The city of Sacramento is making upgrades to Folsom Blvd to make it safer for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers. The project is still in the planning phase and will most likely begin in 2026. It will affect the section from 48^th Street (near Trader Joe's) to 65^th Street.

According to data from UC Berkeley’s Transportation Injury Mapping System, this stretch of road saw seven crashes from 2018-2022 involving a bicyclist or pedestrian, one of which was fatal, while another led to a severe injury. In 2022, a Phoebe Hearst parent was struck and killed while crossing the street to pick up her daughter.

Planned upgrades include traffic calming which means reducing lanes in some sections and putting in left turn lanes, as well as making crosswalks more visible and safe through the use of leading pedestrian intervals (a traffic signal timing strategy that gives pedestrians a head start, typically 3-7 seconds, before vehicles are given a green light to proceed through an intersection), cross-hatching and flashing lights.

Approximately 19 parking spaces will be eliminated to make way for buffered bicycle lanes. Some of these parking spaces would have been eliminated anyway due to California’s recently enacted daylighting law which prohibits parking within 20 feet of a marked or unmarked crosswalk on the approach side of the road.

Some community members have expressed concern about the upgrades due to the loss of parking spaces and having more cyclists on the street. But the upgrades should encourage people to cycle to destinations on Folsom rather than drive their cars, alleviating the inconvenience of fewer parking spots. M & T Streets are alternatives for cyclists looking to go east from downtown but there are many destinations on Folsom that people should be able to get to safely by bike. All roads should be safe for cyclists, pedestrians and vehicles.

Also, the buffered and expanded bike lanes will make it less likely that drivers will be inconvenienced by cyclists having to ride in the lane of traffic on those sections of Folsom where the bike lanes currently disappear.

Perhaps many aren’t aware that SacRT’s light rail parallels Folsom Blvd just a few blocks away. Try taking public transportation to destinations on Folsom. Trader Joe's is an 8-minute walk or 2-minute bike ride from the 48^th Street Station.

Overall, the upgrades will make traveling on Folsom Blvd safer for everyone – cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers.