Climate Change Is Leaving Native Plants Behind

February 8, 2016

By John Upton

Climate Central

Native plants are struggling to keep up with changes around them as pollution from fuel burning and deforestation continues to warm the planet.

Regional Transit seeks input on fare increases

At the RT Board of Directors meeting held on January 25, 2016, RT staff presented a financial update and fare change proposal, which outlined a plan to increase fares by approximately 20 percent, effective July 1, 2016. The draft fare change proposal and Title VI Fare Equity Analysis are available for review at sacrt.com.

RT staff will present a recommendation to the RT Board of Directors on Monday, March 14, 2016, at 6 p.m. at the RT Auditorium (1400 29th Street at N Street).

The public is encouraged to provide feedback during the 30-day comment period from February 1 through March 1, 2016. RT will hold five open houses to discuss proposed fare changes and receive public comments. The public can also provide comments via an online survey, email, mail or phone.

Remaining Open Houses:

Tuesday, February 16
Noon to 7 p.m.
RT Auditorium
1400 29th Street, Sacramento
Accessible by light rail to the 29th Street Station, and Routes 38, 67 and 68

Wednesday, February 17
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Arcade Library
2443 Marconi Avenue, Sacramento
Accessible by Routes 25 and 26

Tuesday, February 23
Noon to 7 p.m.
Citrus Heights Community Center
6300 Fountain Square Drive, Citrus Heights
Accessible by Routes 1, 23 and 95

Thursday, February 25
Noon to 7 p.m.
Cosumnes River College – Winn Center
8401 Center Parkway, Sacramento
(East entrance off of Bruceville Road)
Accessible by light rail to the Cosumnes River College Station, and Routes 54, 55 and 56

At the RT Board of Directors meeting held [on January 25, 2016], RT staff presented a financial update and fare change proposal, which outlined a plan to increase fares by approximately 20 percent, effective July 1, 2016.

Details of the proposal can be found online at sacrt.com. The proposed new fare structure is as follows:
Basic Single Fare – $3.00
Discount Single Fare – $1.50
Basic Daily Pass – $7.50
Discount Daily Pass – $3.75
Basic Monthly Pass – $120.00
Basic Semi-Monthly Pass – $65.00
Student Semi-Monthly Sticker – $30.00
Student Semi-Monthly Sticker (Free/Reduced Lunch) – $20.00
Senior/Disabled Monthly Sticker – $70.00
Senior/Disabled Semi-Monthly Sticker – $35.00
Paratransit Single Fare – $6.00
Paratransit Monthly Pass – Discontinued
Light rail single fare ticket time limit reduced from two hours to 90 minutes
Concerns about the adverse effects the proposal would have on the disabled community and ridership overall dominated the conversation late into the evening.

For more information, visit sacrt.com.

Time to consider higher sales tax for Sacramento’s regional transportation work

January 12, 2016

By Sacramento City Councilmember Steve Hansen

Special to The Bee

“It may be time to consider asking voters to support a supplemental sales tax to fund transportation projects. The Transportation Authority board is considering putting a measure on the November ballot. If the measure added a half-cent tax, it would raise $116 million a year. Half the proceeds would repair and repave existing roads, while the other half would build new infrastructure. If the measure enacted a quarter-cent, most of the $58 million per year would likely be used to fix and maintain existing infrastructure.”

ECOS would support an increase in the County-wide transportation tax, as long as it emphasizes non-auto modes and does not include any new road projects. We believe it’s essential that funding of transit (particularly buses), pedestrian and bicycle facilities is increased to encourage healthy, non-auto modes of transportation. ‪#‎ActiveTransportation‬

If you build new roads, traffic will come

SacBee Editorial

November 27, 2015

“It’s a theory called “induced travel,” basically the transportation version of the law of supply and demand. Adding capacity cuts travel time, thus lowering the “price” of driving and leading to an increase in driving. In the paper, UC Davis professor Susan Handy writes that increasing a road’s capacity by 10 percent is likely to increase vehicle miles traveled by 3 percent to 6 percent in the short run and 6 percent to 10 percent in the long term, basically offsetting any gains.”

Light Rail to Airport Open Houses, Dec 1, 2015

The light rail to the airport is being planned, and local residents are encouraged to attend an open house meeting to provide feedback.

Based on Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) forecasts, the population in the area between downtown Sacramento, north and south Natomas, and the Sacramento International Airport is expected to increase by 36 percent (or 811,000 people) over the next 20 years.

The region is showing significant signs of economic recovery, and job growth is leading to housing growth after the building moratorium in Natomas was recently lifted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

This projected development calls for an increase in transportation infrastructure for the area and RT is working to provide access through the Green Line to the Airport light rail extension project. This project will extend the existing Green Line light rail service from the 7th & Richards/Township 9 light rail station on Richards Boulevard to the Sacramento International Airport and provide vital connections to various locations throughout Sacramento, including the Natomas communities.

The project is entering the environmental phase and RT is scheduling meetings that offer an opportunity for the public to provide comments related to the potential environmental effects of the project. Input received will become part of the public record and will be considered during environmental studies.

Staffed information stations with maps and other project materials will be available at the community open house meetings listed below. A brief presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m.

North Natomas
Tuesday, December 1
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Natomas Park Elementary School
4700 Crest Drive, Sacramento

Downtown Sacramento
Wednesday, December 2
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Downtown Sacramento Public Library
828 I Street, Sacramento

South Natomas
Thursday, December 3
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
South Natomas Community Center
2921 Truxel Road, Sacramento

Sac Grid 2.0

The Sac Grid 2.0 project outlines the plan for an improved downtown transportation network for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, and motorists. For the past year the City of Sacramento has evaluated existing conditions, researched best practices, evaluated transportation models and met with residents, property and business owners, developers, and other key stakeholders.

The proposed draft preferred transportation network highlights proposed improvements for: the roadway network, bicycle network, transit network, and improvements to enhance the pedestrian experience. Modifications made to the roadway network make room or take advantage of additional capacity to accommodate bicycle and transit improvements. Each map includes a description of types of improvements, as well as a rendering of improvements.