Sacramento Slow Streets

The City of Sacramento is implementing a pilot program, called “Slow & Active Streets,” to promote more bicycle and pedestrian use of neighborhood streets by restricting through vehicular travel. The pilot project ends April 30th, 2021 – when it’s barely gotten started.

If you agree that it should continue (and we do!), please send your comment(s) to the City.

Comment now

We hope the success of this slow streets pilot will encourage the City to start “slow streets” in other neighborhoods.

Learn more about it on the City of Sacramento’s website.

There was recently an article in the Sacramento City Express about it. Click here to read the article

Here is a map. 

Sac/Davis Bicycle Film Festival

Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates (SABA) and BikeDavis are teaming up to host the Sac/Davis Bicycle Film Festival, from Feb 5 – 14. This will be a ‘virtual’ festival where people can stream a 1-hour, 45-min selection of short films from the comfort of their homes.

This year is the 20th edition of the Bicycle Film Festival. The program features short films from around the world that celebrate the bicycle culture in all its forms, and get people excited to ride their bikes, whether for exercise, recreation, transportation or adventures. You can watch the trailer here to get a sense. This upbeat program is just the kind of “pick-me-up” that people need to cheer up and go for a ride in these challenging times.

Some of the proceeds from the ticket sales will go to fund SABA’s advocacy work.

Transportation, Air Quality and Climate Change meeting August 6th

Join ECOS this Thursday evening via Zoom for 2 presentations:

Click here for the meeting agenda.

Link to join the TAQCC Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85805612058
To phone in: 669 900 6833, Meeting ID: 858 0561 2058

ECOS’s Transportation, Air Quality & Climate Change (TAQCC) Committee meets at 6 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month on Zoom, barring any schedule changes. Visit our community calendar to check for any changes.

Click here to learn more about this committee.

Will local officials listen on 2020 transportation measure?

December 10, 2019
By David Mogavero (Former ECOS President)
Sacramento News and Review

What Transportation Measure?

In the next several weeks, our elected officials are writing a measure for the November 2020 ballot to levy a sales tax for transportation funding in Sacramento County.

How You Can Help!

Go to sacta.org/a_board.html, find the name of your elected representative who sits on the board and call, email, text or ask them for a meeting.

Tell them:

– You don’t want more roads, but want more transit and safer streets for bicycling and walking.

– You won’t be fooled by a measure that funds the road project down the street (that your neighbor told the pollsters they like) but sacrifices the quality of our county’s future

– You will only support a transportation measure that moves our community to a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable future.

-This is most critical for those who live outside of the city of Sacramento, including in Citrus Heights, Arden Arcade, Folsom, Rancho Cordova, Elk Grove and North Highlands, etc.

– Please contact your representative now and voice your concerns. By February, it may be too late.

Read the full article here.

Photo Courtesy of Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates (SABA)

Sacramento Two Rivers Trail Bike Trail

On September 12, 2019, ECOS and Habitat 2020 submitted a comment letter on the Sacramento Two Rivers Trail (Phase II) DEIR.

The Two Rivers Trail Phase II project will provide a 2.4 mile long multi-use path between Sutter’s Landing Park and H Street, by Sacramento State. The trail will provide residents of River Park and East Sacramento a safe, convenient, and protected path into downtown Sacramento. The overall vision is to eventually have the trail connect to the Sacramento River Parkway and create a continuous trail system along both sides of the Sacramento and American Rivers. In addition, the project will environmentally clear the next phase of the trail between Sutter’s Landing Park and the Sacramento Northern Bike Trail.

https://www.cityofsacramento.org/Public-Works/Engineering-Services/Projects/Current-Projects/Two-Rivers-Trail-Phase-II

There are many habitat issues that remain unaddressed in the Draft Environmental Impact Report.

The bottom line is that a bike trail on a levee is not only feasible, but it is the best option for the Two Rivers Trail if we want to protect the American River Parkway and its ecosystems. There are numerous other benefits to putting the trail on top of the levee as well, such as better access during winter floods.

Click here to read the letter in full.

Sacramento votes to use eminent domain on properties for Pocket-area bike trail

Image credit: https://www.ebikeshed.com/ 

The Sacramento City Council has finally started the process of eminent domain to acquire recreation easements necessary to complete the Sacramento River Parkway.

Learn more about it in this May 22, 2019 article from The Sacramento Bee. Within that article is a reference to $210,000 that comes from a settlement agreement with Caltrans.

In 2013, ECOS obtained a commitment from Caltrans to the parkway in our lawsuit demanding mitigation for planned carpool and bus lanes on I-5. Caltrans was not obligated to pay the settlement until it was ready to award a construction contract. I believe the City of Sacramento now has those funds and is able to use them to take this critical step toward the Parkway’s completion.

We are excited to see this success in which ECOS played a role! The Friends of the Sacramento River Parkway has sent ECOS a note of thanks in light of the new vote taken by Sacramento City Council on this, which we greatly appreciate.

Unfortunately, Friends of the Sacramento River Parkway says that although voting for resolutions of necessity to start eminent domain proceedings in the Pocket, Councilmember Steve Hansen made it clear at this week’s meeting he will continue to oppose the completion of the Parkway in the “Little Pocket” area. He also convinced the city recently to seriously impede public access to the levee and to Chicory Bend Park in the Little Pocket.

Contact the Friends of the Sacramento River Parkway for ways you can get involved.