Letter from ECOS to Caltrans re HOV lane settlement

April 30, 2018

Amarjeet Benipal, District Director
California Department of Transportation, District 3
703 B Street, Marysville, CA 95901

Re: Support for reprogramming funds from the Sacramento-Folsom Limited Stop Service and Hazel Frequency Enhancement Project settlement

Dear Director Benipal:

The Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) supports Sacramento Regional Transit District’s (SacRT) proposal for late night service on their light rail Gold Line to Folsom.

On November 16, 2009, following settlement of a lawsuit between Caltrans and the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS), SacRT and Caltrans entered into an agreement to provide funding for the Sacramento-Folsom Limited Stop Service to operate 15-minute frequency service between Hazel and Sunrise light rail stations after completion of the double-tracking project.

Due to financial limitations, SacRT has yet to complete enhancements that would allow for 15-minute service and no construction is imminent. The last train to Folsom departs downtown Sacramento at 6:18 p.m. Because of this limited evening service, many residents along the Highway 50 corridor do not use light rail service for fear of being stranded after work without a transit option. Later service would benefit residents of the eastern part of the county, while reducing congestion and airborne pollutants.

Therefore, ECOS supports reprogramming the 2009 settlement funds to allow SacRT to provide late night service. We ask Caltrans and SacRT to sign the concurrence letter that would allow for this money to be used for that purpose.

Sincerely,

Ralph Propper, President
Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS)

Share your thoughts! SacRT Forward Virtual Community Workshop

SacRT Forward will rethink the purpose and design of Sacramento Regional Transit’s entire transit network by exploring wholesale changes to the network, including a “blank slate” look at how to position transit competitively long-term in the Sacramento region.

We need to hear from you. Your input will help inform the project team about which key choices to make about the future of the SacRT transit network.

Join the conversation – Responses will be collected through May 15, 2018. There will be additional opportunities to provide input on the SacRT Forward Network Plan throughout this year. Get started below!

Click here to submit your input!

Clean ride: Would California’s new electric ridesharing bill kill public transit?

By Michael Mott

March 1, 2018

Sacramento News and Review

As Uber and Lyft outrun public transit, more carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases get pumped into the air. It’s part of a wider commuting trend that is giving the capital region the eighth-worst air quality in the country, according to the American Lung Association. One state senator is convinced it’s time to turn ride-hailing services fully electric.

Sen. Nancy Skinner, a Berkeley Democrat, introduced legislation that sets a target for companies like Uber and Lyft to replace their fleets with clean-burning vehicles over the next 10 years. The bill would try to accomplish this by setting aside $300 million from the Clean Vehicle Rebate Program.

Click here to read the article.

Elk Grove expansion into habitat, farmland approved

There’s already plenty of land available for growth without causing more urban sprawl across the County of Sacramento and within the Urban Services Boundary around the City of Elk Grove in the south of the county. We need to focus on smart growth, infill development, public transit, water supply, air quality, and open space in order to support the quality of life for future residents.

There was a great team effort by groups like ECOS, Habitat 2020, Friends of Swainson’s Hawk, Save Our Sandhill Cranes, the Sierra Club and community members from all over the county who presented a strong case against Elk Grove’s latest sprawl push.

Unfortunately, on February 7, 2018, the Kammerer Road-Highway 99 Sphere Of Influence Amendment passed with a 4-3 vote by LAFCo (Local Area Formation Commission) members. This allows the City of Elk Grove to expand urban development beyond their currents limits.

In favor of the expansion: Patrick Hume, Sue Frost, Susan Peters, Ron Greenwood

Opposed to the expansion: Angelique Ashby, Gay Jones, Jack Harrison

Learn more about the City of Elk Grove’s Sphere of Influence here.

On-Demand Public Transit Comes to Sacramento

By Sandy Smith

January 17, 2018

Next City

Sacramento Jumps on Microtransit Bandwagon

The notion of summoning a bus to your door to take you where you want to go appears mighty appealing. Despite the failure of several experiments with what’s been dubbed “microtransit,” cities around the world continue to launch projects to gauge the effectiveness of on-demand flexible-route bus service, a sort of cross between traditional transit and ridesharing services like Lyft or Uber.