SABA

SABA’s year in review: 2017

Photo by City of Sacramento

SABA works in three main areas — advocacy, technical assistance and community engagement — to help create the conditions that enable more people to confidently choose a bike as safe, convenient everyday transportation. Here are the highlights from 2017:

Advocacy

Vision Zero Sacramento

What we did: As part of the Vision Zero Task Force, we’ve been working with public agency, nonprofit and community partners to develop an action plan for reaching the City of Sacramento’s goal of eliminating all severe injury and fatal traffic collisions by 2027.

Why it matters: A data-driven plan will direct funding toward improvements to safeguard people on bikes in the most dangerous locations, many of which are concentrated in traditionally underserved neighborhoods. For example, most of the fatal bike collisions in Sacramento County have occurred south of US-50 and west of Power Inn Road, on major streets like Stockton Blvd., 47th Ave., Fruitridge Road and Mack Road.

What’s next: The draft action plan will be released early next year for public review. We’ll be involved in helping solicit community and neighborhood input.

Transportation funding

What we did: Late last year Sacramento County’s Measure B transportation sales tax measure narrowly failed to win passage, in part because SABA and allied groups didn’t have a seat at the table to help shape a measure we could all support. Since then we’ve been working with our strategic allies to ensure that the next transportation sales tax measure reflects our ideas and values.

Why it matters: Our region cannot achieve its air quality goals without providing safe, convenient alternatives to driving, including travel by bike. And without additional funding, we won’t see the kind of roadway improvements that will enable more people to choose a bike for everyday travel. Environmental, neighborhood and community groups have a decisive role to play so long as we work together.

What’s next: Allied groups continue to meet to discuss our role in influencing the content of the next transportation sales tax measure.

Project review

What we did: We submitted detailed comments to public agencies reviewing environmental documents, construction permit applications and planning documents for major development and public works projects with potential benefits and impacts on people who travel by bike, including the Central City Specific Plan (formerly known as Downtown Specific Plan), the Capitol City Freeway Improvement Project, and the West Jackson Highway Master Plan. We also routinely meet with developers in the early stages of projects, with the goal of educating developers and helping improve projects that are still being designed.

What it matters: The application review and approval process is the opportunity for public input that pushes public agencies to exercise their authority to modify projects where needed. Meeting with developers presents the opportunity to share projects in their early stages, often in ways that developers find helpful.

What’s next: We’ll continue to participate in public commenting on projects and also meet with developers. Watch for additional advocacy activities from SABA, such as public awareness campaigns, to mobilize public support for significant needs related to some of these projects.

Bike share

What we did: We’re part of an advisory committee that developing policies and strategies for ensuring that the Sacramento region’s bike share system, launching next spring in parts of Sacramento, West Sacramento and Davis, is accessible to everyone. We also represented the interests of people on bikes in three cities interested in introducing Chinese-style dockless bike share systems.

Why it matters: Bike share programs enable people to replace car trips with bike trips, which helps reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality. Meeting these goals requires local policies about bike share operators to ensure that people can rely on bike share as a long-term transportation solution.

What’s next: We’ll continue to advocate for bike share as a legitimate transportation solution. We’re especially interested in strategies for making bike share succeed in less-dense suburban areas and with traditionally underserved populations.

Photo by Tony Bizjak/Sacramento Bee

Protected bike lanes

What we did: We led rides and encouraged people to try out the protected bike lane on P Street that was demonstrated for three days in during early October. We also met with City of Rancho Cordova transportation planners to provide input on the Routier Road-Rod Beaudry Drive protected bike lane project currently in the design phase.

Why it matters: Protected bike lanes are a crucial tool for making streets accessible to would-be cyclists who don’t want to share the street with vehicle traffic. The City of Sacramento’s preview helps build public support for the City’s Sacramento Downtown Bikeways Project, which will install 20+ blocks of bikeway improvements, including a protected bike lane on P Street, in the Grid next spring. This was also the first time the City has demonstrated this kind of facility on a short-term basis. We support more experiments like these. The scope and suburban setting of Rancho Cordova’s project makes it the region’s most ambitious.

What’s next: We’ll continue to educate the community about the benefits of protected bike lanes.

Off-pavement bicycling pilot program

What we did: We helped organize community support for Sacramento County’s pilot program to allow bikes on unpaved maintenance roads in the Woodlake and Cal Expo areas of the American River Parkway. The program opened this fall.

Why it matters: The pilot program help determine whether off-road bicycling can be accommodated in the lower American River Parkway, like it is around Lake Natoma near Folsom. Introducing more active uses in this part of the parkway helps the paved American River Bike trail feel safer and less isolated for more people.

What’s next: We’ll continue to monitor the success of the program over the next three years, when future expansion could be a possibility.

Technical assistance

Biking in the Power Inn area

What we did: We partnered with WALKSacramento to evaluate needs and opportunities to improve conditions for biking and walking in the Power Inn area for the local business association.

What it matters: As advocates, we look at the world from the perspective to people on bikes. That knowledge can be valuable to organizations like the Power Inn Alliance whose members want the benefits of more transportation options, including travel by bike.

What’s next: We continue to support Power Inn Alliance in advocating for improvements for travel by bike.

Safe routes to school in West Sacramento

What we did: Once again we partnered with WALKSacramento on a contract with the City of West Sacramento to encourage biking and walking to 7 elementary schools through evaluation, education and street improvements.

Why it matters: Helping make it easier for kids to bike and walk to and from school creates healthy habits, reduces traffic congestion around schools and improves air quality.

What’s next: During 2018 we’ll deliver bike education, organize ‘bike trains’ and help residents identify the best bike routes through their neighborhoods.

Community engagement

Bike Doc mechanic Glenn Small explains repairs to a Bike Doc customer.

Bike repair program

What we did: SABA mechanics repaired more than 750 bikes at 25 Bike Doc bike repair clinics at schools, community events and apartment complexes, a program of the North Natomas Transportation Management Association.

Why it matters: There’s just one bike shop that serves the 100,000 residents of Natomas. Without easy access to repairs, people can’t ride their bikes, which leaves some people stranded and forces others to drive more than they want to.

What’s next: We continue to work with the North Natomas TMA. Meanwhile, we have grant funding to introduce bike repair clinics in South Sacramento.

Encouraging bicycling in Rancho Cordova

What we did: With funding from Rancho Cordova’s Measure H Community Enhancement Fund, we introduced Bike Valet services at community events in Rancho Cordova, and also led social bike rides and held several bike maintenance classes.

Why it matters: We’re helping build a community of Rancho Cordova residents who support bicycling and can organize to advocate for needed roadway improvements.

What’s next: We’ll continue to provide these services through 2018.

Photo by City of Sacramento

Open streets

What we did: We were part of a committee that organized Sunday Street on Broadway, when Sacramento temporarily closed Broadway and adjacent streets to cars so people could bike, walk, skate, play and have fun. We partnered with a group of young urban planning professionals to fabricate a temporary protected bike lane as one of the activities at the event.

Why it matters: Events like these offer a way to ‘reclaim’ our streets as places for people and not just for cars. When people can experience their neighborhoods this new way, even temporarily, they become more engaged in decisions about how their neighborhood streets operate and how they can be improved. For SABA, Sunday Street on Broadway presented an opportunity to meet and talk to people interested in helping advocate for installation of protected bike lanes.

What’s next: This was the first in a pilot project to organize similar events in each City Council district. Future events have not been announced, however, we’re encouraging the City to host more of these transformative events and we want to help make them successful. We’ve also heard from other cities in the region that want to host these kinds of events.

Bike Valet

What we did: During 2017 we parked more than 10,000 bikes at nearly 300 community events in Sacramento, West Sacramento, Rancho Cordova and Elk Grove.

Why it matters: When people have a fast, easy way to park their bike for free at a community event, they’re more likely to ride a bike than drive a car. That keeps driving-related pollution out of the air (and your lungs) and helps reduce traffic congestion. Our regular clients include the Sacramento Republic FC, Midtown Farmers Market, Friday Night Concert in the Park, SactoMoFo, The Barn and the Cordova Community Council.

What’s next: During 2018 we hope to resume providing Bike Valet services for selected Golden 1 Center events.

Effective advocacy is only possible with your support. Please make a tax-deductible, year-end gift to SABA right now by clicking here.

2017 Accomplishments

Advocacy

Vision Zero Sacramento

What we did: As part of the Vision Zero Task Force, we’ve been working with public agency, nonprofit and community partners to develop an action plan for reaching the City of Sacramento’s goal of eliminating all severe injury and fatal traffic collisions by 2027. The draft action plan will be released early next year.

Why it matters: A data-driven plan will direct resources toward improvements to safeguard people on bikes in the most dangerous locations, many of which are concentrated in traditionally underserved neighborhoods. For example, nearly all fatal bike collisions occur on major arterial streets like Stockton Blvd., due to the combination of heavy traffic, fast vehicle speeds, and poor or missing bike lanes.

What’s next: The draft action plan will be released early next year for public review. We’ll be involved in helping solicit community and neighborhood input

Transportation funding

What we did: Late last year Sacramento County’s Measure B transportation sales tax measure narrowly failed to win passage, in part because SABA and allied groups didn’t have a seat at the table to help shape a measure we could all support. We worked with our strategic allies to ensure that the next transportation sales tax measure reflects our ideas and values.

Why it matters: Our region cannot achieve its air quality goals without providing safe, convenient alternatives to driving, including travel by bike. And without additional funding, we won’t see the kind of roadway improvements that will enable more people to choose a bike for everyday travel. Environmental, neighborhood and community groups have a decisive role to play so long as we work together.

What’s next: Allied groups continue to meet to discuss our role in influencing the content of the next transportation sales tax measure.

Bike share

What we did: We’re part of an advisory committee that developing policies and strategies for ensuring that the Sacramento region’s bike share system, launching next spring in parts of Sacramento, West Sacramento and Davis, is accessible to everyone. We also represented the interests of people on bikes in three cities interested in introducing Chinese-style dockless bike share systems.

Why it matters: Bike share programs enable people to replace car trips with bike trips, which helps reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality. Meeting these goals requires local policies about bike share operators to ensure that people can rely on bike share as a long-term transportation solution.

What’s next: We’ll continue to advocate for bike share as a legitimate transportation solution. We’re especially interested in strategies for making bike share succeed in less-dense suburban areas and with traditionally underserved populations.

Photo by Tony Bizjak/Sacramento Bee

Protected bike lanes

What we did: We led rides and encouraged people to try out the protected bike lane on P Street that was demonstrated for three days in during early October.

Why it matters: This preview helps build public support for the 20+ blocks of bikeway improvements, including a protected bike lane on P Street, to be installed in the Grid next spring. This was also the first time the City has demonstrated this kind of facility on a short-term basis. We support more experiments like these.

What’s next: We’ll continue to educate the community about the benefits of protected bike lanes, including the new bikeways downtown in Spring 2018.

Off-pavement bicycling pilot program

What we did: We helped organize community support for Sacramento County’s pilot program to allow bikes on unpaved maintenance roads in the Woodlake and Cal Expo areas of the American River Parkway. The program opened this fall.

Why it matters: The pilot program help determine whether off-road bicycling can be accommodated in the lower American River Parkway, like it is around Lake Natoma near Folsom. Introducing more active uses in this part of the parkway helps the paved American River Bike trail feel safer and less isolated for more people.

What’s next: We’ll continue to monitor the success of the program over the next three years, when future expansion could be a possibility.

Technical assistance

Biking in the Power Inn area

What we did: We partnered with WALKSacramento to evaluate needs and opportunities to improve conditions for biking and walking in the Power Inn area for the local business association.

What it matters: As advocates, we look at the world from the perspective to people on bikes. That knowledge can be valuable to organizations like the Power Inn Alliance whose members want the benefits of more transportation options, including travel by bike.

What’s next: We continue to support Power Inn Alliance in advocating for improvements for travel by bike.

Safe routes to school in West Sacramento

What we did: Once again we partnered with WALKSacramento on a contract with the City of West Sacramento to encourage biking and walking to 7 elementary schools through evaluation, education and street improvements.

Why it matters: Helping make it easier for kids to bike and walk to and from school creates healthy habits, reduces traffic congestion around schools and improves air quality.

What’s next: During 2018 we’ll deliver bike education, organize ‘bike trains’ and help residents identify the best bike routes through their neighborhoods.

Community engagement

Bike Doc mechanic Glenn Small explains repairs to a Bike Doc customer.

Bike repair program

What we did: SABA mechanics repaired more than 750 bikes at 25 Bike Doc bike repair clinics at schools, community events and apartment complexes, a program of the North Natomas Transportation Management Association.

Why it matters: There’s just one bike shop that serves the 100,000 residents of Natomas. Without easy access to repairs, people can’t ride their bikes, which leaves some people stranded and forces others to drive more than they want to.

What’s next: We continue to work with the North Natomas TMA. Meanwhile, we have grant funding to introduce bike repair clinics in South Sacramento.

Encouraging bicycling in Rancho Cordova

What we did: With funding from Rancho Cordova’s Measure H Community Enhancement Fund, we introduced Bike Valet services at community events in Rancho Cordova, and also led social bike rides and held several bike maintenance classes.

Why it matters: We’re helping build a community of Rancho Cordova residents who support bicycling and can organize to advocate for needed roadway improvements.

What’s next: We’ll continue to provide these services through 2018.

Photo by City of Sacramento

Open streets

What we did: We were part of a committee that organized Sunday Street on Broadway, when Sacramento temporarily closed Broadway and adjacent streets to cars so people could bike, walk, skate, play and have fun. We partnered with a group of young urban planning professionals to fabricate a temporary protected bike lane as one of the activities at the event.

Why it matters: Events like these offer a way to ‘reclaim’ our streets as places for people and not just for cars. When people can experience their neighborhoods this new way, even temporarily, they become more engaged in decisions about how their neighborhood streets operate and how they can be improved. For SABA, Sunday Street on Broadway presented an opportunity to meet and talk to people interested in helping advocate for installation of protected bike lanes.

What’s next: This was the first in a pilot project to organize similar events in each City Council district. Future events have not been announced, however, we’re encouraging the City to host more of these transformative events and we want to help make them successful. We’ve also heard from other cities in the region that want to host these kinds of events.

Bike Valet

What we did: During 2017 we parked more than 10,000 bikes at nearly 300 community events in Sacramento, West Sacramento, Rancho Cordova and Elk Grove.

Why it matters: When people have a fast, easy way to park their bike for free at a community event, they’re more likely to ride a bike than drive a car. That keeps driving-related pollution out of the air (and your lungs) and helps reduce traffic congestion. Our regular clients include the Sacramento Republic FC, Midtown Farmers Market, Friday Night Concert in the Park, SactoMoFo, The Barn and the Cordova Community Council.

What’s next: During 2018 we hope to resume providing Bike Valet services for selected Golden 1 Center events.

Gas tax hike to fund road repairs

Tomorrow the state tax on gasoline will go up by 12 cents, the first increase in 23 years.

Over the next 10 years, the tax increase, along with increases in other fuel-related taxes and fees, will generate $54 billion for transportation improvements statewide–mainly road repairs but also $100 million more a year exclusively for biking and walking projects.

Sacramento County will collect $289.6 million, including $112.6 million within the city of Sacramento, as the result of Senate Bill 1, the state law that contained the gas tax increase. The 6-county Sacramento Area Council of Governments Region (Sacramento, Sutte, Yolo and Yuba counties and parts of El Dorado and Placer counties) will receive $919 million due to SB 1.

Here’s how SB 1 allocates the additional funding statewide:

• $100 million per year exclusively for biking and walking projects.
• $3 billion per year–the majority of the funding–will go to repairing state- and locally-owned roads, which provides a key opportunity to build safer, complete streets that accommodate travel by bike, transit and walking.
• $750 million per year will support improving service and expanding public transit. More public transit helps reduce traffic congestion, which creates safer streets for biking and walking.
• $250 million per year is for a new program aimed at increasing transportation choices in highly traveled, congested corridors.
• $25 million per year for planning grants to support smart growth and development of better projects in the future.

In the Sacramento region, the increased revenues will be used for these projects to improve conditions for bicycling:

• bike lane and pedestrian route improvements on McGowan Parkway in Olivehurst ($1.25M)
• the Electric Greenway bike path in Citrus Heights ($5.8M)
• a segment of the El Dorado Trail near Missouri Flat Road in El Dorado County ($3.4M)
• complete streets improvements along Folsom Blvd. in unincorporated Sacramento County ($4.18M)
• Phase II of the Two Rivers Trail along the south side of the American River near downtown Sacramento ($3.33M)

A survey conducted this spring by Calbike shortly after the passage of SB 1 showed that most Californians favor investing in these kinds of improvements.

Even with the new revenues, the region’s unfunded need–the value of needed transportation improvements that don’t yet have funding–is still $2 billion over the next 10 years.

In Sacramento, gas tax revenues account for about 10% of the city’s transportation budget. Other funding sources, such as a countywide transportation sales tax, will be needed to pay for upgrading transit equipment and building costly biking and walking infrastructure such as overcrossings and bridges.

Click here to learn more about SB 1.

The Squeaky Wheel – Oct 2014

Bike docks on R St. at 10th

Velo Ball 2014 is Nov. 1
Helping South Sac design a healthier community
Integrating bicycling throughout downtown Sacramento
Protect your bike from theft
New board members
Bike shorts
Come ride with us

Velo Ball 2014 is Nov. 1

Velo Ball mastheadWe’re kicking off the year-end holiday season on Sat., Nov. 1 with Velo Ball, our annual fundraising gala. Tickets are on sale now!

This year’s party, at Beatnik Studios near Southside Park in downtown Sacramento, coincides with Dia de los Muertos, the annual Mexican celebration of remembrance. We’re celebrating with casual Mexican street food and desserts from Florez Bar & Grill, a hosted bar with local craft beers and wine, and music and dancing with DJ Larry Rodriguez of the Press Club in downtown Sacramento.

Beatnik Studios
Beatnik Studios

The highlight is a silent auction of local treasures and one-of-a-kind experiences, including getaways to Bolinas and Mendocino, tickets to Disneyland and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, golf lessons, a personal trainer session, bike accessories and apparel, gift certificates to local restaurants, and much more. We’re also auctioning the amazing Smokin’ Groven, a wood-fired smoker for serious cooks. Funds raised at Velo Ball 2014 will build our capacity to advocate for better bicycling in the Sacramento region.

Tickets are $50 per person, available by advance purchase only. We’ve sold out the past two years, so don’t wait! Sponsorship opportunities are still available – contact us for information on how your business can participate.

Helping South Sac design a healthier community

Our region prides itself in being bike-friendly, yet for residents of South Sacramento, bicycling is often difficult and hazardous. Fewer South Sac residents own cars than other Sacramento residents and public transit service is limited – bikes are basic transportation. Railroad tracks, a freeway, a former state highway, and large, fast, busy boulevards divide the community and limit access to services. The intersection of Stockton Blvd. and Fruitridge Road has Sacramento’s highest number of bicyclists and pedestrians injured in vehicle collisions.

Northbound Stockton Blvd. at Fruitridge Rd.
Northbound Stockton Blvd. at Fruitridge Rd.

We’re working with nonprofit allies and South Sac residents on a plan to make biking and walking safer and more convenient. Part of the Building Healthy Communities program funded by the California Endowment, the project will also develop community action plans for housing, economic development and urban agriculture. The planning area is bounded roughly by Franklin Blvd., Broadway, Power Inn Road and 47th Ave.

The planning process represents a new, grassroots model that begins with significant input from South Sac residents, workers, property owners and other stakeholders. Community workshops, one-on-one dialogue, and an online tool are being used to identify needs and opportunities. We’re still soliciting public input at community events and online, so if you live, work or shop in South Sac or commute through the area, please share your thoughts.

Integrating bicycling throughout downtown Sacramento

The City of Sacramento has embarked on a year-long study to integrate five modes of transportation in downtown Sacramento: bicycling, walking, public transit, cars and large trucks. The goal is to establish priorities for spending an estimated $100M in transportation improvements over the next 20 years in the area bounded by the rivers and the Capital City Freeway. We see this study as a prime opportunity to make downtown safer and more comfortable for people who ride bikes (or want to).

Example of a protected bike lane
Example of a protected bike lane

We’re calling on the city to invest in continuous crosstown bike routes that connect downtown to the surrounding neighborhoods. The existing bikeway network is significantly fragmented, with bike lanes that just end (think: westbound K St. at 15th) and barriers such as the Capital City Freeway ramps that create intense conditions for bicycling at the east and south edges of downtown. Due to a lack of bike lanes, downtown destinations such as the Sacramento Valley Station and the new Kings arena are largely inaccessible to all but the strongest, most confident bicyclists.

Downtown Sacramento needs a continuous network of bikeways that are safe and comfortable for everyone who rides or wants to ride. You can learn more about the study and offer your thoughts and ideas at the Sacramento Grid 2.0 website.

Protect your bike from theft

Cutting cable locks at 2nd Saturday
Cutting cable locks at 2nd Saturday

How easy is it to cut through a cable lock? A lot easier than you might think. Maybe you’ve even tried cutting one yourself at our demos at 2nd Saturday events on 20th Street, the Midtown Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings, or the Wednesday farmer’s market in Chavez Park.

Our Protect Your Bike campaign is educating Sacramento residents about how to register their bikes through the City of Sacramento’s Ride On! online registery, how to lock a bike effectively, and how to report a theft. In addition to demos at community events, we host a website and we’ve been distributing information cards to local bike shops and cafes. We’re currently talking with Cosumnes River College and Sac State about how we can reach students. 

The program is sponsored by Sacramento City Councilmember Steve Hansen, Sacramento Area Council of Governments, Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, Sacramento Police Department, Sacramento Regional Transit, Downtown Sacramento Partnership and Midtown Business Association.

New board members

Our board of directors is growing! This summer we welcomed eight new members who expand our capacity and broaden our connection to the community.

Jim Allison is planning manager for the Capitol Corridor, which has one of the nation’s highest rates of passengers who access the system by bicycle. Ted Florez works for the City of Sacramento Utilities Department and also organizes the annual Sacramento Cyclefest. Becky Garrow is a health education with the Public Health Institute and helped launch the California Department of Public Health’s fleet of loaner bikes for employees.

Car-free for the past 26 years, Mel Melvin works as a historian, currently serves on the Sacramento City-County Bicycle Advisory Committee, and previously served as a shop manager at the Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen. Andrea Rosen is a senior attorney with Covered California and a longtime member of the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association. Chris Shultz is deputy insurance commissioner for California and an avid cyclocross racer. Morgan Staines is an attorney with Covered California and lives in the Arden-Arcade area.

The new board members will serve 3-year terms. They join veteran board members Jeffery Rosenhall, Ryan Sharpe, Sue Teranishi and Maya Wallace.

Bike shorts

Bike corral on R St. at 10th
Bike corral on R St. at 10th in downtown Sac

A paved, off-street bike path is one of the options El Dorado County is studying for 30 miles of former Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way that connects the American River Parkway and Folsom to Shingle Springs and Placerville. Imagine how many residents and visitors would love to ride between Sacramento and Placerville along the gentle 2% grade of the former rail line.

More bike corrals are starting to show up around downtown Sacramento. Recent additions include corrals on R Street near 10th and between 14th and 15th streets, at 24th and K streets, next to Der Biergarten, and on 7th Street near K outside 24-Hour Fitness.

On October 25, the City of Citrus Heights cuts the ribbon on a mile of new biking and walking path along Old Auburn Blvd. between Garry Court and Robert Creek Court. We’ll be leading a neighborhood ride to inaugurate the trail.

Come ride with us

5 PM, 10/24: Tour de Brews: Bike Dog Brewing Anniversary

TGIF! We’ll ride from Capitol Park to West Sac to help Bike Dog Brewing celebrate its 2-year anniversary that weekend. Free Bike Valet parking from SABA will be provided.

4 PM, 10/25: Day of the Dead Bicycle Cruise

Sacramento Cyclefest founder and SABA board member Ted Florez leads a tour of downtown pubs. Meet at 4 PM at Suzie Burger, 2020 P Street, Sacramento. The ride departs at 5 PM. The ride is sponsored by Modelo, Sacramento News & Review and Sacramento Cyclefest.

10 things you should know about CA’s new 3-foot passing law

Photo by ABC 7 News
Photo by ABC 7 News
Photo by ABC 7 News

1. The law requires a driver passing a bike to give at least 3 feet of clearance between any part of the vehicle and any part of the bike or the person riding it.

2. Where 3 feet of clearance isn’t available due to road or traffic conditions, the driver must slow down and pass only when it’s safe to do so. The new law doesn’t change the prohibition against crossing a double yellow centerline in order to pass another vehicle or bike on a two-lane road.

3. State law previously required drivers to pass at a “safe distance” but didn’t specify what that distance should be.

New sign in Napa County, the first place in the state
Napa County is the first place in the state to post warning signs

4. The law applies where a driver is passing a bike from behind, in the same lane and the same direction of travel. It may also apply to a driver passing a bike traveling in an adjacent bike lane. The CA Vehicle Code section about “overtaking” (the part revised by the new 3-foot passing law) isn’t that specific, so there may need to be a court ruling about this in the future.

5. The law was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2013 and took effect on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014.

6. The law is enforced just like the speed limit is enforced: drivers who are observed passing unsafely could be cited.

7. The fine for a violation is $235 for passing too closely ($35 base fine + court fees) and $959 for causing an injury to a bicyclist while passing too closely ($220 base fine + court fees). Judges have discretion to adjust fine amounts, so the actual amount could vary from case to case.

8. A violation constitutes an infraction (like a speeding ticket) and adds a point to the driver’s record.

9. The DMV Driver’s Handbook has recommended giving bikes at least three feet of clearance when passing for many years. Since 2007 California’s Move Over law has required drivers to slow down and move over when passing highway work crews.

10. 23 other states have similar laws. In Pennsylvania, the minimum distance is 4 feet. It took four tries to get California’s law enacted.

Read the text of California’s law
Read answers to frequently asked questions from our friends at Bike East Bay
Watch a video that depicts passing with 3 feet of clearance

Still have questions about the new law? Contact us at saba@sacbike.org

The Squeaky Wheel – May 2014

Bike the Fix 50
Bike trains
Getting the word out
Park & Bike
Visit #bike916
Big DoG!
Come ride with us
Volunteer opportunities

May is when the Sacramento region celebrates bicycling for everyday travel. Visit the May is Bike Month website for information about how you can participate.

Bike the Fix 50

md_Fix50Logo.epsDespite fears about massive gridlock, the first phase of the Fix 50 project has been more manageable than expected. During the first 10 days of the Caltrans repairs on Capital City Freeway segments south of Midtown Sacramento, downtown traffic has been somewhat heavier, and we’ve seen a modest uptick in bike traffic.

This is a relief — we’ve been concerned that massive traffic could pose unique challenges for bicycling that might discourage some first-time bike commuters during the start of May is Bike Month. To help prepare people on bikes to some of the likely impacts, we created a webpage called Bike the Fix 50.

18th and X closure - Fix 50
18th Street closed between X and W streets

We continue to encounter occasional, unannounced closures on 18th through 24th streets directly under the project area. This is a headache for northbound bike commuters who reach the detour location, and can’t get to a street that’s still open without riding on X or Broadway (which have lots of traffic but no bike lanes) or making a lengthy detour that could be avoided with better warning. We’ll keep pushing Caltrans to tell us when and where streets will be closed, so we can notify people on bikes.

We don’t think we’ve seen the worst of the traffic – so far the Fix 50 project hasn’t involved closing freeway ramps. But on May 7, phase 2 begins with the closure of the eastbound 11th Street and 16th Street ramps at X Street, and the connector ramps from the eastbound Capital City Freeway to southbound Highway 99 and to eastbound Business 80 (toward Cal Expo). We expect to see significant traffic as drivers look for alternate routes around the closures.

Bike trains

Eager to start commuting by bike, but not sure where to start? Learn from the pros by taking a bike train from East Sac, South Sac or Midtown. Bike trains are friendly group rides to work led by experienced bike commuters on selected dates and times. This is your chance for some encouragement, solidarity and helpful advice — and nobody gets left behind. Download a current schedule to find a train that works best for you. And if you don’t find one in your area, join a Pedal Pool through the May is Bike Month website.

Getting the word out

TwitterWith the start of the Fix50 project, we launched the SacBike Road Report, a Twitter account for sharing information about road and trail conditions. We think it offers a fast, easy way for anyone with a smartphone to share text, photos and video. If you use it to post or read road reports, please tell us what you think about it.

You can learn about SABA projects and perspectives on our website, Facebook, our main Twitter account, Instagram and Reddit.

Park & Bike

Commuting along the American River. Photo by Tim Reese
Photo by Tim Reese

During May, Sacramento County Regional Parks makes it easy for you to park and bike from the Watt Avenue access on the American River Parkway. Additional weekday parking lot security at Watt Ave. makes it easier for people to drive part of the way to the parkway and ride their bike the rest of the way to work. It’s another way to avoid the Fix50 traffic, especially for people who don’t live close enough to the parkway to bike commute the whole way. The parking fee is $5 per day or $50 for an annual pass.

Visit #bike916

What does life in the Sacramento region look like from the perspective of someone who travels by bike? Starting this month, we turn over our Instagram account to a new guest curator each week – we’re calling it Bike916. SABA Vice President Maya Wallace is our first guest curator. You can view Maya’s posts and the entire series by looking for the hashtag #bike916.

Instagram

Big DoG!

srcf_bigdayofgiving_logo_negOn Tuesday, May 6, SABA joins nonprofits throughout the region for the Big Day of Giving, a 24-hour online fundraising event. If you’ve been thinking about supporting SABA, donating online next Tuesday could multiply the value of that support, thanks to the major donor matches will occur throughout the day. We’ll spend Tuesday evening at Edible Pedal near L and 17th streets in Midtown. If you’re in the neighborhood, please stop by to say hi, enjoy a snack and ask questions.

Come ride with us

Concrete ThinkingFriendly group rides are a great way to meet bike-friendly people and explore your community. The rides we’re organizing for spring and summer have something for almost everyone — craft brewing, public art, historic sites, graffiti, urban farms and architecture are just some of the themes. (We’re even planning an overnight ride.) Check our events calendar for upcoming rides, including these rides in May:

Sun., 5/4, 9 AM to noon: Concrete Thinking: Modern Architecture Tour

Modern architecture in downtown Sacramento from the 1950s to the 1980s, co-hosted with SacMod. Post-ride refreshment at the downtown tasting room of Ruhstaller Beer.

Sun., 5/18, 9:30 AM to 2 PM: A Ride to the Day on the Farm, Soil Born Farms

From East Sacramento to Soil Born Farms in Rancho Cordova along the American River Parkway for Soil Born’s annual spring celebration.

Volunteer opportunities

Bike-friendly volunteers help extend our reach and help make our community a better place to live. We’d love to have you join us for Bike Valet at one of these upcoming events:

  • Fri 5/2: Friday Night Concerts in the Park, Chavez Park, Downtown Sacramento
  • Thurs 5/8: Capitol Bike Fest, State Capitol West Steps
  • Fri 5/9: Friday Night Concerts in the Park, Chavez Park, Downtown Sacramento
  • Fri & Sat 5/9-10: Bicycle Film Festival, Fremont Park, 16th & Q street, Downtown Sacramento
  • Sun 5/11: Amgen Tour of California, 10th and L streets, Downtown Sacramento
  • Fri 5/16: Friday Night Concerts in the Park, Chavez Park, Downtown Sacramento
  • Fri 5/16: Food Truck Mania in Garcia Bend Park, Sacramento
  • Sat 5/17: West Coast Brew Fest, Miller Park, Sacramento
  • Sat 5/17: Sacramento Republic FC, Hughes Stadium, Sacramento City College
  • Sun 5/18: A Day on the Farm, Soil Born Farms, Rancho Cordova

Earlier and later shifts are available at each event. To volunteer, contact us at volunteer@sacbike.org. Visit our events calendar to learn more about upcoming events.

The Squeaky Wheel – November 2013

Arena site presents challenges and opportunities
Major grant for making biking safer in South Sacramento
Free online bike registry opens
Give the gift of SABA membership
People

Arena site presents challenges and opportunities

The main focus of our work as advocates is ensuring that public works and private development projects support and safeguard travel by bike.

So the fast-moving project to build a new arena for the Sacramento Kings, at the site of the Downtown Plaza in Sacramento, presents a major opportunity to help improve conditions for bicycling in downtown Sacramento.

sacramentoarenasiteplan 600
Photo by Sacramento Business Journal

The neighborhood around the arena site is notably uncomfortable and inconvenient for bicycling. The unfriendly conditions include heavy, fast, one-way traffic to and from I-5 on I, J and L streets; dead ends on 4th, 6th and K streets; bus and light rail traffic on J, K, L, 7th and 8th streets; narrow travel lanes and hazardous light rail tracks and platforms along K Street; and the general absence of bike lanes. Access between the arena site and Midtown, R Street, Broadway and Land Park is especially poor.

We’ve been meeting with the Kings ownership and city officials to discuss the need for convenient, safe bike access on all these streets as a way to encourage bicycling and help reduce traffic impacts that are expected to be substantial. We’re also advocating for an arena design that includes abundant, high-quality bike parking near main entrances and easily reached from all adjacent streets, another way to make bicycling convenient for more people.

In mid-December the draft environmental impact report for the arena will be issued. That’s where we’ll learn more about exactly how the arena owners plan to accommodate people who travel by bike.

Major grant for making biking safer in South Sacramento

Starting next month, we begin work on improving bicycling conditions in South Sacramento, thanks to a $20,000 grant from the California Endowment.

We’ll be collaborating with WALKSacramento to map biking and walking routes in the neighborhoods in the Stockton-Fruitridge area, part of the California Endowment’s Building Healthy Communities initiative in South Sacramento.

The area badly needs more and safer transportation options. Many low-income residents rely on biking and walking as their primary transportation. Yet the intersection of Stockton-Fruitridge has the city’s highest rate of car-versus-bike collisions and fast, heavy traffic on both streets makes them major obstacles to reaching essential services by bike or on foot.

stockton-boulevard-fruitridge-road
Stockton & Fruitridge intersection. Photo by www.parkinjury.com

The California Endowment grant will also fund our work with WALKSacramento to conduct biking and walking audits along Franklin Blvd. between Sutterville Road and 47th Avenue. Bicycling and walking along Franklin and in adjacent neighborhoods is also significantly complicated by heavy, fast traffic and the lack of bike lanes and crosswalks.

Free online bike registry opens

RideOn_Logo-CMYK_10-30-13 (300dpi)Sacramento County residents can now register their bikes online at no charge. Just in time for Thanksgiving, the Sacramento Police Department has launched Ride On!, a free online bike registry that lets you document your ownership of your bike – crucial information for getting your bike back if it’s stolen and later recovered by police.

Contact us at saba@sacbike.org with your feedback about the registry. Meanwhile, visit our website to learn the best practices for protecting your bike.

Give the gift of SABA membership

The gift-giving season is here! Share your support for better bicycling in the Sacramento region by giving a gift membership to Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates.

SABA-fallLogoAs a SABA member, the recipient will receive these great benefits:

– Discounts at local bike shops and other retailers
– $10 off any membership in the Better World Club
– 10% off any carbon offset product from Terra Pass
– Free shipping with any online purchase from Planet Bike

When you purchase a gift membership, we’ll send you an acknowledgement letter and a handsome card to give to your friend or loved one. SABA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so your purchase is tax deductible. Learn more at our website.

CPbiopicPeople

SABA’s board, staff and volunteers are on the move!

SABA treasurer Maya Wallace recently left the State Auditor’s Office to become communications director for ClimatePlan, an Oakland-based nonprofit coalition dedicated to supporting sustainable and equitable communities, preserving iconic landscapes, and significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

TravelSABA board member Ryan Sharpe is the new active transportation program coordinator at the North Natomas Transportation Management Association, the agency that promotes public transit use, bicycling and walking by North Natomas employees and residents. He helps run the Flyer commuter shuttle and BikeDoc maintenance programs, among other duties. Ryan previously spent 15 years as the IT Manager for a small retirement plan administration company.

CharisCharis Hill, SABA’s support services coordinator, is blogging for Pedal Love, an initiative to tell personal stories about bicycling launched recently by Women on Bikes California. She also actively raises funds for the Sacramento Arthritis Foundation.

photo(81)We have an awesome intern, Donny Brower, a sophomore at the Met Sacramento, who spends Tuesdays and Thursdays at our office. He’s setting up a bike room for bike commuters in our building and planning bike-related projects for his school, and he also lends a hand with office tasks and valet bike parking. Last year Donny interned at City Bicycle Works in Sacramento.

KenSince last spring SABA volunteer and attorney Ken Petruzzelli helped us update our bylaws and drafted our conflict of interest and gift acceptance policies, and he continues to help us with legal matters. He recently opened his own law practice, where he advises nonprofits, sports teams, and sports organizations. When he lived in Chico, Ken sat on the board of directors for the Chico Country Day Charter School. Then, as a triathlete and cyclist, he founded the Chico Triathlon Club, a nonprofit, and served as the club’s first president. He lives with his wife in East Sacramento.

The Squeaky Wheel: October 2013

Restriping begins on Carlson Drive

Victory on Carlson
Resurfacing projects deliver more bikeable streets
Parklets and bike corrals reclaim streets for people
Bikes and the proposed downtown arena
Protecting bike access in regional development projects
Light On!
Bits & Pieces
Calendar

Victory on Carlson

Restriping begins on Carlson Drive
Restriping begins on Carlson Drive

More than three years after the first of three fatal collisions on Carlson Drive in East Sacramento, we’re finally seeing tangible results from our campaign to fix the roadway hazards faced by bike-riders, pedestrians and drivers traveling through this critical crossroads.

Late last month City of Sacramento crews began restriping Carlson Dr. between H and J streets to improve bike lanes and slow down traffic, the first phase of a multi-year project.

In 2012, when the second bike-rider in two years was killed on Carlson, we presented the city with detailed recommendations for fixing hazards that included a misplaced traffic signal, disconnected bike lanes, missing crosswalks, and freeway-like turn lanes, all of which exacerbate the hazards created by high-speed traffic on H and J streets.

We also recommended adding green bike lanes, bike boxes, and two-stage “Copenhagen” turn boxes to help bike-riders navigate the challenging Carlson & J intersection, as well as reconfiguring the Carlson & H and Carlson & J intersections to the freeway-like “free right” turn lanes that jeopardize pedestrians and bike-riders.

This spring, a month after a collision at Carlson and H claimed a third victim, a driver, the city proposed improvements that incorporated nearly all of our suggestions.

The project’s current phase involves installing high-visibility bike lanes on Carlson and a buffered bike lane on eastbound H Street, and adding a missing traffic signal on northbound Carlson at H. Next year, the city will modify the H and J street intersections, install several bike boxes, and add more crosswalks.

Big thanks to the River Park Neighborhood Association and Councilmember Steve Cohn for helping keep the pressure on the city.

Resurfacing projects deliver more bikeable streets

Folsom Blvd road diet 092013
Folsom Blvd. near 48th Street

In addition to the bike lanes being improved on Carlson Drive, City of Sacramento resurfacing projects on Folsom Blvd. and J Street in East Sacramento and Capitol Mall in downtown Sacramento are also improving conditions for people on bikes.

Portions of Folsom and J have been put on “road diets,” where four lanes of traffic are reduced to two lanes and a center turn lane has been added. On Folsom, the leftover space has been used for widening bike lanes in many places, some to as wide as 8 feet.

On J Street, the diet produced extra roadway space, but not for bikes. Instead, the City added parallel parking at several locations. We’re hearing rumors that city transportation officials may be rethinking this unwarranted step backwards.

On Capitol Mall, the City will be painting the bike lanes green between 3rd and 9th streets, as a kind of welcome mat for people on bikes. We love green lanes as much as anyone, and we’re eager to see the City install them as they’re intended: to highlight paths of travel through places where bike-car conflicts are most likely, such as on streets like Carlson Dr.

Parklets and bike corrals reclaim streets for people

Devils Teeth Baking Company
Parklet in San Francisco

Next week the Sacramento City Council is expected to authorize city staff to begin issuing permits to allow property and business owners to install parklets. The council is also expected to direct staff to develop a pilot program to place bike corrals around downtown and Midtown Sacramento.

Parklets and bike corrals repurpose parking spaces in ways that encourage biking and walking.

A parklet is a public space created by installing decking, benches and other features in one or more parking spaces. By inviting people to people sit and socialize, parklets help make our neighborhoods friendlier and more appealing for people on foot and on bikes.

Bike corrals use parking spaces for parking more bikes than sidewalk bike racks can handle, which also frees up crowded sidewalk space for pedestrians. We’ve proposed more than a dozen possible pilot locations where convenient, streetside bike parking will serve people who ride bikes. While we applaud the City for wanting to launch this as a pilot program, we urge them to consider making the program permanent now. Learn more at the Sacramento City Council hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 6 PM.

Bikes and the proposed downtown arena

As the City of Sacramento and the Sacramento Kings develop the proposed Entertainment & Sports Center on the site of the Downtown Plaza, accommodating bicycling is becoming a recurring theme.

Preliminary design for the arena complex
Preliminary design for the arena complex

That’s what Kings President Chris Granger said at one of six recent community workshops about the design for the arena complex. Workshop participants — individual citizens, as well as representatives of local businesses and nonprofits — recommended secure, convenient bike parking at the arena, as well as full access for bicycling to, from, through and around the arena site from downtown and adjacent neighborhoods.

Bicycling conditions on the streets bordering the arena site – 5th, 7th, J, K and L – are stressful due to heavy, fast traffic, narrow, disconnected and missing bike lanes, and light rail trains and tracks. Designing the arena presents a big opportunity to fix these and other traffic challenges that limit access for residents and workers who travel around downtown Sacramento by bike.

Protecting bike access in regional development projects

A big part of our work involves monitoring private development proposals and public works projects to make sure they improve – and not compromise – access for residents who ride bikes. Here are some noteworthy projects we’ve been working on:

McKinley Village
McKinley Village

McKinley Village: We’ve met several times with the developers to learn more about this East Sacramento project and propose ways to improve bike access within the proposed neighborhood and at the access points to the surrounding neighborhoods. We’re currently waiting for the results of a study that will quantify potential traffic impacts. Learn more at a Sacramento Planning & Design Commission informational hearing on Thursday, Oct. 24 at 5:30 PM.

Campus Crest: Neighborhood residents have appealed the Sacramento Planning & Design Commission’s recent approval of this student housing complex just east of 65th Street and Broadway. We’ve advised the city about the poor connections for bicycling between the complex and Sac State, especially the intense conditions along 65th Street and Folsom Blvd.

Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op: The development team accepted most of our suggestions to improve bike access, including parking, to and from the store’s proposed new location site in Midtown Sacramento. The Planning & Design Commission’s approval of the project has been appealed to the Sacramento City Council for a hearing on Oct. 29 at 6 PM.

West Jackson Highway master plan area: Four master-planned communities are proposed along Jackson Highway east of Watt Avenue. We continue to meet with the developers to review their work to accommodate bicycling throughout the entire project area.

Light On!

Once Daylight Savings Time ends next month, sunset will begin to coincide with the evening commute. We’re getting ready to relaunch Light On!, our program to give away free bike lights to make bike-riders more visible during the winter months. We’re looking for business and organization sponsors for Light On! If you can help, please contact us for more information.

Bits & pieces

Sacramento bike commuting gains: Sacramento ranked 9th among the nation’s 70 largest cities with the highest levels of bike commuting in 2012. The rate of bike commuting in Sacramento increased by 16.6% between 2011 and 2012 and Sacramento’s national rank as a bike commuting capital rose from 10th place in 2011.

More space for bikes on California roads: Last month Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. finally signed legislation to require drivers to give bikes at least three feet of clearance when passing from behind under most circumstances. This was the third time he received a bill on this subject – he vetoed earlier versions in 2011 and 2012. The new law takes effect in September 2014.

Calendar

Latin Flavors Ride
Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013, 11 AM-2:30 PM

Sample classic Latin American flavors at four restaurants in Midtown and the Gardenland neighborhood in South Natomas. The ride is led by Paul Somerhausen, founder and coordinator of SactoMoFo and Sacramento Epicureans. Advance tickets: $30 (includes all food). Proceeds benefit SABA campaigns, programs and projects.

Moonlight Pedal & Paddle
Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013, 5:15-10:30 PM

Bikes + kayaks + moonlight! Join us for a ride on the American River Parkway and a guided kayak trip by moonrise on Lake Natoma, near Folsom. Advance tickets: $10 (includes kayak, paddle, nightlight, personal flotation device, waterproof jacket)

Check out our calendar for more rides, events and opportunities to help out.

Bike Valet

Are you interested in offering Bike Valet at your event? Click here to contact us by email and please include the event name, date(s), starting and ending times, and location.

Chuck helped park 1,100 bikes at the 2015 TBD Fest
Chuck helped park 1,100 bikes at the 2015 TBD Fest

Bike Valet turns a community event into a bikeable destination. It works like coat check at a club: Arrive at our kiosk and exchange your bike for a claim ticket, and we park your bike in our fenced compound — we’re the only ones who handle the bikes and access the compound, so your bike is safe.

Return later, show us your ticket, and we bring you your bike. It’s fast, easy and secure and it’s free for any event attendee arriving on a bike. Our staff and volunteers make bike parking safe and secure so you can enjoy yourself.

In 2017 we parked some 10,000 bikes at more than 250 events attended by more than 250,000 people, including the Friday Night Concerts in the Park series, East Sac Pops in the Park series, the Farm to Fork Festival, Sac Republic FC home games, SactoMoFo Food Truck Mania events, Midtown Farmers Market, West Coast Brew Fest, Amgen Tour of California, Crocker Art Mix, and more.

Valet Bike Parking 2
Blue Diamond Shamrock’n Half-Marathon in West Sacramento, March 2013

Event organizers choose SABA Bike Valet because it attracts attendees who travel by bike and sends an environmentally friendly message to everyone who attends as well as to passers-by. They also know our reputation for doing it right — we provide all the gear, staff and volunteers to make bike parking happen smoothly and efficiently.

If you know of an event that would benefit from Bike Valet, please send us your suggestions.

If you’d like to help park bikes as a Bike Valet volunteer, learn more about upcoming volunteer opportunities.

Light On!

Photo by Alan Bernard

Being visible to other traffic is one of the most important ways bike-riders can help prevent vehicle collisions.

To help make more bike-riders visible after dark, we established the Light On! bike light giveaway program. Giving away bike lights is a direct and cost-effective way to improve safety for everyone on the road.

Our first light giveaway was in December 2006, after daylight savings time began. Volunteers at various locations flagged down bike-riders without lights and installed lights on their bikes for free. The annual wintertime giveaway continued through 2011.

We’re currently looking for sponsors to help underwrite the purchase of more lights, so we can resume the giveaways and hold them more often.

Please contact us to learn more or help sponsor Light On!

night-ride-at-capitol