Sacramento City Council to consider a transformative approach to transportation

Sacramento (Feb. 4, 2022) The Sacramento City Council will host transportation experts Tuesday for an in-depth discussion of how the City can accelerate its efforts to get to carbon neutrality. In October 2021, Mayor Steinberg asked for an opportunity to bring transformative ideas to the Council and assess how walking, biking, rolling, and public transit can amplify opportunities to address the city’s climate plan.   

The City’s Climate Action Plan identifies transportation as the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. Addressing transportation and mobility is essential to reaching zero carbon goals. On Feb. 8, 2022, at 5 p.m. City Council will hold a workshop to hone in on transportation strategies that will move Sacramento towards carbon neutrality.

This transportation workshop is an opportunity to learn about ways that Sacramento can expand access to active transportation and transit as the city works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Transportation is responsible for 56% of Sacramento’s greenhouse gas emissions, and the city needs to address this sector to achieve climate, safety, and equity goals.

Climate issues are a priority to Mayor Steinberg and the council. This workshop builds on the momentum from the Mayors’ Commission on Climate Change. In 2020, the Commission released recommendations calling for investments in the mobility sector that expand access to active transportation and improved transit.

This workshop serves as the first big report-out on the City’s climate leadership and direction. At this meeting, staff will also provide an update on the 2021 Climate Work Plan, in which the Mayor led the Council’s allocation of $4.4 million to accelerate climate action, including transportation efforts like Slow and Active Streets.

A second report-back will follow in early 2022, focused on broader options for accelerated carbon reductions, and scenarios to fund them. These efforts will precede the City’s release of an updated Climate Action and Adaptation Plan in spring 2022, which will establish the strategy to reduce carbon emissions and prepare for climate change. 

Two expert speakers will participate in Tuesday’s workshop to share their experience transforming transportation systems in their communities.  Both will outline tangible strategies for cities to create low-carbon, equitable, and effective transportation systems.

Sam Zimbabwe, former Director of Seattle Department of Transportation, has led transportation initiatives in Seattle and Washington, DC, demonstrating his expertise in leveraging transit to create equitable communities.

San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Director, Jeffrey Tumlin, brings over twenty years of experience leading transportation plans that reduce traffic, curb emissions, and support sustainable growth.

This workshop will also include a panel of local leaders, all of whom served on the Mayors’ Commission on Climate Change. Speakers include:

·       Nailah Pope-Hardin, Executive Director of Climate Plan, will offer insight on the urgency of transforming transportation to create more equitable communities and address current environmental injustice.

·       Henry Li, Regional Transit, speaking to RT’s vision for increasing ridership and expanding service.

·       James Corless, SACOG, highlighting SACOGs vision, including SACOG’s Regional Trail Network and the transportation funding landscape.

·       Anne Stausboll, Mayors’ Commission on Climate Change, Underlining the importance of transformative change to advance the recommendations made by the MCC

City staff will then propose seven big ideas to address climate change through reducing the amount of miles vehicles drive on Sacramento streets. These ideas and projects were selected because they close gaps in existing infrastructure or are already supported by community plans.

They include:

·       Bikeway Super Highways – Complete the Network. Closing gaps in existing paths will link a complete network and can help increase active transportation. These paths listed below are all part of the City’s Bicycle Master Plan and are also part of SACOG’s Draft Regional Trail Network.

·       Complete the Bikeway Network within four miles of the Central City. The Central City holds Sacramento’s highest concentration of employment and entertainment. Completing the bikeway network in the downtown core can increase active transportation to and between these destinations.

·       Build Stockton Boulevard Bus Lane. The City can’t reach its goals without increasing transit use. One way to increase the trips taken on transit is to make this mode faster and more convenient. Providing reliable fast bus service through dedicated bus lanes works to achieve this goal. The proposed project expands the bus lanes approved by the City Council on Sept. 21, 2021, as part of the Stockton Boulevard Corridor Plan.

You can learn more about the workshop and City staff’s seven big ideas on the City of Sacramento Climate and Transportation Workshop Page. These ideas build on the City’s history of strong leadership in creative mobility endeavors, including the City’s leadership in vehicle electrification, partnership with SacRT, and more.

You can join the Council meeting at 5 pm on Tuesday, February 8th here:
http://sacramento.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=21

You can submit written comments electronically via eComment through the City’s official website at https://meetings.cityofsacramento.org  or via email at publiccomment@cityofsacramento.org

Learn more about the City’s Climate Action and Adaptation development as part of the 2040 General Plan here

You can also read more about the City’s accelerated climate efforts that build on the Mayors’ Commission on Climate Change recommendations here.