environmental review/preliminary engineering (2026-2027). Two BRT alignments: Route 51 (Stockton to Broadway to 8th/9th) and hybrid (Stockton to T to 29th/30th to J/L). Three complete streets alternatives: A (within existing curb, narrow bike lanes, bus lanes), B (widen one side, shared-use path), C (full right-of-way, separated bike lane and sidewalk).
  • Commissioner feedback:
    • Justine Recio-Patel supported the hybrid BRT alignment for regional benefit (YoloBus, Roseville Transit, etc.).
    • Emel Wadhwani asked about cost differences (staff: Alternating B and C are roughly 2x and 4x the cost of A).
    • Melissa Harris strongly opposed Alternative A, calling it "lipstick on a pig" and urged a true protected bike lane and trees.
    • Daniel Rubinstein supported the hybrid alignment and Alternative C, saying "go big or go home."
    • Tong Thao asked about removing the center turn lane; staff said left-turn pockets are needed for operations.
    • David Moore raised equity concerns about the hybrid alignment bypassing underserved communities on Route 51; staff noted technical analysis includes existing ridership and demographics. Moore supported Alternative A with physical protection for BRT lanes, not shared-use paths.
    • Debra Banks supported Alternative C, advocating for separate modes and a "golden ring" approach.
    • Chair Gonzalez shared personal history, noted 8 deaths in the project area (2013-2025 Vision Zero data), and called for beautification, tree canopy, and safe crossings.

Key Outcomes

  • All four discussion items were reviewed and commented; no votes were taken (receive and file).
  • Staff will incorporate commissioner feedback into project designs.
  • The T Street and Stockton projects will proceed to next phases (final design and environmental review, respectively).
  • The Fruitridge and Arden-Auburn plans will continue community engagement through March and return to the commission in summer 2026.
  • The commission's annual report was forwarded to city council after a positive budget and audit committee hearing.
  • Commissioner David Moore recused himself from the Fruitridge Road discussion.
  • The next meeting is scheduled for April 16, 2026, at 5:30 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening and welcome to the Thursday Mayor March 12th, 2026 meeting of the Active Transportation Commission. This meeting is now called to order. Will the clerk please call the roll to establish a quorum? Thank you, Chair. Members, please unmute your microphones. Member Hodell is absent. Member Harris? Here. Member Gibson. Here. Member Wadwani. Here. Member Ratio Patel. Here. Member Gonzalez. Member Haupt. Here. Member Tao. Here. Member Rubenstein? Here. Member Moore. Present. Member Amin. His absence. Member Banks. Here. And Chair Gonzalez. Here. Thank you. We have quorum. Thank you. I'd like to remind members of the public and chambers if you would like to speak on an agenda item, please turn in a speaker slip before this item begins. After an item is called, we will no longer accept any speaker slips. And you have two minutes to speak once you're called on. We'll now proceed with today's agenda. And I'm gonna ask uh please stand and uh Vice Chair Gibson will read today's acknowledgement of indigenous people. Please rise for the opening acknowledgments in honor of Sacramento's indigenous peoples and tribal lands to the original people of this land, the Nissanan people, the Southern Maidu, Valley and Plains, Miwok, Patwin, Wintu, Peoples, the people of the Wilton Rancheria, Sacramento's only fellow 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 an active practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacramento's indigenous peoples' history, contribution and lives. Thank you. Thank you, Vice Chair. Please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. Okay. Our first business today is the Commission staff report. Staff, please proceed. Thank you, Chair. Um for our staff report out today. Um I want to start out with um my uh uh a staff introduction. I'm very excited to introduce uh Virginia Morgan who joined uh the transmission planning staff uh last week and uh she is this is the I think third meeting in a row. I've been able to introduce new staff.

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