Don Shoup on “How L.A. can fix our scary sidewalks for the Olympics” This could work in Sacramento too. September 10, 2024, LA Times

By Donald Shoup | September 10, 2024 | LA Times

Los Angeles’ broken sidewalks are like an obstacle course, especially for people with disabilities. They are bad enough to challenge the Olympic athletes who will show up in four years.

In 2016, to settle an Americans With Disabilities Act lawsuit, Los Angeles committed to spending $1.4 billion over 30 years to make its sidewalks accessible. But a 2021 audit by the Los Angeles Controller’s Office revealed that since 2016, the city had repaired less than 1% of sidewalks. During that period, the city paid more than $35 million in settlements related to sidewalk injuries.

Donald Shoup is a distinguished research professor in urban planning at UCLA.

Click here to read the article in full.

Now Available: “Improving Safety for Pedestrians and Bicyclists Accessing Transit” Guide

In an effort to improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists accessing transit, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) have released a new guide, which includes a variety of approaches to address common safety issues that are likely to arise near transit stations, bus stops and other places where transit (bus or rail) is operated.

The new guide, Improving Safety for Pedestrians and Bicyclists Accessing Transit, provides agencies with a thorough look at pedestrian and bicyclist safety considerations in accessing and using transit. The guide can help transit agencies, state and local roadway owners, and regional organizations by providing a comprehensive understanding of how to address pedestrian and bicyclist safety concerns related to accessing transit.

Additional resources and information on FHWA efforts to improve safety for all road users can be found here.

Letter to City of Sac – ECOS support for Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant

On October 27, 2021, ECOS sent a letter to the City of Sacramento in support of its application for a Sustainable
Transportation Planning Grant for its 15-Minute Neighborhoods Plan.

Dear Mr. Chan,
The Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) supports the City of Sacramento in its application for Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant for its 15-Minute Neighborhoods Plan.
We served on the Mayors’ Climate Change Commission’s Transportation Technical Advisory Committee. As you know, the prioritization of active transportation, then transit and shared mobility, and then zero-emission vehicles was unanimously adopted. This prioritization, coupled with housing around transit, would reduce GHG emissions, increase affordable housing with good local and regional access to shops and jobsites, improve air quality, and improve physical safety for pedestrians and cyclists.
Over half of Sacramento’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) are from the transportation sector. The City’s proposed 15-Minute Neighborhoods Plan will set the stage for increased transit use, walking and biking — travel modes that are essential to reduce GHG and meet our climate goals.
Sacramento’s topography is relatively flat and its neighborhoods are interconnected – these are two necessary but not sufficient preconditions for a large shift to walking and biking for daily errands and for job commutes. Neighborhood studies show that slowing driving is a big concern.
The City’s 15-Minute Neighborhoods Plan will calm the entire network of neighborhood streets to make comfortable places to walk, bike, and scoot. Calmer streets will encourage more trips by active transportation, helping the city to meet its goals around sustainability, speed reduction for cars and trucks, community health, and thriving local businesses. The City’s 15-minute Neighborhoods Plan will further the following:
• The City’s Climate Action Plan;
• The City’s commitment to equitable processes by engaging neighborhood communities about their needs;
• Economic vitality of our retail and restaurants within and next to neighborhoods;
• Affordable and efficient access to jobsites, parks, and schools.
Sincerely,
Ralph Propper
ECOS President

Click here to view the letter.

Dangerous by design: How Sacramento’s un-walkable roads imperil and kill Black residents

By Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks And Phillip Reese | August 30, 2021 | The Sacramento Bee

Black pedestrians in Sacramento County were more than twice as likely to be killed in a car collision and three times as likely to be injured compared to the rest of the county.
…
City planners, state officials and traffic engineers have for decades prioritized cars as the predominant means of travel. Streets have gotten faster and roads have grown wider, with major urban thoroughfares slicing through low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. In the areas of Sacramento where people are most likely to lack access to a car, walking or biking to nearby stores, parks, clinics or public transit stops is a risky undertaking.

Click here to read the full article.

Photo by The Humantra from Pexels

Broadway Bridge DEIR: ECOS Comments

On August 23, 2021, ECOS submitted a comment letter on the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Broadway Bridge in the City of Sacramento.

Below are our comments.

ECOS supports the concept of a bridge connecting Broadway in Sacramento to West Sacramento, near 15th Street. This should facilitate infill development near both sides of the Sacramento River and provide a connection between the two cities south of US 50. Development potential is especially promising on the West Sacramento side, since I-5 is not a barrier there. We encourage significant infill development, which would be facilitated by the removal of old facilities such as fuel storage tanks and the railroad tracks serving the Port of West Sacramento. Once a definitive alignment is selected and necessary property acquired, the bridge would serve as a vital link for transit, bicycles and auto traffic. As mixed-use development near the bridge increases (on both sides of the river), the number of pedestrians and bicyclists would also increase greatly.

Photo by Masha Raymers from Pexels

Stockton Blvd Corridor Study: ECOS Comments

On April 3, 2021, the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) sent our comments on the Stockton Blvd Corridor Study Draft Final Report to Sacramento City Councilmembers.

Below is an excerpt from our letter.

ECOS submits this letter during the public comment period through April 4 for the subject report. We would like to express our support for the Stockton Boulevard Corridor Study.1 We appreciate the City’s focus on reallocating the Stockton Boulevard street space for walkers, bikers, transit riders, and motor vehicle drivers, as Stockton is a major arterial with a number of regional employment centers. The proposed streetscape changes will improve conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists, increase safety and mobility, and set the stage for infill development. Infill development along a major transit line is an important strategy to increase the region’s supply of affordable housing and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Click here to read the letter in full.