Draft MTP/SCS Comments Received - sacog

S A C R A M E N T O A R E A B I C Y C L E A D V O C A T E S
January 9, 2012
Sacramento Area Council of Governments
SACOG Board of Directors
SACOG, MTP/SCS 2035
1415 L Street, Suite 300
Sacramento, CA 95814
Subject: Draft MTP/SCS 2035 and Draft EIR on MTP/SCS 2035
Dear SACOG Board of Directors and Executive Director Mike McKeever:
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on both the Draft MTP/SCS 2035
and its Draft EIR. We applaud SACOG for the extraordinary effort that has
gone into conducting the analyses underlying the MTP/SCS and in
presenting extensive amounts of information to the public. Particularly
impressive was the advance in integrating land-use and transportation
planning.
We appreciate that per capita funding for bike/pedestrian projects has
increased by 7% since the last MTP and that many of the roadway
maintenance and rehabilitation projects are to include bike and pedestrian
facilities. However, we are concerned by the very small increase in
bike/pedestrian mode share that is projected over the 27-yr life of the plan
(e.g. non-commute bike/pedestrian mode-share increases only from 10.6%
to 12.1%; see Table 5C.7). Figure 5C.6 shows that the MTP/SCS 2035 does
not accelerate the growth trend of historical “bike+walk” person trips between
2008 and 2035.
We understand that the MTP/SCS is a forecast, not a regulatory program.
The MTP/SCS stands, however, as a valuable planning and implementation
tool that can have great impact on actual conditions for bicyclists and
pedestrians. Additionally, it guides the nature of projects that will be funded
by SACOG. We have 3 key recommendations for improving the MTP/SCS
2035 for bicycling in the region:
1. We suggest that the MTP/SCS 2035 state an ambitious goal for
bike/pedestrian mode-share of 20% for non-commute trips by 2035
to reflect the broad and direct importance of non-vehicular travel options
for improving community health, travel safety, air quality, energy
efficiency, and overall mobility of all transportation-system users. In
stating an ambitious goal for mode-share increase, the MTP/SCS 2035
should focus on planning and investing in bicycle and pedestrian
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