Our Work
Bicycling can be all things to all people — a way to exercise, a way to commute, a way to compete, a way to run errands, and a way to enjoy the outdoors. To help increase cycling rates and make cycling safer for all, SABA works to improve bicycle facilities for all types of riders, and our advocacy and programs show our deep involvement and commitment.
Valet Bike Parking
Every year, SABA volunteers park thousands of bikes at dozens of community events across the Sacramento region. This year you’ll find SABA bike valets at the Plan Folsom Blvd. workshop in Rancho Cordova, Shamrock’n Half Marathon, Friday Night Concert in the Park series, Pops in the Park series in East Sacramento and other great community events.
SABA makes bike parking secure and easy for event attendees, offers event organizers a way to make their events more bike-friendly, while reducing traffic congestion and improving air quality, and gives us a wonderful opportunity to introduce SABA and our efforts to the greater public.
Light On!
Not every rider is prepared for nighttime riding. When the evenings turn dark every year, SABA steps up with our Light On! program to help distribute headlights and taillights for free to cyclists caught without lights. It’s safer for them and better for everyone if every cyclist out after dark is a well-lit cyclist.
Bike audits and bike counts
In conjunction with WALKSacramento and Sacramento County as part of a Safe Routes to School effort, SABA conducts bike audits at elementary and middle schools. These audits document the “bikeability” of each campus, noting factors like the availability and condition of bike lanes and storage facilities. To better document bicycle usage and help local planners quantify infrastructure demand, SABA also heads an annual bike count, wherein a number of locations are monitored in our region over a few days, giving us a clearer picture of the state of cyclists and how many of us are on the roads.
Bike Trail Maintenance
Even when we’re pushing for new trails and bike lanes, we don’t forget that the existing trail system needs our continued support. That’s why SABA is proud to sponsor both Mile 8 of the American River Parkway trail and the Sacramento Northern Trail trailhead at C St. near 20th Street in downtown Sacramento. Our volunteers are crucial in maintaining exactly the sort of lovely and inviting trail system that can make bicycling such a pleasure.
Hazard Reporting
Potholes, malfunctioning signals, debris piles, and other hazards exist regionwide, and we aim to clean them up. To help keep the maintaining agencies on their toes, SABA operates a road hazard reporting tool, providing a single point of access for area cyclists to register complaints about whatever road or signal hazards are out there. Our handy web form lets cyclists register the hazard and get back on the road, while we figure out the appropriate agency to contact and let them know about the problem.
May is Bike Month
Since the inaugural May is Bike Month in 2005, SABA has been proud to sponsor and participate in bicycle events and campaigns to help get people out of their cars and onto their bikes. We host refreshment stands, help with promotion, and do our part to help log over one million miles traveled by bicycle each May. We don’t just preach, either; SABA’s May is Bike Month group usually ranks in the top three for miles traveled every year!
Bicycle Friendly Community
SABA is hard at work trying to ensure that Sacramento grows its burgeoning reputation as a bicycle city. We have a goal of certifying Sacramento as a League of American Bicyclists Gold-ranked Bicycle Friendly Community, but we also pay attention to our region’s position in simple statistics like the American Community Survey’s ranking of bike commuting rates. Sacramento is already number one in California, but there’s still a few more cities to beat before we can take national (and international) honors.
Last updated 2011-04-5 01:00:26 PM (EST). Please send corrections and revisions to our Webmaster.