Tag: walkability

Citrus Heights Pedestrian Master Plan

The City of Citrus Heights has developed a Pedestrian Master Plan, which will be considered for adoption by the city council tomorrow night, the meeting starting at 7:00PM at the new Citrus Heights City Hall, 6300 Fountain Square Drive.

The school district and WALKSacramento partnered with the city on the Citrus Heights School Walkabilty Project 2011-2014. The project identified improvement of intersections for pedestrian crossing and filling sidewalk gaps along arterials and collectors (the busy streets) and a few local streets. This plan is another step along the way to achieving those infrastructure improvements. Some high priority school walkability projects have already been completed by the city.

Though students deserve safe walking space for going to and from school, they also deserve a walkable community for their other walking needs, such as visting friends and relatives, going to the park and to the store, and sometimes just walking for pleasure. Their families deserve it as well, since families that live in walkable communities are healther, happier, and more financially secure.

The focus on Mariposa Avenue, Oak Avenue and Sunrise Blvd for priority one sidewalk improvements will particularly benefit students who walk to and from school, some of them quite long distances.

The Pedestrian Master Plan page provides background information and the draft plan.

Woodside K-8 sees active transportation improvements

As a result of the Safe Routes to School / Citrus Heights School Walkability Project, a number of improvements have happened around Woodside K-8 School in Citrus Heights. These were funded by the city, not by Safe Routes.
A problematic hillside and failing retaining wall just to the west of the campus reduced usability of the sidewalk and encouraged students to walk on private property. The retaining wall was repaired and a fence added. The sidewalk could use some additional width, since this is the most commonly used sidewalk around the school, but that can happen in the future. See the before and after photos below.

after retaining wall repair and fence — after, retaining wall repair and fence

Bike lanes were added to Villa Oak Drive, the main street running on the north side of the school. The lanes provide safety and encouragement for students bicycling, as well as for the neighborhood. Bike lanes provide some traffic calming by narrowing the travel lanes and slowing motor vehicle traffic. They may also reduce the double parking that was occurring along Villa Oak during arrival and dismissal. The photos below show before and after, with the new bike lanes.

There are other projects in the vicinity of Woodside that will be posted later.

curb extensions at Cambridge Heights Elementary

Cambridge Heights Elementary School in Citrus Heights benefits from new curb extensions, also called bulb-outs, which were installed by the City of Citrus Heights along Chesline Drive on the north side of the school. The photos below show the before and after, at the crosswalk over Chesline Drive at Fleetwood Drive. This is a crosswalk used by many students on their way to school.
Curb extensions slow traffic, which is particularly critical in school zones but is important everywhere. A person hit by a motor vehicle has an 80% chance of survival at 20 mph, but only a 40% chance of survival at 30 mph, so every mile per hour makes a huge difference. The extensions shorten the distance a pedestrian must cross, often about about 40%, and improve visibility for both motor vehicle drivers and pedestrians, which is particularly important in congested locations such as school zones. The additional pedestrian wait area created by the extension is also very important for crowded crosswalks near schools where large numbers of people are waiting to cross. And, as you can see, they look nice!
Bike lanes were also added to Chesline Drive when it was repaved.