SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Federal funding will be used by the City of Sacramento to improve safety around the most dangerous areas for bikers and walkers in the city.
At a press conference in front of Oak Ridge Elementary School Thursday, Sacramento City Unified School District administrators, Sacramento city leaders along with Congresswoman Doris Matsui announced millions in federal funding.
“The safety upgrades are part of a broader array of investments made throughout the city as part of the Vision Zero pedestrian, bike, and vehicle safety plan,” according to a statement from Mayor Darrell Steinberg’s office. Through Vision Zero, the City of Sacramento is aiming to create safer streets and eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2027.
Aspire Capitol Heights Academy (elementary), Father Keith B. Kenny Elementary School, Natomas High School, Oak Ridge Elementary, St. Hope Public School 7 (K-8), Smythe Academy of Arts and Sciences (elementary), the Met Sacramento High School, West Campus High School and William Land Elementary will see improvements near their schools as a result of this funding.
The funding may be used to re-stripe crosswalks, add lighting features, create speed bumps and other methods of slowing traffic to prevent incidents.
There were nearly 500 vehicle and pedestrian or cycling-related crashes in 2019, according to the latest data from California’s Office of Traffic Safety. At-least 35 involved people under the age of 15.
Sacramento has been previously considered one of the most dangerous cities to walk or ride a bike in California, a statistic that led to the city’s Vision Zero plan.
Officials hope continued funding for improvement projects will help create a safer city for everyone.
“It’s to slow traffic and to save our kids," said Lavinia Phillips, a Sacramento school board member.
Along with infrastructure upgrades, the city has also reduced the school speed limit to 15 miles per hour at 115 schools across the city. A recent study found that such a move could reduce the likelihood or traffic fatalities from 40% to 5%.
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