Great concept, if and a big if, cars, our major and referred method of transportation in a suburban/urban/exurban/rural world, don’t suffer options in the process.
An excerpt
Planners see a truly open road
Area transit officials envision a new era where autos share paths with bikes, pedestrians.
By Tony Bizjak - Bee Staff WriterPublished 12:00 am PDT Monday, October 23, 2006
Make room, motorists, your reign over the roads in Sacramento is about to end.
After decades when streets were virtually the exclusive domain of cars -- and a veritable no-man's land for cyclists and pedestrians -- planners are redefining the public right-of-way as a much more democratic place.
The concept, with a catchy new name, "Complete Streets," is evident throughout the region.
From Folsom to midtown Sacramento, neatly striped bike lanes offer cyclists their own slice of the asphalt. "Share the Road" signs, displaying a bicycle logo, remind car drivers of their pedal-pushing co-commuters.
On major streets throughout the area, money once spent just fixing potholes now also pays to improve sidewalks for wheelchair users and bulk up crosswalks for pedestrian safety.
This redo of Sacramento's road system isn't only for bikers and hikers. In several areas, officials are talking about creating exclusive lanes for buses -- even adding trolleys on rails into the street mix.
"Our mobility culture is evolving," Sacramento County transportation executive Tom Zlotkowski said. "It's about quality of life. People are tired of fighting traffic. We want choices."
Although the region still needs more car lanes, "the old way of doing things, of just building more lanes, wasn't working," said regional transportation official Mike McKeever of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments.
