New planter islands on 26th Street, the latest traffic calming
measures, catch neighbors' attention

By Kathy Les
Viewpoint Staff Writer

It's spring and you expect to see flowers sprouting up everywhere. But many neighbors were surprised to see three new traffic calming planters pop up suddenly on 26th Street at the north end of Curtis Park.

They are the latest among a series of traffic calming devices to be installed as a result of the work of the Neighborhood Transportation Management Program administered by the city of Sacramento's traffic department.

"We didn't expect the crews to install the [26th Street] islands so fast," said Debb Newton with the city's transportation management program. Unexpected room in their schedule permitted construction.

The Curtis Park transportation management group -responsible for the area between Fifth Avenue, 24th Street, Sutterville Road, and Franklin Boulevard-began contemplating traffic calming measures in 2004.

Though the planter islands they recommended are currently devoid of plants, soon a local volunteer neighborhood crew headed up by Victoria Star of Fifth Avenue will select and plant the islands with a variety of trees and flowers. It will be up to the volunteer crew to maintain and water the planters.

But after witnessing the planter islands post-installation, not all neighbors, including Star, are pleased with the outcome.

"We're unhappy about the placement," she said. "I have seen several near accidents already. In my mind, they've done anything but calm traffic."

Star says she remains hopeful that once completely finished, the islands will provide vehicle and pedestrian safety as originally envisioned.

In addition to the islands, the Curtis Park traffic calming project has also resulted in speed humps installed on various blocks in the project area. Striping and parking improvements around Bret Harte Elementary School and a stop sign at Cutter Way and 10th Avenue were also included.

The most visible of their efforts, however, is the new oval-shaped planters on 26th Street intended to slow traffic rounding the north end of the park. When finished, the planters will be connected by a double row of striping and a stop sign at the park. Two small tear-drop islands were also installed on Fifth Avenue at 24th Street and Franklin Boulevard to slow traffic along Fifth Avenue.

Each transportation management group is given access to traffic data collected by the city, the opportunity for residents in the affected area to provide feedback on traffic concerns via a survey, and a committee that recommends how to spend a $25,000 budget on traffic calming measures. The process, subject to ultimate approval by city council takes about two years.

Newton said the cost of the three larger and two smaller traffic calming islands totaled about $22,000. The additional speed humps, striping and stop sign brought the Curtis Park transportation management group's traffic calming costs to closer to $40,000, but the city was able to find the extra money, she said.

According to Newton, most of Curtis Park doesn't have major speeding by comparison with other sectors of the city. And while no collisions have occurred at the top of Curtis Park, the high number of pedestrians around the park and vehicles frequently traveling in the wrong lane while rounding the north end of the park made pedestrian safety an issue at this location, justifying the expense of the traffic calming islands.

Four transportation management groups covering the majority of the Curtis Park neighborhood have been established over the last few years by the city in an effort to help curb speeding vehicles and excessive cars on residential streets.

This year, the fourth group, known as the Heilbron Oaks traffic calming area, got underway as the result of a neighborhood petition signed in 2003. The group, whose boundaries are Castro Way, Portola Way, 24th Street and Franklin Boulevard, is in the early stages of developing a plan to address traffic concerns. At their March meeting, they reviewed the results of a neighborhood survey and the city's data collection. In April the committee will focus on establishing traffic calming goals, expected to be a year-long process.

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