WALKSACRAMENTO · Olivia Delgado Riley Grigsby Aaron ... Christina Marie Sambrana Lisbeth Viera Sacramento County Department of Transportation Staff Ron Vicari, ... Walt Seifert

Prepared for

Sacramento County Department of Transportation

Twin Rivers Unified School District

California Department of Transportation

Prepared by

WALKSACRAMENTO

Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates

Draft Report

October 2010

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Walk Audit Participants

Randy Aeschliman, Community Member Sonja Atkins, Coordinator, Safe Kids Coalition of Greater Sacramento

Bob Bastian, Board Trustee, Twin Rivers Unified School District; Member, Rio Linda-Elverta Community Planning Council

Sabrina Bradbury, Planning Support, Sacramento Area Council of Governments John Burnside, WALKSacramento member

Julie Cole, Parent Ed Delgado, Principal, Orchard Elementary School

Agnes Dunn, Parent Ken Gammelgard, Community Member

Tim Hammonds, Twin Rivers USD Facilities Supervisor Mary Harris, Parent

Erwin Hayer, Community Member Clint Holtzen, Assistant Planner, Sacramento Area Council of Governments

Joanne Koegel, Koegel and Associates Christina Long, Parent

Lindell Price, WALKSacramento member Marlene Robillard-Ramatici, Parent

Surinder Singh, Planner, Sacramento County Department of Transportation Stan Uyeda, Planner, Sacramento County Department of Transportation

Youth Audit Participants

Zak Burden Savannah Cramriere

Olivia Delgado Riley Grigsby

Aaron Pitt Chris Pitcher Christina Marie Sambrana Lisbeth Viera

Sacramento County Department of Transportation Staff

Ron Vicari, Principal Civil Engineer Bill Irving, Associate Civil Engineer

Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates Staff

Walt Seifert, Executive Director

WALKSacramento Staff

Anne Geraghty, Executive Director

Chris Holm, Project Analyst Alexis Kelso, Safe Routes Coordinator

Terry Preston, Complete Streets Coordinator Alice Mercer, Consultant

The Sacramento Safe Routes 5 E’s project is funded by a U.S. Dept of Transportation Safe

Routes to School planning grant. For more information, go to: www.walksacramento.org

http://www.walksacramento.org/

SAFE ROUTES TO ORCHARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 3

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report presents the findings of a walkability assessment and the recommendations for improvements around Orchard Elementary School. A walk audit was held in the afternoon on May 26, 2009 after students were released from school. Participants included WALKSacramento,the Orchard Elementary School principal, parents, students, Twin Rivers Unified School District Board Members and staff, a Rio Linda/Elverta Community Planning Commission member, a Sacramento Metro Fire District representative, Supervisor Dickinson’s chief of staff, a retired traffic engineer and roundabouts expert, staff from the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, and staff from SacDOT. Key findings on the walk audit and from parent surveys were:

Nearly 11% of Orchard Elementary students walk or bike to school on an average day.

When asked why they don’t allow their child to walk or bike to school, parents responded that they are most concerned about the lack of sidewalks and the high speed of traffic.

Streets are often bordered by ditches.

Sidewalks are infrequent and not well connected.

Intersections are difficult to cross. Residents highly value the rural character of their neighborhood.

Recommendations for improvements were drafted following the walk audit discussion. The priority of recommendations was discussed on February 25, 2010 with community members. Key recommendations are to:

Encourage safe walking and bicycling to school with a Walk to School program and pedestrian/bike safety training.

Construct sidewalk on south side of Q Street between Dry Creek Road and 10th Street. Provide width of 8 feet in front of school.

Mark all crosswalks at the intersections of Q Street with 10th Street and Q Street with 8th Street with a high-visibility pattern.

Improve intersection of Q Street with Dry Creek Road to current standards. Include space for standing at all corners.

Install class II bike lanes on both sides of Dry Creek Road between O Street and U Street.

Install class II bike lanes on both sides of 10th Street between Q Street and U Street.

Improve crossing at school driveways and mark with high-visibility pattern. It is the intent of WALKSacramento that these recommendations be considered by SacDOT, the school, school district, and parents in order to increase the safety and numbers of students walking and biking to school.

4 SAFE ROUTES TO ORCHARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................................................................................................. 1

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................................................... 3

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

THE NEED FOR SAFER STREETS .................................................................................................................................... 5 FUNDING SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL ....................................................................................................................... 6 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FIVE E’S............................................................................................................................ 7 SCHOOL SELECTION ................................................................................................................................................... 8 THIS REPORT .................................................................................................................................................................. 8

SCHOOL AUDIT LOCATION ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9

LOCATION AND NEIGHBORHOOD .......................................................................................................................... 9 LOCAL ROADWAY NETWORK ................................................................................................................................. 10 NEARBY PLANNED PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE PROJECTS ................................................................................. 11

FOUR STEPS OF THE FIVE E’S PROCESS .............................................................................................................................................. 12

1. SELECTION OF SCHOOL .................................................................................................................................. 12 2. SURVEY OF CURRENT TRAVEL MODES AND ATTITUDES .............................................................................. 12 3. IDENTIFICATION OF EXISTING PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE FACILITY CONDITIONS ................................. 13 4. MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................................................................................... 14

FINDINGS .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15

1. SURVEY RESULTS OF CURRENT TRAVEL MODES AND ATTITUDES ............................................................... 15 2. WALK AUDIT RESULTS ........................................................................................................................................ 16

RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................................................................................ 20

1. COUNTY ENGINEERING IMPROVEMENTS ..................................................................................................... 21 2. SCHOOL PROGRAM IMPROVEMENTS .......................................................................................................... 25

DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 28

CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 28

WORKS CITED ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 29

APPENDIX A: RANKING WORKSHEET ................................................................................................................................................ 30

APPENDIX B: ATTENDANCE BOUNDARY ......................................................................................................................................... 32

APPENDIX C: PARENT SURVEY FORM ............................................................................................................................................... 33

APPENDIX D: ENGINEERING RECOMMENDATIONS BY PHASE ................................................................................................ 35

APPENDIX E: SACRAMENTO AREA BICYCLE ADVOCATES BIKE AUDIT REPORT ................................................................. 40


INTRODUCTION

THE NEED FOR SAFER STREETS The national Safe Routes to School movement is an effort to encourage children to walk and bicycle to school and make it safe for them to do so. Obstacles to safe routes include a lack of infrastructure providing a safe place for walking and cycling and lack of knowledge of how to be a safe pedestrian or cyclist. The Safe Routes to School movement seeks to improve both the physical environment to make walking and cycling safer as well as instill confidence and safe practices in children who walk and bike to school. Bicycle and pedestrian safety is a priority in Sacramento County. By creating a safe way for children to walk and bike in their neighborhood, Safe Routes to School can decrease the number of people hurt in collisions. From 2000 to 2006, 284 pedestrians ages five through fifteen were hospitalized with a non-fatal injury and eighteen were killed from a collision with a

Kids walking to school in Arden Park


vehicle (EPICenter, Pedestrian Injuries in California n.d.). During that same time, 423 bicyclists ages five through fifteen were hospitalized with a non-fatal injury and four were killed from a collision with a vehicle (EPICenter, Bicycle-Related Injuries in California n.d.). Kids aren't the only population to benefit from the improvements made as part of the Safe Routes to School program—all users of the road can benefit from improved walking and cycling conditions. Improving walking and cycling conditions would promote physical activity and a healthful lifestyle among children. The decrease in the percentage of children walking to school in the United States has been dramatic: in 1969 forty-two percent of kids between the ages of five and eighteen walked or biked to school; in 2009 only thirteen percent did. Concurrently there has been a 300% increase in the number of children ages six through eleven considered to be overweight. Promoting walking and cycling to school will establish in children the lifelong importance of health and fitness and teach them how it can be incorporated into everyday activities. The time to be establishing safe routes to school is now. School districts throughout Sacramento County are facing budget cuts, school consolidation, attendance boundary shifts, and reduced or eliminated busing. Schools are being expanded to hold more students, more classrooms, and more grade levels while the opportunity to ride the school bus decreases and private-vehicle congestion increases. Walking and biking to school relieves congestion, is economical, and creates safer, healthier, and more active communities.

FUNDING SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL There are two distinct Safe Routes to School funding sources: the California SR2S program and the federal SRTS program. Both programs are intended to increase the number of children walking and bicycling to school by making it safer for them to do so. Differences between the two programs are outlined in Figure 1 below.

PROGRAM FEATURES STATE SR2S FEDERAL SRTS

ELIGIBLE PROJECTS Infrastructure Infrastructure and non-infrastructure

LOCAL MATCH 10% Required None

TARGETED BENEFICIARIES Grades K-12 Grades K-8

MAX PROJECT FUNDING AWARD

$500,000 to $1 million (including. 10% match)

$500,000 to $1 Million

Figure 1 Distinctions between state and federal Safe Routes to School programs

The state (SR2S) and federal (SRTS) grant funding cycles have historically opened up every one to three years to receive grant applications. The pool of funding available statewide is generally in the range of $40-50 million. The high demand for funds that can be used for physical infrastructure makes the applications very competitive. Local jurisdictions are limited to submitting three grant applications per funding cycle, with no guarantee of any being awarded.

Pedbikeimages.org / Dan Burden


SACRAMENTO COUNTY’S SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL FIVE E’S

PROGRAM

Safe Routes to School Five E’s (Five E’s) is a three-year program sponsored by the County of Sacramento, Department of Transportation (SacDOT), funded by a $500,000 federal Safe Routes to School grant. The purpose of the project is to provide support for increasing walking and biking to elementary and middle schools throughout the unincorporated county. To assist with implementing the scope of the grant, SacDOT contracted the services of WALKSacramento in June 2008. WALKSacramento is a community-based non-profit organization dedicated to building walkable communities. WALKSacramento works with community organizations, public agencies, and individuals on policy change, public education, and review of commercial and residential development to create a pedestrian-friendly environment. The primary objectives of Five E’s are to:

Conduct walkability and bikeability audits to identify barriers preventing students from walking or biking to school at fifteen K-8 schools within unincorporated Sacramento County,

Encourage schools to initiate walking and bicycling events and programs,

Hold regional conferences and workshops to encourage, educate and support the development of the Five E’s and SRTS programs at the school and school district levels,

Convene a Safe Routes to School Advisory Committee that will meet periodically over the three-year period to provide input to the project, and

Submit an annual progress report to the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FIVE E’S The Five E’s project takes its name from the five E’s used to identify the different approaches used in building Safe Routes to School: Evaluation, Engineering, Education, Encouragement, and Enforcement. Evaluation establishes an understanding of the current conditions. This can involve examining transportation facilities as well as identifying attitudes and behaviors related to walking and bicycling. Evaluation focuses how the other four E’s can be used to increase walking and bicycling to school. Evaluation should be repeated after implementation of other E’s to determine the effectiveness of improvements. Engineering modifies streets to make them safer for walking and bicycling. Often, pedestrian and cyclist safety-enhancing facilities such as sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes, signage, and lighting are absent or do not provide the intended level of safety and need to be remedied before pedestrians and cyclists can safely navigate the area. Education provides pedestrians and cyclists as well as drivers with knowledge that makes them safe and courteous users of the road. It is important for children to learn their rights and responsibilities.


Encouragement makes walking and bicycling fun for kids. This is often done through providing incentives such as goodie bags, prizes, or class parties to those who walk or bike to school. Getting kids excited about walking and biking can increase the numbers wanting to do so. Enforcement utilizes the law and law enforcement professionals to remind people of their responsibilities. This approach often targets drivers in school zones to remind them to drive the speed limit, watch for pedestrians, and yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. As part of the Five E’s project, WALKSacramento is using evaluation to assess conditions for walking and bicycling to school and make recommendations which are informed by all five E’s. Used individually or in combination, the five E’s approach results in safer and more frequent walking and biking.

SCHOOL SELECTION There are approximately 160,000 students enrolled at 302 K-8 schools in the unincorporated county. Because project funding is limited to assessing fifteen schools, SacDOT and WALKSacramento developed a ranking worksheet to prioritize schools that have expressed interest in the project (see Appendix A). Each interested school had to pre-qualify for an audit with a high ranking score resulting from having strong school district and parent and/or teacher support. The schools were scored on a variety of factors including the percentage of students living within one mile of the school, the strength of the school community’s connections with the neighborhood residents, the importance of improvements to the school district, and status as a Safe Routes to School Capital Improvement Program project in Sacramento County’s Pedestrian Master Plan.

THIS REPORT This report presents the findings of a walkability assessment around Orchard Elementary School and the recommendations for improvements based on those findings. It is the intent of WALKSacramento that these recommendations be considered by SacDOT, the school and school district, and parents in order to increase the safety and numbers of students walking and biking to school. It is also the intent that the process of identifying barriers and making recommendations is clearly outlined and can act as a guide to others, such as school districts, also interested in improving walking and biking to schools at other locations.


SCHOOL AUDIT LOCATION Orchard Elementary School is a kindergarten through sixth grade school located in northern Sacramento County in the unincorporated community of Rio Linda. For the 2009-2010 school year approximately 430 students were enrolled and the school had approximately fifteen classes. Many students living within the attendance zone ride the bus to and from school. Orchard Elementary also offers programs to students with special learning needs and many of these students are bused to school from beyond the attendance boundary. However, there are many students who live within walking and bicycling distance of Orchard Elementary. Despite their proximity to school, parents are hesitant to allow children to walk or bike because of the dangerous environment—speeds are high and there are few sidewalks. The Orchard Elementary community and Rio Linda residents have been working hard to make the streets safer for children. Parents and neighbors successfully worked with SacDOT to install a speed table in front of the school and lower the speed limit on Dry Creek Road. WALKSacramento’s addition to this ongoing effort is part of SacDOT’s effort to bring Safe Routes to School support and funding to schools throughout the unincorporated county.

LOCATION AND NEIGHBORHOOD

Orchard Elementary is located at 1040 Q Street, mid-block between Dry Creek Road and 10th Street in Rio Linda. The 8.8-acre school site is on a 36 acre block which contains 77 homes and one church. Immediately adjacent to the school are single-family homes. The attendance zone of Orchard Elementary includes the blocks north of Q Street to the west about one mile, and the blocks both north and south of Q Street to the east about two miles (see Appendix B). The total area is about 2.25 square miles. Access to the school from nearby homes is limited by its mid-block location. Access from the surrounding area is limited due to the proximity of Dry Creek, which runs northeast-southwest to the east of the school. Q Street and Dry Creek Road provide access across Dry Creek. Orchard Elementary’s southern boundary is fenced and bordered by single-family houses accessed from Castle Creek Way. Twenty-one homes share the property line with the school and cannot access school grounds because all gates in the school’s fence are kept locked. Furthermore, there is no opportunity for residents whose homes are not adjacent to the school to have access through abutting properties. While an access point to Orchard Elementary from Castle Creek Way is not recommended due to existing conditions, it is suggested that County policies reflect a need for higher connectivity between a community building such as a school and the surrounding neighborhood. Nearby to the east and south is Dry Creek Parkway, a natural setting park along the Dry Creek corridor which will be developed to include many hiking, biking, and horseback trails, and is the location of the Dry Creek Ranch House which hosts the annual Farm and Tractor Day,

Snapshot: Orchard Elementary School Rio Linda/Elverta Community of Sacramento County Twin Rivers Unified School District 430 students (2008 – 09), grades K -6 in 15 classes 66% Caucasian, 24% Hispanic, 3% African American Large student base with special learning needs.


attended by children from many area schools. To the north is Babe Best Park, a baseball and softball facility which hosts Little League games. To the west is the Sacramento Northern Bikeway, a ten mile class I bike path. Each of these facilities is less than one mile from Orchard Elementary.

LOCAL ROADWAY NETWORK

The attendance boundary of Orchard Elementary includes the blocks north of Q Street to the west about one mile, and the blocks both north and south of Q Street to the east about two miles. The total area is about 2.25 square miles. Access to the school from nearby homes is limited by its mid-block location. Access from the surrounding area is limited due to the proximity of Dry Creek, running northeast-southwest to the east of the school. Q Street and Dry Creek Road provide access across Dry Creek. The streets examined for this project include: Q Street from Dry Creek Road to 8th Street; Dry Creek Road from Q Street to O Street; O Street from Dry Creek Road to 10th Street, and 10th Street from O Street to Q Street. Q Street spans the length of the attendance area and includes a bridge at Dry Creek Road. Q Street is also the only road within the attendance area to cross Dry Creek Parkway. Q Street, 10th Street, and Dry Creek Road are two-lane roads that carry local traffic. Q Street’s speed limit is 35 mph with a posted 25 MPH speed limit when children are present in the vicinity of school; on 10th Street the speed limit is 30 mph; and on O Street the speed limit is 25 mph. Residents have worked with SacDOT to lower speeds on Dry Creek Road. The speed limit on Dry Creek Road was recently lowered from 45 mph to 35 mph as a result of these efforts. WALKSacramento applauds residents for their efforts to reduce speed on their streets. Vehicle speed directly impacts pedestrian safety: 5% of pedestrians involved in collisions with

Figure 2 The street network surrounding Orchard Elementary

Google Maps


vehicles suffer injuries that are fatal when hit at 20 MPH; the chance of fatality jumps to 45% at 30 MPH and 85% at 40 MPH (National Coorperative Highway Research Program 2004). In the Sacramento County Draft General Plan Update at the time of walk audit, Dry Creek Road was designated as an arterial and as such was proposed for future widening to four lanes. This proposal, unfavorable among residents who have concerns about traffic speed and volume, was opposed by residents and WALKSacramento staff during public planning commission meetings. As a result, County staff is now proposing to keep Dry Creek Road at two lanes, though at the time of this writing the Update has not been approved by the Board of Supervisors. Traffic counts performed in 2005 counted 4,081 vehicles per day on Q Street between Dry Creek Road and 10th Street, and in 2009 counted 3,316 vehicles per day on Q Street west of 20th Street. In 2009, counts performed on Dry Creek Road south of Q Street counted 3,707 vehicles per day (County of Sacramento Department of Transportation 2009). Within the last three years there has been one vehicle-pedestrian and one vehicle-bicycle collision occurring within a half mile radius of Orchard Elementary (County of Sacramento Department of Transportation 2009).

NEARBY PLANNED PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE PROJECTS The Sacramento County Pedestrian Master Plan (PMP) identifies pedestrian infrastructure projects in the County’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP), the following of which are near to Orchard Elementary (Figure 3); location within the PMP is noted in parenthesis:

Sidewalks and four streetlights on Q Street between Dry Creek Road and Orchard Elementary, Dry Creek Road between Q Street and O Street, and O Street between Dry Creek Road and Alvilde Court (School District Request CIP Project, Table 23),

Sidewalk or asphalt walkway on O Street between Castle Creek Way and Dry Creek Road, on Dry Creek Road between Q Street and O Street, and on Q Street between Dry Creek Road and Orchard Elementary (High Priority Pedestrian Projects, Figure 7)

Two mid-block crossings on Q Street and one on Dry Creek Road (Trail Access Projects, Table 29)

Four lights on Q Street between 10th Street and Dry Creek Road (Lighting Projects, Table 28)

Figure 3 Portion of Figure 33 from the Sacramento County Pedestrian Master Plan highlighting pedestrian projects near Orchard Elementary.


The Sacramento County Draft Bicycle Master Plan recommends class II bike lanes on Q Street, Dry Creek Road, 10th Street, U Street, and 20th Street.

FOUR STEPS OF THE FIVE E’S PROCESS

This report is the result of a process that involves the following four steps: 1) selection of the school, 2) survey of current travel modes and attitudes, 3) identification of existing pedestrian and bicycle conditions, and 4) making recommendations.

1. SELECTION OF SCHOOL As discussed in the introduction, the initial selection of schools for the Five E’s project was based on a ranking criteria that includes: strong school district and school site interest, and parent and/or teacher support; high percentage of students living within one mile of the school; strength of the school community’s connections with the neighborhood residents and organizations; the importance of improvements to the school district; and status as a project in the Pedestrian Master Plan. Schools were also given points for the degree to which they have the following pedestrian and bicycle deterrents: a high-traffic arterial within the attendance boundary, recent vehicle collisions with pedestrians and/or cyclists near the school, missing sidewalks, an intersection nearby that is not pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly, and need for pick-up/drop-off improvements. Additionally, schools with existing Safe Routes to School activities were given points for each ―E‖ approach being utilized. Orchard Elementary scored high (49 out of 70, see Appendix A) because:

at least 50% of students live within one mile of the school,

the school has strong partnerships with the community,

the school is listed as a County Capital Improvement Program project,

the school is a high district priority based on discussion with school district staff,

there have been recent pedestrian and bicycle collisions nearby,

there are missing sidewalks near the school,

there are pick-up and drop-off concerns at the school, and

the school seeks enforcement by California Highway Patrol officers.

2. SURVEY OF CURRENT TRAVEL MODES AND ATTITUDES Two surveys were used to collect data on current transportation modes to school and parent attitudes.

A daily in-class survey collected data on how students traveled to school each day, for a period of three days. The in-class survey was conducted by the teacher while taking attendance. Students were asked if they walked or biked to school on that particular day. Students responded by show of hands. The teacher then recorded how many students were present that day, how many walked, and how many biked. Surveys were conducted on days with


weather conditions suitable for walking. Counts do not include school staff or faculty. To obtain information on parental attitudes toward walking and biking to school, a two-page survey was provided to Orchard Elementary parents (see Appendix C). The survey was sent home with all students and asked parents how their child gets to school and their reasons for choosing a particular mode. Answers included things such as child’s grade, distance from the school, parental concern for safety, and suggestions for street improvements needed before parents will allow the child to walk or bike.

3. IDENTIFICATION OF EXISTING PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE

FACILITY CONDITIONS

Identification of the existing conditions from many perspectives is key to making recommendations that address the needs of all users of the roadway. A range of audit participants allows for the greatest number of obstacles to walking and biking to be identified. Pedestrian and bicycle facility conditions were identified and documented primarily through a process organized by WALKSacramento. The walk audit process was completed in four stages: promotion, route surveying, the walk audit, and a post-audit discussion, as detailed below.

Walk Audit Promotion The walk audit was promoted to encourage input from as many stakeholders as possible. Outreach efforts included an automated phone call to Orchard Elementary parents, an announcement in the school newsletter, and emails sent to various participating-agency subscriber lists.

Route Surveying Walking routes for the audit were determined by WALKSacramento staff with input from SacDOT and the Orchard Elementary principal. Prior to the audit, WALKSacramento staff reviewed the conditions around Orchard Elementary, noting the location of difficult intersections and probable routes to school. Two routes—west from the school on Q Street and around the block the school is sited on—were then defined for the audit, focusing on where students are likely to walk and encounter obstacles. The Walk Audit The audit was held on May 26, 2009. Participants included WALKSacramento, the Orchard Elementary principal, parents, students, Twin Rivers Unified School District board members and staff, a Rio Linda/Elverta Community Planning Commission member, a Sacramento Metro Fire District representative, Supervisor Dickinson’s chief of staff, a retired traffic engineer and roundabouts expert, staff from the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, and SacDOT staff.

First, participants reviewed the student pick-up conditions. After traffic dissipated, participants formed five groups. Two groups walked Q Street, Dry Creek Road, O Street, and 10th Street; two groups walked Q Street to the west of the school; the remaining group, composed of Orchard Elementary sixth-grade students, walked the block around the school.


Led by WALKSacramento consultant Alice Mercer, the group of Orchard Elementary students documented their audit on video to capture concerns from a youth’s perspective. Prior to their walk, students had received training on how to be videographers. The film is available for viewing at http://www.youtube.com/WALKSacramento.

Post-Audit Discussion After completing their walks, all five groups reconvened in the school library to discuss their findings. Following the students’ presentation of their walk audit findings, participants used notes they made on their walk to annotate large aerial photos with the obstacles they observed. Then each group gave a short presentation of their results and discussed possible solutions.

Staff of Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates (SABA) independently conducted a bicycle audit of the cyclist facilities around Orchard Elementary in May 2009. SABA’s report is in Appendix E.

4. MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS

The fourth and last step in preparing this report is to develop recommendations for improvements to pedestrian and bicycle facilities and school site programs which encourage walking and bicycling.

The major obstacles and possible solutions identified during the walk audit process by the community are seriously considered by WALKSacramento when making recommendations for infrastructure improvements. Community input is key because of their familiarity with the neighborhood.

Figure 4 Walk audit participants reviewed pick-up conditions.


WALKSacramento advocates improvements that incorporate pedestrian design principals. The Sacramento County Pedestrian Design Guidelines identifies the need for the street network to be safe, accessible, easy to use, and inviting to all pedestrians. Other Sacramento County plans were also consulted, including the Pedestrian Master Plan and the Bicycle Master Plan.

Draft recommendations were distributed to parents in January 2010 and were discussed on February 25, 2010 at a meeting with parents and community members held at Orchard Elementary. Most attendees live on Q Street or Dry Creek Road and are not necessarily parents of students at Orchard Elementary. The primary concerns were the cost of improvements to the residents and the lack of law and traffic enforcement. Residents also requested that recommendations reflect the ―rural‖ character of the neighborhood. Survey results are discussed in Findings on pages 15 and 16.

FINDINGS

1. SURVEY RESULTS OF CURRENT TRAVEL MODES AND ATTITUDES In-Class Results Of approximately fifteen K-6 classrooms at Orchard Elementary, twelve classrooms returned student travel mode surveys during the week of May 18, 2009. The student survey results for the three reported days are shown in Figure 4 below.

MODE WALK BIKE

AVERAGE OVER 3 DAYS 31 (10%) 2 (0.64%)

Figure 6 Travel mode to and from school results from the In-class Student Travel Mode Survey

Parent Results There were 194 parent surveys returned. Key findings of the parent surveys are shown below. Respondents were allowed multiple responses for most questions so totals may not add up to 100.

Figure 5 Walk audit participants shared their findings.


10% of parents say their child always walks and 8% say they walk 2-3 times per week.

No parents reported their child bikes every day, but 2% bike 2-3 times per week.

51% of students are driven to school every day.

25% take the bus every day.

51% of survey respondents say they drive their child every day but only 40% say the reason their child does not walk is because they live too far from school.

51% report that they live within one mile.

Excluding living too far, parents say the top reasons for disallowing their child to walk or bike to school is that

o traffic is too fast or dangerous (39%), o sidewalks are missing (36%), or o the child is too young (32%).

After removing surveys that did not provide the grade of the child, there was found to be a precipitous decline from second to third grade in the number of respondents who felt their child was too young to walk to school. 50% of respondents felt their second grader was too young to walk while only 20% of respondents thought their third grader too young. In total, 57% of respondents whose child was in grades Kindergarten through 2nd felt their child was too young; 17% of respondents whose child was in grades 3 through 6 felt the same. However, an older child is not more likely to walk to school—21% of respondents’ kindergarteners walked while only 14% of respondents’ 6th graders walked.

When asked what improvements would be needed to allow their child to walk or bike, parents responded:

o if sidewalks were separated from traffic (35%), o if traffic was slower (31%), o if crossing guards were present (30%), o if sidewalk and bike paths were improved (27%), and o if the child was older (24%).

21% reported a preference for driving their child regardless of improvements.

Parents were also questioned on what programs they would like to see to encourage their children to walk or bike more.

o 38% said they would like walk safety training available for their child, o 31% said they would like bicycle safety training for their child, o 34% of respondents were interested in a supervised walk-to-school program, and o 28% said they would like greater community input in street design and safety.

2. WALK AUDIT RESULTS The walk audit was the primary means of identifying existing conditions in the built environment. The walk audit provided community members a chance to walk the routes to school with SacDOT and WALKSacramento staff followed by a discussion of specific issues and potential solutions. During the discussion, the general consensus was concern for the high speeds on surrounding streets, particularly on Dry Creek Road, the lack of safe spaces to walk, and inadequate crossing facilities.


2.1 Student Group Findings

The student group’s videos captured what kids find intimidating as well as some neighborhood attitudes about the safety of their streets. The students were worried about not having a place to walk. They did not feel safe sharing a bike lane with cyclists, nor did they feel comfortable walking next to ditches or low fences with loose dogs. They pointed out cracks in existing sidewalks, the uneven pavement edge, and ditch depth disguised by tall grass. One student explained that each time she heard a car coming from behind her she turned around because she felt that it was going to hit her.

While conducting their video recorded walk audits, students took the opportunity to ask local residents about their concerns regarding traffic in the area. Interviewed neighbors included parents who felt uncomfortable with their children walking or bicycling to school due to cars traveling at high speed and the lack of a safe place for children to travel by foot or bicycle. One neighborhood parent said that she recognized the need for safe places to walk in the community but was not confident that sidewalks are the best treatment because she enjoys the rural character of the community’s streets.

2.2 Adult Group Findings

The adult groups focused on identifying physical obstructions to safety, rather than the perception of safety. The combined findings of all Orchard Elementary walk audit participants follow.

Sidewalks and walkways

Much of the area surrounding Orchard Elementary is missing sidewalks or other safe walkways. Where sidewalks are in place they are typically four feet wide and attached, with either vertical or rolled curbs. Wide sidewalks span part of the school’s frontage on Q Street, but the sidewalk spanning the remainder of school frontage is only four feet wide.

The sidewalks on Q Street to the west of the school are discontinuous on both sides of the street. There are no sidewalks on Q Street to the east of the school. Dry Creek Road does not have sidewalks on either side. On Q, 10th, and O Streets where sidewalks are in place they

are partially obstructed by utility poles. Much of the area without sidewalks is also missing shoulders to walk on. Instead, the side of the road is occupied by wide and deep ditches.

Bike lanes are present on Q Street and without any alternative place to walk, pedestrians use the bike lane.

Figure 7 Wide and deep ditches like the one seen here on Dry Creek Road are characteristic of the area.


Intersections and Crosswalks Standard yellow crosswalks are present on all legs of the intersection of Q Street and Dry Creek Road. There is also a standard yellow crosswalk crossing Q Street on the east side (school side) of 10th Street. Aside from the school crosswalks there are only three other marked crosswalks in the area: two serving the Sacramento Northern Bikeway across Q Street and U Street, and one crossing Rio Linda Boulevard on the south side of Q Street. Regardless of the presence of marked crosswalks, intersections are obstacles for pedestrians. At several

intersections on Q Street a curb barrier is adjacent to the vehicle lane. Pedestrians have the option of walking in the vehicle lane or using the ditch, or sometimes a private yard, to get around the curb barrier. There is also no space available at the intersection to wait for a safe opportunity to proceed. Compounding this difficulty is the placement of stop lines, which in many cases is too far into the intersection. Bus Facilities Due to the large attendance area and special program offerings, many students are bused to and from school. Bus boarding and deboarding occurs in the parking lot along the curb adjacent to the school courtyard. The pavement is striped ―BUS ZONE.‖ This pick-up/drop-off arrangement minimizes space shared with the parent drop-off/pick-up area. After a bus driver has off-loaded students, they sometimes leave the bus unattended in the loading zone. This can cause issues for buses arriving afterwards, as drivers have less room to pull into a spot for drop-off. During the drop-off observation a bus backed into a space behind an unattended bus to off-load passengers, while school staff watched to ensure the area behind the backing bus was clear of students. Bicycle Facilities SABA conducted a bike audit of the road network surrounding Orchard Elementary. Q Street has bike lanes to the east and west of the school; bike lanes to the east end at 16th Street. Cyclists are directed to use the traffic lane east of 16th Street, but traffic speeds exceed those comfortable for many cyclists. Dry Creek Road has bike lanes south of O Street. 10th Street

Figure 9 Curb barriers (like the one seen in this picture at Dry Creek Road and Q Street), ditches, and no pedestrian space are common to many intersections.

Figure 8 Stop lines are too far into the intersection.


has bike lanes south of Q Street. Some students also have the opportunity to use the Sacramento Northern Bikeway for part of the route to school. In the future, Dry Creek Parkway may also be a route option.

Orchard Elementary has provided a bicycle rack in a convenient and visible location, though its ―comb‖ design is not recommended because it doesn’t support the bike frame at two points and limits the ability to lock the frame and wheel. The Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals’ (APBP) Bicycle Parking Guidelines recommends racks that support the frame in two places, prevent the front wheel from tipping, and allows for securing the frame and a wheel. Examples of appropriate rack styles include the inverted ―U,‖ the ―A,‖ and the post and loop (Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals 2002).

Parking Lot

Orchard Elementary’s parking lot is located at the northwest corner of the school site. The parking lot has two driveways on Q Street: one designated as an entrance and the other as an exit. Available parking meets faculty and staff demand. There is on-street parking on Q Street across from the parking lot. Parking along the curb adjacent to the school parking lot is restricted and ―no parking‖ signs are posted. At the February 25,

2010 meeting, attendees expressed a desire for more parking to accommodate parents who park and walk their child into the school. Principal Delgado informed WALKSacramento that the school district has plans to extend the parking lot.

The school is difficult to access for pedestrians arriving from the west. The sidewalk in front of the parking lot does not have curb cuts across the driveways and there is no sidewalk on the west side of the parking lot. Pedestrians must either cross two busy driveways with large vertical curbs, walk through the parking lot adjacent to moving vehicles, or walk on a dirt and grass path next to the fence along the property line to access classrooms.

Orchard Elementary has a portion of their parking lot designated for parent pick-up and drop-off. Though parents use the same entrance and exit to the parking lot as buses, having a separated area reduces conflict. Not all parents choose to use the pick-up/drop-off area. Some parents park their car in the parking lot and walk their children in. Others park on the street, including along the curb signed ―no parking‖ and in the bike lanes. Parking in the no parking zone decreases the line of sight for drivers exiting the parking lot and makes safe turning movements more difficult. During pick-up and drop-off hours, school staff is on hand to monitor the children. Staff help load and unload buses

and walk children to the parent pick-up area. Most children observed walking to school were accompanied by their parent.

Figure 10 Large curbs at the school driveways preclude use of wheeled modes.

Figure 11 Students coming from the west must cross two driveways or, as this student is doing, walk along the edge of the parking lot without a sidewalk.


Twin Rivers Unified School District has plans to extend Orchard Elementary’s parking lot southward along the west fence. This would provide more room for staff parking and help relieve congestion during pick-up and drop-off times.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The goal of the Five E’s project is to provide recommendations for engineering and program improvements that will increase the safety and number of kids walking and bicycling to school. The engineering recommendations include improvements for safe and inviting places to walk and bicycle, safe crossings, school-site bicycle facilities, signage and sightlines, and school site traffic flow. The school program recommendations include suggestions for education and encouragement. Appendix D contains a table of engineering recommendations organized by phase. In a perfect world, there would be no obstacles to making streets safe for everyone, but due to the realities of funding availability, improvements are recommended in phases. While all the following recommendations, including recommendations for school programs, are important to improve the safety of children walking and biking to school, WALKSacramento has identified five engineering improvements which would greatly increase the safety of children based on the present lack of facilities and the number of students using these routes to school. These improvements should be of highest priority in phase one: 1. Construct sidewalk on south side of Q Street between Dry Creek Road and 10th Street.

Provide width of 8 feet in front of school. 2. Mark all crosswalks at the intersections of Q Street with 10th Street and Q Street with 8th

Street with a high-visibility pattern. 3. Improve intersection of Q Street with Dry Creek Road to current standards. Include space

for standing at all corners. 4. Install class II bike lanes on both sides of Dry Creek road between O Street and U Street. 5. Install class II bike lanes on both sides of 10th Street between Q Street and U Street. 6. Improve crossing at school driveways and mark with high-visibility pattern.

These recommendations reflect the needs of the Orchard Elementary community at the time of writing and should be reexamined by the community as funding opportunities arise. Recommendations for phase two and three improvements are not unimportant and may be appropriate to take action on immediately given their relative low cost. School program recommendations follow the engineering recommendations below. While making roads safe for children enables them to walk and bike to school, the other four E’s are crucial components of a successful walking and biking culture at any school. Frequently, programmatic improvements alone can make the walk to school safer through such things as pedestrian and bicycle education for students and proper pick-up/drop-off procedure education for parents. In the event that Safe Routes to School funding is pursued, including funding for programs (i.e., non-infrastructure projects) would be a natural component and WALKSacramento urges the Orchard Elementary community insures its inclusion.


1. COUNTY ENGINEERING IMPROVEMENTS

1.A Safe and Inviting Spaces to Walk and Bicycle Just as cars need designated travel lanes, pedestrians need safe places to walk and bicyclists need safe places to ride. Research has shown roads with sidewalks on both sides to be safer than roads with no sidewalks or a sidewalk on only one side (Campbell, et al. 2003).

The Board of Supervisors recently approved Street Improvement Standards that set requirements for sidewalks and bike lanes. These new standards require sidewalks with vertical curbs separated from the roadway by planter strips and bike lanes on all major roadways. The planter strips protect pedestrians from higher volumes and speeds on major roads and create an inviting place for pedestrians. While the new standards do not always apply to existing roadways, it is the County’s intent that improvements to existing roadways provide for safety for all users of the road including pedestrians, bicyclists, and the disabled community.

1.A Existing Conditions

Many wide and deep ditches are obstacles for young pedestrians.

Lack of sidewalks and bike lanes.

Utility poles in sidewalks obstruct walking.

Overgrown vegetation on shoulders obstruct walking.

Lack of shade on routes to school.

Parents are concerned about excessive speed on streets surrounding school.

1.A Recommendations

Q Street

Sidewalks: Construct sidewalk on the south side of Q Street between Dry Creek Road and 10th Street. Provide width of 8 feet in front of the school.

Walkway treatment: Provide safe walking space on both sides of Q Street between 10th Street and 8th Street.

Bike lanes: Repaint faded bike lanes on Q Street.

Shade trees: Plant shade trees on school property around buildings and adjacent to sidewalk to add to the street canopy.

Speed table: Consider installation of a speed table on Q Street to the west of the school’s entrance driveway.

O Street

Bike lanes: Install bike lanes on O Street between Dry Creek Road and 10th Street.

Sidewalks: Extend sidewalks on the north side of O Street the entire length between Dry Creek Road and 10th Street.

10th Street

Sidewalk: Install sidewalks on the west side of 10th Street between O Street and Anderson

Pedbikeimages.org / Dan Burden


Wood Way.

Walkway treatment: Provide safe walking space on the east side of 10th Street between O Street and Q Street, and on both sides of 10th Street between Q Street and U Street.

Narrow vehicle lane: Reduce existing twelve foot vehicle lanes on 10th Street to eleven feet to provide room for a five foot sidewalk and existing bike lane.

Bike lanes: Repaint faded bike lanes on 10th Street. Install class II bike lanes on both sides of the road between Q Street and U Street.

Dry Creek Road

Bike lanes: Install class II bike lanes on both sides of the road between O Street and U Street.

Project Area

Ditches: Cover or improve ditches that pose hazards and barriers to walking.

Utility poles: Remove or construct minimum four feet clearance around utility poles.

Prune vegetation: Prune vegetation to maintain space for walking on shoulders. 1.B Safe Crossings Safe places to cross streets are essential to a well-connected pedestrian network. Whether marked or unmarked, a crosswalk is the extension of the walkway across an intersection. The California Vehicle Code states, ―The driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection [emphasis added]‖ (State of California Department of Motor Vehicles 2010). However, more drivers and pedestrians recognize the pedestrian’s right of way in marked crosswalks than

those knowing that pedestrians also have the right of way in unmarked crosswalks (Ragland and Mitman 2007). For this reason it is beneficial for crosswalks on routes to school to be marked. Whether as a driver or a pedestrian, it is good practice to use care when approaching intersections and crosswalks.

Figure 12 Participants at the intersection of Dry Creek Road and Q Street.


1.B Existing Conditions

Insufficient pedestrian crossing facilities.

Presence of curbs on the edge of the pavement at the intersection corners.

Unmarked crosswalks.

Stop lines in crosswalks. 1.B Recommendations

Marked crosswalks: Mark all crosswalks at the intersections of Q Street and 10th Street and Q Street and 8th Street. Use a high-visibility striping pattern such as ladder style.

Stop bars: Place stop bars before crosswalks.

Intersection improvements: Improve intersection of Q Street and Dry Creek Road to current standards and include and standing space at all corners.

Mid-block crossing: Consider using the existing speed table for a raised mid-block crossing.

1.C Signage and Sightlines 1.C Existing Conditions

Overgrown vegetation obscuring traffic signs.

Placement of signs is far from vehicle lane.

Need for increased driver awareness of pedestrians and school zone speed limit. 1.C Recommendations

Vegetation: Prune vegetation and maintain away from all traffic signs.

Traffic signs: Where appropriate, place traffic signs closer to the roadway to increase visibility.

In-street signage: Install in-street crosswalk signs at the intersections of Q Street and 10th Street and Q Street and Dry Creek Road.

Speed feedback sign: Install speed feedback sign on Q Street on both approaches to the school.

1.D School Site Traffic Flow 1.D.1 Safe Pedestrian Access

1.D.1 Existing Conditions

Large curbs at both driveways and do not provide ADA access across driveways.

Sidewalks between the school’s driveways and along bus zone are flush with the parking lot.

Pavement in adjacent to bus drop-off zone and in front of the multipurpose room is rough and uneven.


Students use landscaped area and ―no stopping‖ zone on the west side of the school to walk into campus.

1.D.1 Recommendations

Pedestrian Crossing: Construct ADA crossing at driveways and mark the crossing to define pedestrian space.

Truncated dome strip: Install truncated dome strip on sidewalk along length of bus drop-off area.

Pavement: Replace pavement adjacent to bus drop-off and in front of multipurpose room with a smoother surface.

Planter strip: Install a planter strip between the parking lot and the sidewalk to provide separation between vehicles and pedestrians.

Sidewalk: Install sidewalk through landscaped area along west school fence to accommodate students who use this access.

1.D.2 Safe Pick-up and Drop-off Facilities

1.D.2 Existing Conditions

Some parents park on Q Street east of the parking lot or on the north side of the street to pick up and drop off their child.

Need for additional drop-off and pick-up facilities.

―No parking‖ zone in front of Orchard Elementary is not observed by parents.

Bus drivers back in their bus to off-load students.

District has plans to increase parking lot size. 1.D.2 Recommendations

Pick-up/drop-off area: Create an alternate pick-up/drop-off area by utilizing the service entrance on the east side of the school’s frontage. A paved walkway currently accessing classrooms near the service gate could be extended to provide easy access to the classrooms and playground. This arrangement would reduce congestion in the parking lot and decrease potential vehicle and pedestrian conflicts that arise when parents do not use the designated pick-up area.

Safety cones: Place safety cones along the length of the curb between driveways.

Red curb: Paint curb between driveways red.

Parking restrictions: Restrict parking on the north side of Q Street at least in front of the school and possibly for the entire length between 10th Street and Dry Creek Road.

Parking lot: Increase size by extending lot southward along west fence.


2. SCHOOL PROGRAM IMPROVEMENTS

2.A Existing Conditions

There is great potential to increase walking and biking to Orchard Elementary. There is strong informed parent support and the school administration encourages parent involvement in school activities.

The Orchard Elementary community enjoys the support of parents and friends who have been active in neighborhood traffic related issues for several years. There is a strong potential base to build a parent-led traffic safety initiative at the school.

Opportunities exist for low-cost and easy-to-implement education to increase safety. 2.A Education Recommendations

Pedestrian/Bicycle Safety Education: the Orchard Elementary administration and community should work with SacDOT, WALKSacramento, Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates (http://www.sacbike.org), and Safe Kids Coalition of Greater Sacramento

(http://www.safekids.org/in-your-area/coalitions/greater-sacramento.html) to conduct pedestrian and bicycle safety classes. Such a program could be held after school or incorporated into the school day and include such things as safety assemblies, lessons during physical education classes, and bike training courses. The National Safe Routes to School Partnership (http://www.saferoutespartnership.org) and the National Center for Safe Routes to School (http://www.saferoutesinfo.org ) offer information on safety instruction and resources on their websites.

Education and Enforcement for parents, drivers, and residents:

o Educate bus drivers about using the bus loading zone in a way that does not require backing into a spot.

o Educate parent drivers about the dangers of blocking sightlines and calling their children across the street from their vehicle.

o Remind residents to not block bike lanes with waste, trash cans, or vehicles.

School Safety Plan and School Safety Planning Committee: Each school is required by California law to have a Comprehensive School Safety Plan developed by a School Safety Planning Committee or the School Site Council. The safety plan must include procedures for ingress and egress of students, parents, and school employees. It is recommended that this plan include the safety of walking and bicycling to school through identification of needed infrastructure improvements around the school, as well as a plan for implementation of programmatic measures such as driver-pedestrian-cyclist education and traffic enforcement. Several other schools in local districts have done this and WALKSacramento can provide model language. The School Safety Planning Committee or School Site Council should meet with SacDOT and the Twin Rivers Unified School District to review high-priority improvements identified in this report such as improvements to street crossings and sidewalks, and to develop an


action plan to implement recommendations. The committee should also consider ways to increase safety through education, encouragement, and enforcement.

Ongoing Training and Support: The Orchard Elementary leadership can take advantage of opportunities to expand their knowledge and experience in safe walking and bicycling programs. This includes attendance at the Sacramento Safe Routes 5 E’s Conference, viewing webinars provided by America Walks and the National Safe Routes to School Partnership (http://www.americawalks.org/srts/) and networking with other schools and local school districts to share ideas and resources.

Support relevant Capital Improvement Program projects: Some pedestrian projects in the County’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) would directly benefit students walking to Orchard Elementary. Indeed, some of the recommendations in this report mirror CIP projects. The Orchard Elementary community should work with SacDOT to prioritize these projects and pursue funding.

2.B Encouragement Recommendations

For ongoing support and sustainability, a walk/bike to school program should be the responsibility of the walk/bike to school committee within a parent-teacher group, site council, or school safety planning committee. Funding for prizes and other incentives can also be obtained through mini-grants, local businesses and community agencies.

After walk to school activities are in place, periodic evaluation of the program will help measure the success of walk to school efforts. Evaluation can include travel-mode surveys, parent opinion polls, or even asking students what they like about walking and biking.

Ongoing Walk and Bike to School Activities: Regularly scheduled walk/bike to school days could be organized and held once per month or week. An ongoing walk/bike program can include 5 E’s approaches such as education, encouragement, and evaluation.

Walking school buses and bike trains: Like their motorized counterpart–the school bus–walking school buses and bike trains have fixed routes and scheduled stops. Adults lead a group of students walking or biking to school and makes stops to ―pick up‖ more students along the way. Walking school buses and bike trains are fun for students, safer than walking alone, and provide a reliable and supervised journey to school.

After-school bicycle club: Take advantage of the area’s flat topography and nearby bike trails in an after-school bike club that teaches kids how to ride safely, how to maintain their bicycle, and the importance of physical activity.

Walking and bicycling route maps: Development of walking and bicycling maps may encourage parents to allow their children to walk down streets with lower speeds, less traffic, and more sidewalks and safe crossings. These maps can include walking school bus and bike train routes and stops.


Encouragement: Kids will look forward to walking to school with the appropriate motivation. Incentives for walking can include things such as raffling bikes or scooters to kids who walk or bike, awarding pizza parties to the class with the most students walking or biking, or providing healthy snacks for kids walking home.

International Walk to School Day: International Walk to School Day is held annually on the first Wednesday in October. Orchard Elementary can encourage participation in this event by identifying routes to school and providing pedestrian safety education prior to International Walk to School Day. Participation by students can be encouraged through providing incentives such as healthy snacks or raffle prizes. Parents can support the school’s efforts by allowing their child to participate in Walk to School Day and helping to escort students to school or greeting them as they arrive. International Walk to School Day is a good time to launch or gauge interest in an ongoing walking/bicycling program.

May is Bike Month: May is Bike Month is coordinated by the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) and the region's transportation management associations and organizations to encourage more trips throughout the region to be made by bicycle. Activities include numerous events, prizes, meeting other cyclists, and logging miles ridden. Individuals, employers, and schools can pledge to ride any number of miles and then log their progress online (http://www.mayisbikemonth.com).

SACOG provides tools and resources to schools for the annual May is Bike Month program. Bookmarks, t-shirts, safety booklets and other materials are available. Schools can securely record students’ bicycling trips or they may complete a form and mail it to SACOG. Many schools offer prizes for students or classes who ride the most.

Bike rack: Install an Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals recommended bicycle rack in a covered location. The APBP Bicycle Parking Guidelines recommends racks that support the frame in two places, prevent the front wheel from tipping, and allow for securing both the frame and a wheel (Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals 2002). Examples of appropriate rack styles include the inverted ―U,‖ the ―A,‖ and the post and loop.

Figure 13 The APBP's recommended bicycle rack styles.

source: Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals

Shower facilities: Provide shower facilities for staff and faculty who bike to work.


DISCUSSION

The recommendations contained in this report reflect the objectives to ―provide safe and usable pedestrian facilities for all pedestrians‖ and ―to enhance walking as a viable transportation choice to help make Sacramento County a better place to live,‖ which are outlined in SacDOT's Pedestrian Design Guidelines, Pedestrian Master Plan, and ADA Transition Plan (County of Sacramento Department of Transportation 2005).

A disproportionate amount of pedestrian crash fatalities occur in rural areas with higher speeds and no walking spaces (Zegeer, et al. 2000). Parent survey results repeatedly showed concern for the lack of safe places to walk. Questions regarding the safety or presence of sidewalks consistently showed between 30%-39% of respondents interested in improvement of walking spaces. In conjunction with the facts that only 40% of parents feel they live too far to walk or bike and that 51% live within one mile, even a conservative estimate could expect to see another 10% of Orchard Elementary School’s students walking or biking—nearly doubling the numbers that currently do. Constructing sidewalks is one of the best ways to improve pedestrian safety, especially in rural areas.

By adding walk to school programs, this increase in walking and biking to school could be high. An example is Mary Deterding Elementary School, a K-6 school in unincorporated Sacramento County in an area without many pedestrian facilities including sidewalks and crosswalks. Promotional efforts generated an increase from 8% to 68% of students walking or biking on special-event walk to school days (County of Sacramento Department of Transportation 2009).

Additionally, the health of kids who begin walking and biking to school would be improved. For the 2007-2008 school year, only 20% of Orchard Elementary fifth graders met all six of the California Physical Fitness Test’s Healthy Fitness Zones (Orchard Elementary School 2009). Statewide, 28.5% of fifth graders met all six zones (State of California Department of Education 2007). Kids who walk or bike to school will get more physical activity in their day, be more energized when they arrive at school, and will learn to incorporate activity into their day-to-day routine for life.

The Orchard Elementary community and school area residents have been interested in improving the safety of their streets for many years. Putting this report’s recommendations to use would strengthen the community’s relationship with the county and reinforce the pride people have in their neighborhood.

CONCLUSION

There is great potential to increase the numbers of students walking and bicycling to Orchard Elementary. The responsibility of improving the safety and increasing the numbers of children walking and biking to school does not fall on one group. The current obstacles to walking and biking are surmountable through the partnership of community and school leaders, parents, SacDOT, and Twin Rivers Unified School District, and partner organizations. Partners are encouraged to pursue funding as opportunities become available. As a final recommendation, WALKSacramento urges Twin Rivers Unified School District, Orchard Elementary, and community members to adopt this plan and take action together toward implementation.


WORKS CITED

Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals. "Bicycle Parking Guidelines." 2002. Campbell, B.J., Charles V. Zegeer, Herman H. Huang, and Michael J. Cynecki. A Review of

Pedestrian Safety Research in the United States and Abroad. University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, 2003.

County of Sacramento Department of Transportation. 2009. —. "Americans with Disabilities Act Transition Plan." 2005. —. "Mary Deterding Elementary State-Legislated Safe Routes to School (SR2S) Application

(8th Cycle)." 2009. —. "Sacramento County Pedestrian Master Plan." 2007. —. Traffic Counts Program. 2009. http://www.sadcot.com/tools/trafficcounts (accessed

November 6, 2009). EPICenter. Bicycle-Related Injuries in California. 2004.

http://www.applications.dhs.ca.gov/epicdata/content/ST_bicycle.htm (accessed December 9, 2009).

—. Pedestrian Injuries in California. 2004. http://www.applications.dhs.ca.gov/epicdata/content/ST_pedestrian.htm (accessed December 9, 2009).

National Coorperative Highway Research Program. Report 500 Guidance for Implementation

of the AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan. Transportation Research Board, 2004. Orchard Elementary School. "Orchard Elementary School School Accountability Report Card

2008-2009." 2009. Ragland, David, and Megan Mitman. Driver/Pedestrian Understanding and Behavior at Marked

and Unmarked Crosswalks. University of California Traffic Safety Center, 2007. State of California Department of Education. 2007 California Physical Fitness Test. 2007.

http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/pf (accessed September 11, 2009). State of California Department of Motor Vehicles. "Section 21950.(a)." In California Vehicle

Code. 2010. Zegeer, Charles V., Cara Seiderman, Pete Lagerway, Mike Cynecki, Michael Ronkin, and Bob

Schneider. Pedestrian Facilities Users Guide. Federal Highway Administration, 2000.


APPENDIX A: RANKING WORKSHEET

Sacramento County Safe Routes 5 E’s

School Assessment

Selection Criteria

Please fill out the information below School: Orchard Elementary School Address: 1040 Q Street Rio Linda 95673

Street City/Zip School District: Center Supervisor: Dickinson

Initial Qualifications (must score “Yes” in all categories)

x YES - The school district leadership is committed to support the project

x YES - The school site leadership is committed to the project

x YES - The school site has strong parent and/or teacher support for the project

Ranking and Selection Criteria Q1. Describe the school's community context (max. 25 pts.) Q1a. Do a significant number of students live within walking and biking distance of the school? (max 10 pts.)

X If 50% or more within 1 mile (10 pts) If 20 % or more within 1 mile (4 pts.) X Q1b. Does the school site have strong organizational, programmatic or physical links with other community resources; e.g. public park, community center, Boy or Girl Scouts neighborhood association? (Yes = 5 pts) Please list them here: ___________________ X Q – 1c. Is school currently listed as a CIP Project (Table 23) in the Pedestrian Master Plan.(10 pts)


Q2. School district priority (max. 10 pts.) X 1st priority (10 pts) 2nd priority (7 pts) 3rd priority (4 pts.) Q3. What are the Pedestrian and/or Bicyclist problems to be addressed? (max. 20 pts.) 0 High traffic arterial within school attendance zone (4 pts) 1 Recent pedestrian/bicycle collisions near school (4 pts) 4 Missing sidewalks near school (4 pts.) 0 A problem intersection is nearby (4 pts) 4 Pick up/drop off problems (4 pts) Q4. Are there current Safe Routes 5 E's activities under way? (max. 15 pts.) 0 Education - i.e. pedestrian/bicycle safety instruction. (5 pts) 0 Encouragement - i.e. Walk to School programs (5 pts.) X "Enforcement - i.e. traffic guards, law enforcement (5 pts.)" 49 TOTAL points

Is this school a candidate for a Walk to School toolkit? Yes X No

Reviewed and scored by: Anne Geraghty, Executive Director, WALKSacramento Name Chris Holm, Project Analyst, WALKSacramento Name Terry Preston, Project Coordinator, WALKSacramento Name March 23, 2009 Date


APPENDIX B: ATTENDANCE BOUNDARY

http://www.twinriversusd.org/schools/orchard/


APPENDIX C: PARENT SURVEY FORM

Orchard Elementary School

May 2009

Dear Parent, please complete and return this to your child’s teacher!

1. What is your child’s gender and grade level? Boy Girl Grade

2. What is the approximate distance from your home to the school?

¼ mile or less Between 1 and 2 miles

¼ mile to ½ mile More than 2 miles

½ mile to 1 mile

3. What street do you live on?

Nearest cross street:

4. How does your child travel TO school? (Check one box per row)

Every Day 2-3 times/wk Once a week Occasionally Rarely/Never

Walk

Bike

Driven

Carpool

Bus

5. How does you child travel HOME FROM school? (Check one box per row)

Every Day 2-3 times/wk Once a week Occasionally Rarely/Never

Walk

Bike

Driven

Carpool

Bus

6. Do you have concerns about traffic safety along the routes to school? Yes No

If yes, please explain: (note specific problematic streets, intersections, and/or other concerns)

7. If your child does NOT walk or bike to school, why not? (Please check all that apply)

Work schedule does not permit Live too far from school

Traffic is too fast/dangerous Not enough time in the morning

Child is too young Lack of safe bike parking

Child does not know safety rules Sidewalks too narrow

Missing sidewalks Other (please explain)


8. What would make you more likely to allow your child to walk or bike? (Please check all that apply)

Walk/ride in group with children Safe bike parking

Walk/ride with other parents Sidewalks separated from traffic

I was able to walk/ride with them Route maps available

Child was older Crossing guards were present

Child had walk/bike safety training Sidewalk and bike paths improved

Slower traffic None, I prefer driving them

More shade on route Other (please explain)

9. Would you be interested in the following? (Please check all that apply)

Walk safety training for children Bike safety training for children

Walk safety training for parents Bike safety training for parents

Greater community input in street design and safety

Supervised walk-to-school program

Other (please explain)

10. Would you be interested in helping in a walk-to-school program?

(If yes, please provide contact information)

Name Phone

Email

11. Comments


APPENDIX D: ENGINEERING RECOMMENDATIONS BY

PHASE

s




PHASE ONE

Recommendation Responsibility

Construct sidewalk on south side of Q Street between Dry Creek Road and 10th Street. Provide width of 8 feet in front of school.

Mark all crosswalks at the intersections of Q Street with 10th Street and Q Street with 8th Street with a high-visibility pattern.

Improve intersection of Q Street with Dry Creek Road to current standards. Include space for standing at all corners.

Install class II bike lanes on both sides of Dry Creek road between O Street and U Street.

Install class II bike lanes on both sides of 10th Street between Q Street and U Street.

Improve crossing at school driveways and mark with high-visibility pattern.

Provide safe walking space on both sides of Q Street between 10th Street and 8th Street.

Prune vegetation and keep walking space clear and traffic signs visible.

Install in-street crosswalk signs at the intersections of Q Street with 10th Street and Q Street with Dry Creek Road.

SacDOT

Construct sidewalk on west side of parking lot.

TRUSD

PHASE TWO


Extend sidewalk on north side of O Street to entire length between Dry Creek Road and 10th Street.

Construct sidewalk on west side of 10th Street between O Street and Anderson Wood Way.

Provide safe walking space on the east side of 10th Street between O Street and Q Street, and on both sides of 10th Street between Q Street and U Street.

Cover or improve ditches that pose hazards and barriers to walking throughout the project area.

Place stop bars before all crosswalks throughout the project area.

Where appropriate, place traffic signs closer to the roadway fo increased visibility throughout the project area.

Place safety cones along the length of the curb between driveways.

Restrict parking on the north side of Q Street at least in front of the school and possibly for the entire length between 10th Street and Dry Creek Road.

SacDOT


PHASE THREE


Repaint faded bike lanes on Q Street and 10th Street.

Consider installation of a speed table on Q Street to the west of the school’s entrance driveway.

Install class II bike lanes on O Street between Dry Creek Road and 10th Street.

Narrow vehicle lanes on 10th Street between O Street and Q Street.

Remove or construct minimum four feet clearance around utility poles throughout the project area.

Paint curb between driveways red.

Consider using the existing speed table for a raised mid-block crossing.

Install speed feedback sign on Q Street on both approaches to school.

SacDOT

Install an Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals-recommended bicycle rack in a covered location.

Provide shower facilities for staff and faculty who bike to work.

Plant shade trees on school property around buildings and adjacent to the sidewalk.

Install truncated dome strip on sidewalk along length of bus loading area.

Replace pavement adjacent to bus loading and in front of multipurpose room with a smoother surface.

Install a planter strip between the parking lot and the sidewalk to provide separation between vehicles and pedestrians.

Create an alternate pick-up/drop-off area by utilizing the service entrance on the east side of the school’s frontage.

Increase parking lot size by extending lot southward along west fence.

TRUSD


APPENDIX E: SACRAMENTO AREA BICYCLE

ADVOCATES BIKE AUDIT REPORT Orchard Elementary School Report On site evaluation was done in May 2009. Key Findings Road conditions around this neighborhood school were generally good for bicycling. There were streets with bike lanes, good pavement and little debris. One key route, Dry Creek Road between O and U Streets, does not have bike lanes. Traffic volume is moderate in the school’s vicinity. Vehicle speeds seemed high on Dry Creek Road and on Q Street, especially east of Dry Creek Road. Lack of speed limit signs made speed limits unclear. Shade was lacking on the school campus, including the school’s frontage on Q Street, and on roads leading to the school. Bike parking, a ―comb‖ rack, at the school was of a design that is not recommended. Few students or staff bicycled to school. No bikes were present on the day observations were made. Reports were that several faculty and staff regularly commuted by bike. Some relatively low costs physical changes could improve bicycle access to the school. A variety of programs could be established to encourage bicycling. Existing conditions General Setting The area around the school is residential and rural in character. Housing is predominantly single family homes with varying lot sizes. There is some pasture land. There are no commercial areas except on Oak Lane, south of the campus. Block size varies considerably. Block sizes are smaller to the west of the school and housing density is greater to the west as well. A few street segments have sidewalks. Streets generally have unpaved shoulders. Some streets have bike lanes, including Q Street which fronts the campus, 10th Avenue south of Q Street, and Dry Creek Road south of O Street. The street system is generally laid out in a grid, but the grid is incomplete. Many streets end in dead ends and there are a number of cul de sacs. The cul de sacs and dead end streets limit connectivity, increase the distance of walking and biking trips and place more traffic on collector streets and arterials instead of dispersing it throughout the neighborhood. Shade trees are scarce, though there are some. Some waste containers were left in bike lanes, impeding bike traffic. Oak Lane, Cherry Lane, Curved Bridge Road and the Sacramento Northern Bikeway run diagonally in relation to the street grid for all or some of their way.


The Sacramento Northern Bikeway, an off-street bike path is about three quarters of a mile from the school on the west. The bikeway runs roughly northwest to southeast between Elverta Road and M Street. The Dry Creek Parkway lies about a half a mile to the south and east of the school. The parkway runs roughly from the southwest to the northeast. The parkway is about 2000 feet wide and is bracketed by the two forks of Dry Creek. The Dry Creek Parkway Master Plan calls for the construction of multi-use trails in the parkway. Phase I of trail construction, in the central portion of the parkway, is scheduled to go to bid in the spring of 2010, with construction expected to start in June 2010. Sacramento County is in the process of updating its bikeway master plan. In the vicinity of the school, the existing master plan calls for construction of bike lanes on Dry Creek Road from O Street to Q Street , on Q Street from 16th Avenue to the east, on O Street from 10th Avenue to Dry Creek Road and on Covered Bridge Road from Oak Avenue to Dry Creek Road.. Campus There is an attached sidewalk on the south side of Q Street in front of the school. The trees on Q Street do not adequately shade the sidewalk or street. Access to the campus The campus is surrounded by a chain link fence. The only entrance to the school grounds is from the parking lot. The school has a large, mostly unshaded paved parking lot with room for bus turnaround. There is an auxiliary unpaved parking lot south of the main lot behind the perimeter fence. The paved parking lot has about xx parking spaces for vehicles. There may be opportunities to provide a new access to the campus via a private street or new bike/ped path from 10th Avenue. For the private road, the access point would end at the paved parking lot. Another alternative would be to construct a bike/ped path along a driveway and through a vacant lot to reach the schools unpaved parking lot. A small drainage channel would have to be bridged in either case The school has a large attractive schoolyard to the south of the school. The schoolyard is surrounded by the backs of housing lots on Dry Creek Road, Castle Creek Way, and 10th Avenue. Bicycle parking The bike rack is a typical school yard rack with slots for 30 bikes. The uncovered rack is centrally and prominently located, just to the east of the parking lot in a courtyard between the two main buildings. The school yard style rack is no longer recommended because it doesn’t support a bike frame at two points, limits the ability to lock the frame of the bike and cannot be used with all kinds of locking devices. Bicycle commuting by faculty and staff There are 67 faculty and staff members at Orchard Elementary School. Currently two or three faculty or staff members commute by bike. There are no showers, but some clothing lockers


are available for faculty and staff. No special bicycle parking is available for faculty and staff. The school district does not provide any incentives for commuting by bike. Access via Q Street Q Street has 5’ bike lanes east and west of the school campus. There is one vehicle lane in each direction. The bike lanes to the east end at 16th Street. There is a speed table near the school. There are stop signs at Rio Linda Blvd, Front Street, 10th Avenue and Dry Creek Road. There are sidewalk segments from the school to just west of 10th Avenue on the south side of Q Street and short sidewalk segments on either side of Bellcamp Street on the north side of Q Street. There is a short sidewalk segment near the church at Rio Linda Blvd. Otherwise there are no sidewalks. At 16th Avenue eastbound on Q Street there is a sign that reads, ―END BIKE LANE. BIKE USE TRAFFIC LANE.‖ However, the roadway narrows and vehicle speeds appeared to exceed the posted 45 MPH speed limit. Access via Dry Creek Road From the south, Elkhorn Blvd to Q Street. Dry Creek Road has 6’ bike lanes from Elkhorn Blvd. to O Street. There is one vehicle lane in each direction. The bridges over the two forks of Dry Creek appear to be built for two lanes of traffic in each direction. Traffic is high speed and moderate volume. There are stops signs at the intersections with Curved Bridge and O Streets. The bike lanes end at O Street. The roadsides are partially, but inadequately shaded. There is some gravel in the bike lane at a driveway just north of Elkhorn Blvd. Foliage obscured a speed limit sign on southbound Dry Creek Road just south of Q Street. From the north, U Street to Q Street There are no sidewalks or bike lanes. There are some shoulders and some shade. Speed limit is 45 MPH. Access via 10th Avenue For those travelling to the school by bike or foot from areas to the south, 10th Avenue appears to be a good alternative to Dry Creek Road. It could make the trip longer, but has fewer vehicle trips, lower speeds and a bike lane. 10th Avenue could also provide access from the north as an alternative to Dry Creek Road. Though it does not have bike lanes, it has lower traffic volumes and speeds. Lower speed limits may be possible. Recommendations and Discussion Efforts aimed at engineering, enforcement, education, encouragement and evaluation can increase the number of children walking and bicycling to Orchard Elementary School. Recommendations are categorized by type, priority and cost. The types of recommendations


address the five E’s: engineering (physical changes in the environment usually requiring construction), enforcement, encouragement (marketing or promotion), education, and evaluation. Recommendations assessed as making a significant difference in bicycle access and bicycle use were designated as high priority and are shown in bold. No other priority ranking was performed. Each recommendation was identified with a cost estimate, low (L), medium (M) or high (H). Striping, curb cuts, traffic signal adjustments and bike parking were considered low cost. Recommendations requiring paving were generally considered medium cost. Overcrossings and other major construction were designated high cost. Engineering Plant trees along Q Street and other area roadsides. (L) Add sidewalks and bike lanes to Dry Creek Road between O Street and Q Street. (M) Consider reducing speed limit on Dry Creek Road when sidewalks and bike lanes are added. (L) Add east west bike path through Dry Creek Parkway near Q Street per Dry Creek Parkway Master Plan. Provide two crossings of Q Street, on either side of the parkway, to access planned parkway bike paths. (M) Plant trees around campus buildings and playgrounds. (L) Investigate acquiring property or easement to create campus entrance from 10th Avenue near Anderson Wood Way or Takami Court. (M) Add campus bicycle/pedestrian entry gate at east side of schoolyard on Q Street. (L) Improve bicycle parking on campus. Install new racks. Add cover for racks. (L) Consider making O Street a bike route between the Sacramento Northern Bikeway and 10th Avenue. (L) Reduce speed limit on 10th Avenue north of Q Street to 25 MPH. (L) Perform road diet on O Street from Dry Creek Road to west of Castle Creek Way. Add bike lanes and sidewalks. (M) Consider adding a Dry Creek Parkway access at end of O Street. (M) Remove tree stakes from trees in Sacramento Northern Bikeway. (L) Enforcement Add speed limit signs on streets leading to school where signs are not present. (L) Trim foliage from obscured speed limit sign on Dry Creek Road. (L) Encouragement Start a bike to school program. (L) Encourage teachers and other staff to commute by bike. (L) Develop a school area bike map for the area within one to two miles of the school. (L) Education Establish an annual skills training program for students. Provide all students 4th grade and higher with printed materials such as ―From A to Z by Bike.‖ (L)


Encourage teachers and staff to take Street Skills 101. (L) Remind neighborhood residents not to place or leave waste containers in bike lane. (L) Evaluation Track number of bicyclists by taking periodic bike counts. (L) General recommendations for all school campuses Provide federal commuter bike incentive to faculty and staff. (L) Provide high quality long term bicycle parking for faculty and staff and access to showers and clothing lockers. (M) Participate in May is Bike Month Million Mile competition for schools. (L)

909 12th Street #122

Sacramento CA 95814

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www.walksacramento.org

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WALKSACRAMENTO · Olivia Delgado Riley Grigsby Aaron ... Christina Marie Sambrana Lisbeth Viera Sacramento County Department of Transportation Staff Ron Vicari, ... Walt Seifert