Join us in planning better transportation for the Sacromento region
Click HERE for graphic.
INTRODUCTION
Do you spend so much time in traffic that you and your car both run out
of gas on the way to work?
Wish you could get somewhere on a train or bus, if only there was a
train or bus in your neighborhood?
Tired of riding through obstacle courses in your wheelchair or on your
bicycle?
Why not help us update the region's transportation plan?
The Sacramento Area Council of Governments works with local, regional
and state agencies, to develop a long-range transportation plan for the
Sacramento region. Our transportation plan covers all of Sacramento,
Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba Counties, and portions of El Dorado and Placer
County (mainly the portions west of the crest of the Sierra Nevada).
We have a 20-year transportation plan for the region, but it's time to
update the plan, and we'd like your help.
So if you're interested, read on. This booklet describes the region's
growth patterns and forecasts, and the key transportation problems we're
facing. It also describes the 20-year plan we've got now.
We'd like to hear about new directions you think our transportation
system should take. Tell us about things you'd like to see done
differently - and better. We'll use your ideas as we develop several
alternative plans for the future. Then we'll compare the alternatives
and see which one will provide the best transportation system.
We've already got some ideas about possible alternatives, and you'll
find them inside. But you may have ideas that you think are better - or
ideas that will work with the ones you'll read about here.
So help us out - take a look at this booklet and see what you think.
You'll find out how and where to contact us as you read on. We welcome
any help you can offer.
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Don't miss the Comment Card after page 13!
Our transportation plan must deal with a number of issues. Traffic
congestion is the issue we hear about most. Congestion is bad already,
and the growth expected in this region will bring more congestion along
with it. However, congestion isn't the only problem.
The safety and maintenance of the transportation system is another.
It's important to keep our system in good working order, so that roads
don't crumble, buses and trains don't break down, and bridges remain
strong.
Air quality has become a major concern in transportation planning.
Although engines and fuels are becoming "cleaner" through new
technology, there will be a lot more vehicles in the future as the
region grows. Before we put the finishing touches on a transportation
plan, we must analyze whether the plan will result in less air
pollution. If the plan won't reduce air pollution, federal law requires
us to change the plan so that it will.
Equity, or fairness, is important too. We must develop a transportation
system that provides equal access, and equal benefits, to all segments
of the community. Whether you're rural resident or a city dweller, a
wheelchair user, a walker, a motorist or a passenger, your needs are
just as important as everyone else's. Equity is a cornerstone of
federal, state, and regional transportation policy.
We also strive to develop a transportation system that is efficient,
both in terms of money and moving people and freight. Some
transportation improvements are very expensive. We must see that such
investments are worth it in terms of the improvements they bring.
The plan must examine land use and its effects on mobility. Land use and
its effect on mobility. Land use refers to the type of use that land is
put to. This is important not only in built-up areas but in the newly
parts of the region as well. The juxtaposition of different types of
land uses has a major impact on where people travel to and from, how
frequently they travel, how far they must travel, and the means of
travel they can use to make their trips.
Finally, environmental impacts must he analyzed. We strive to develop
plans that won't harm the region's environment.
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P R O B L E M S N O W . . .
On one hand, you could say our transportation system works. In general,
many people are able to get where they want to go, eventually.
On the other hand, it's a lot harder for some than for others. If you're
unable to use an automobile, or don't care to, transportation is pretty
limited. Even if the transportation system works for many people, the
system itself causes problems.
There's traffic congestion, air pollution, not enough alternatives to
the car, problems getting wheelchairs or bicycles into vans or buses or
trains, big delivery trucks mixing with little cars on crowded local
streets. Bicyclists have to avoid garbage cans, tree trimmings, storm
drains and car doors swinging open as they bicycle along even the most
quiet residential streets, let alone the major thoroughfares.
If you're like most people and drive a car in the region, especially
during commute times, you know how crowded the highways get. Add a
breakdown or all accident, and it's guaranteed you're late for work.
Congestion doesn't occur just on freeways, and not just during rush
hour. Some of our suburban roads seem congested all day long, especially
if they go past shopping malls or big office parks.
The rural areas have trouble just maintaining the roads. With little
money available, roads in need of repair don't get repaired when they
should. Some rural paved roads are being converted to gravel, due to
the lack of funds for pavement repair.
Many groups are working to fix these problems. Transportation
improvements are under way, led by your local governments, the public
transit systems, congestion management agencies, ridesharing agencies,
bicycling groups, environmental organizations, regional agencies, and
the state.
But we're all limited in what we can do. We don't have enough money to
address all the problems we've got today. Unless things change, we
won't have enough money in the future, either, and the problems will get
worse.
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AND IN THE FUTURE
More people, more jobs, more cars, whole new towns springing up. It all
leads to more traffic, more congestion, and more delay in getting
around.
Think about it - another 661,000 jobs in the region by the year 2015,
only 20 years or so from now. Another 1.1 million people living here.
Problems result not only from the amount of growth, but from the
location of it. Not all the growth is going to be in downtown
Sacramento, which is now the region's largest single job center. Growth
will spread all over, stretching along freeway corridors to the north,
south and east. Growth is expected along the I-80 corridor in northeast
Sacramento County, Rocklin and Roseville; the U.S. 50 corridor in Rancho
Cordova, Folsom and El Dorado County; the I-5/Route 99 corridor in South
Sacramento, Vineyard, Franklin-Laguna, and Elk Grove; the I-5 corridor
in North Sacramento and Natomas; and along the Route 70/99 corridor in
southern Sutter County and the Yuba City/Marysville area.
Like most regions, many of our public transit routes take people toward
the traditional downtown job center. It'll be a challenge to set up
transportation services aimed at so many different job locations spread
all over the region. Unless alternatives are developed soon, most of
the new people will have to drive to the new jobs. They'll have to use
the same crowded highways that the region's commuters are using today.
As had as traffic is now, think how had it will he with another 1.1
million people in the region.
Click HERE for graphic.
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REGIONAL GROWTH & TRAVEL
The growth it, population and jobs will bring with it an increase in the
amount of travel that occurs each day. The total number of trips being
made each weekday will double, from about 5.5 million today to about
10.7 million trips each weekday in the year 2015.
We tend to associate daily congestion with trips to work during rush
hour, but only about 20% of the trips each day are "work trips." The
vast majority, some 80%, are trips made for other reasons - shopping
trips, visits to a doctor or dentist, social or recreational trips, or
trips to school, for example.
For work trips, the major means of getting to work is driving alone (see
top pie chart on next page). A substantial portion of commuters also
rideshare. Relatively small numbers of people bicycle, walk, or use
public transit. The use of public transit is higher in the urban area's
within Sacramento, and its close-in suburbs.
Regional Growth Projections, 1992-2015 Population & Job Growth
Click HERE for graphic.
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How People Travel for Work Trips and Other Trips
Click HERE for graphic.
People's methods of travel differ for the non-work trips, as shown in
the lower pie chart. The bigger slice for ridesharing indicates the
degree to which friends or family members ride together for trips like
shopping, visits to friends or relatives, and other purposes.
The percentages shown in these pie charts are similar to other places in
the western U.S. that are like Sacramento - regions that are spread out,
with low- density development in most areas, freeways in most
communities, and travel patterns that are scattered around the region.
In such places, the automobile is the dominant means of travel because
it's the only form of transportation that's available, quick, and
convenient in these circumstances.
The charts show the percentages for the entire six-county metropolitan
area. Within that area, different communities have different
percentages. For example, in agricultural areas like Yuba, Sutter and
Yolo Counties, the percentage of people who use public transit is lower,
because there isn't as much transit service available as there is in a
more urban place like Sacramento. The "drive-alone" percentages will he
higher, because there aren't many alternatives to using one's car in
rural areas.
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TRANSPORTATION AND AIR POLLUTION
The Sacramento region faces two problems concerning air pollution.
First, there's the pollution itself - air that is sometimes dirtier than
the law allows, and unhealthy for many people to breathe. Then there's a
second problem. If we can't develop a plan to clean the air as much as
the law requires, businesses may face some very tough controls imposed
by the federal government. The controls may force small businesses like
bakeries and painting contractors to spend so much money on
pollution-control devices that many fear it will force them out of
business. Trucking firms may be required to replace engines at such a
high cost that they, too, fear for their economic survival.
Planners are working to develop a less restrictive plan that the federal
government will find acceptable. At this point, it's not clear whether
we'll have to live by the federal plan, the plan that local folks
develop, or both.
The three major types of air pollution in our region are ozone, carbon
monoxide, and "particulate matter," or dust.
Ozone pollution is created by chemicals that come from many sources,
including mobile sources such as cars, buses, trucks, trains,
construction vehicles, farm vehicles, airplanes, motorcycles, boats and
dirt bikes. You can't see or smell ozone, but it's there - hundreds of
tons of chemicals in the air each day in the summertime, triggered by
heat and sunlight. Predictions indicate that the transportation system
will create less ozone pollution in the future than it does today. This
is because car engines and fuels now use new technology that reduces the
pollution they cause. As the years go by, older cars will he replaced
with newer ones, more improvements will be
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made in gasoline, and cars won't create as much ozone pollution.
Unfortunately, other sources - including diesel trucks, construction and
farm equipment, and "Stationary sources - will create more ozone
pollution than they do today. "Stationary sources" include many of the
everyday products and services that are part of our lives. Everything
from painting your house to charbroiling a burger leads to ozone
pollution in the summer. Ozone also comes from the chemicals given off
by bakeries, factories, agricultural burning of crop remnants, petroleum
products, pesticides, and landfills.
Carbon monoxide comes almost entirely from motor vehicles. It's mostly
a wintertime problem in our region. It's expected to decrease in the
future, due to the introduction of "oxygenated" fuels for use in the
winter. Thanks to this new type of fuel, which we've been using in the
winter months for the past couple of years, carbon monoxide has stayed
within the legal limits set by the federal government. The new
oxygenated fuels give you a few less miles per gallon, and they're
smellier at the pump, but they work.
"Particulate matter," or dust, will increase as the region grows. Health
experts are concerned over the smallest particle of dust, which are
small enough to get into a person's respiratory system. More people,
more jobs, and more activities mean more dust will be created. Dust is
everywhere, including the roads and highways. As vehicles pass over the
road surface, they kick up dust. Woodburning fireplaces also create
dust. The increase in dust pollution is inevitable with the growth
expected for our region.
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THE METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION PLAN
The Metropolitan Transportation Plan calls for a wide range of
improvements to the region's transportation system over the next 20
years - more public transit service, carpool lanes on the freeways, more
bike lanes and bike paths, new bridges, improvements to local roads and
intersections, more ridesharing and commuter-information services, and
more.
The map (next page) shows the major transportation improvements that are
in our Metropolitan Transportation Plan, for the next 20 years. The
plan actually includes hundreds of projects, far too many to list here.
A full listing of all transportation projects in the plan is available
from SACOG upon request.
The plan also calls for $2.77 billion in tax increases, to pay for all
of the transportation improvements that we're recommending.
That's because the current amount of funding available to us won't he
enough to pay for all of the improvements we need. Our plan counted on
voter ballot measures in several local counties and around the state, to
raise the additional funds we need for transportation. But voters in
Sutter and Yuba Counties rejected their ballot measure. In Sacramento
County, no such measure even made it to th '94 election ballot. Our
proposal for a statewide ballot measure to raise the state's gas tax,
also must be revisited. The proposal called for increasing the tax by
one cent per gallon each year for the next 20 years - a total of 20 more
cents per gallon on the gas tax by the 20th year.
No sales-tax ballot measures were recommended in Yolo County because
elected officials there didn't recommend such a measure for their
county. Nor does the plan recommend tax measures for El Dorado or
Placer Counties.
Without additional money, either from tax hikes or some other source,
the region's transportation plan will have to be drastically cut back.
The following pages will talk about some possible future directions for
our transportation plan, in terms of the transportation improvements,
and the funding picture. We hope you'll read the discussion, think
about issues of concern to you, and get in touch.
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WHAT'S IN THE PLAN NOW . . .
Click HERE for graphic.
(Map shows only the major transportation projects)
Local Projects Not Shown
Road & intersection widenings
Bicycle lanes & paths
Bus service expansion
Transportation maintenance & repair
Ridesharing services
Airport runway & operations improvements
(complete project lists available from SACOG)
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NEW DIRECTIONS
Will our transportation plans take us where we need to go? Do we need
to develop new alternatives? New goals? Or just new sources of money,
to finance the plans we already have?
We'd like to look at several options - perhaps four or five different
ones - and compare them to see which might perform best for us in the
future. We'll use a computerized forecasting system, and some other
methods, to help analyze which of the options will be the best in 20
years' time.
Options might involve different types of transportation improvements, or
different patterns of growth around the region - like more compact
cities instead of new suburbs springing up further and further out.
The options might involve new types of transportation services, such as
smaller, localized shuttle services.
Efficiency measures, or "transportation management" techniques, also
could be the basis for an option. Rather than focusing on costly
highway improvements and major expansion of public transit systems, this
option would concentrate on lower-cost strategies to make the current
transportation system operate more smoothly.
This option could make use of new high-tech tools to smooth the flow of
traffic, known as "intelligent vehicle highway systems."
Should we emphasize the safety and maintenance of the transportation
system, or should we put more emphasis on expanding the system to carry
more people more quickly?
Funding also will play a part in the development of options, and the
eventual selection of a preferred option. Are we willing to pay more
taxes or fees to improve transportation, or should we stay within
current funding and make do with a much smaller, less ambitious
transportation plans?
These are just a few of the concepts on which we could build a set of
options to compare. You may have thoughts on these possibilities, or
you may have an option of your own that you'd like to suggest for study.
Either way, we'd like to hear from you.
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Who's Who And Who's Where In Transportation Planning
Transportation planning is carried out by a partnership of organization
throughout the region. Each agency has its own area and develops its
own plans and programs for transportation. Some of these plans cover
similar issues to ours, in a smaller geographical area. The Sacramento
Area Council of Government is responsible for planning and coordination
over the six-county metropolitan planning area. Following are five
agencies we work with to obtain local input from each county. These
agencies provide us with policy advice and recommendations, as well as
helping us with specific technical information about their local
transportation improvements.
Sacramento County
Sacramento Transportation Authority
Sutter County & Yuba County
Bi-County Transportation Agency
Yolo County
yolo County Transit Authority
El Dorado County
El Dorado County Transportation Commission
Placer County
Placer County Transportation Planning Agency
We also work with the State Department of Transportation (Caltrans),
Sacramento Rideshare, public transit systems including the Sacramento
Regional Transit District, Yuba - Sutter Transit, and others; five
air-quality districts, four advisory committees, the California Air
Resources Board, three federal agencies, and public interest groups.
If you send comments to us, we will share your comments with one or more
of these agencies if the comments relate to their planning work. This
will help the various agencies work together to respond to your
concerns.
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HOW TO REACH US
Contact John Greitzer or Kenneth Hough, at the Sacramento Area Council
of Governments
by mail:
3000 S Street, Suite 300
Sacramento, CA 95816
by phone:
(916)457-2264
by facsimile:
(916)457-3299
by TDD:
(916)737-1718
by email:
CompuServe address 74043,620
other network address 74043,620@compuserve.com
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Comment Card
Do you want more information about transportation and air quality
planning issues? If so, please tell us what type of information you
would like to know.
Do you belong to an organization you'd like us to meet with, to discuss
these issues? If so, please write the name of the organization, contact
person, address and phone number so we can contact them.
Do you have ideas about new options or directions our transportation
plan should take? Should we not bother with options, just find a way to
pay for the improvements that already are in our transportation plans?
Or should we scale down our plans so that we don't have to find new
funding, like tax increases?
Sacramento Area Council of Governments an association of local
governments, originally formed in 1965. Member governments include four
counties and 15 cities.
Member Cities & Counties:
Sacramento County
Cities of Folsom, Galt, IsIcton, Sacramento
Sutter County
Cities of Live Oak, Yuha City
Yolo County
Cities of Davis, West Sacramento, Winters, Woodland
Yuba County
Cities of Marysville, Wheatland
Cities of Lincoln, Rocklin, & Roseville in Placer County
Some Planning Services Also Provided For:
* El Dorado County City of Placerville
* Placer County Cities of Auhurn and Colfax, Town of Loomis
* under agreements with the El Dorado County Transportation
Commission and the Placer County Transportation Planning Agency.
SACOG Board of Directors:
Rob Kerth (Chair)
Councilman
City of Sacramento
Joan Bechtel (Vice-Chair)
Supervisor
Sutter County
Dave Cox
Supervisor
Sacramento County
Harry Crabb, Jr.
Councilman
City of Roseville
Mike McGowan
Supervisor
Yolo County
Brent Hastey
Supervisor
Yuha County
Sandra Hilliard
Mayor
City of Yuha City
Juanita Neyens
Councilwoman
City of Wheatland
Richard Pratt
Councilman
City of Galt
Harold Anderson
Mayor Pro Tem
City of Winters
John Allison (nonvoting)
Director
Caltrans District 3
Michael Hoffacker
Executive Director
Patrice Gonzalez
Design & layout
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Click HERE for graphic.
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