On December 11, the first workshop of the Transportation Working Group attracted stakeholders from across the six-county region to discuss common — and unique — issues of moving people and goods through rural areas.
The issues identified most commonly across the six-county region were rural truck traffic, inadequate rural road funding and poor bicycle facilities. Safety, traffic congestion and road maintenance were all significant concerns, especially with increased truck traffic. Participants also noted a lack of funding for road rehabilitation, including a need for new bicycle facilities and more connectivity.
Some issues unique to a few areas include lack of goods movement support between counties, need for preserving historic places and corridors, and lack of wildlife crossings.
One example of a goods movement issue is in Yuba County. Timber and aggregate trucks impact low-capacity rural roads, causing pavement wear and creating safety issues for other autos and bicycles. Improvements to existing roads could help keep resource goods moving to major corridors. Participants cited many other roads in need of safety and capacity upgrades across the region.
Other issues being studied in transportation include the impacts of traffic on agriculture, vehicle miles of travel and emissions, levels of service, and the challenges from road improvements, including traffic increases and cost sharing.
The next working group meeting is tentatively scheduled for March. To read and comment on the Transportation working paper, visit the RUCS wiki at: www.sacog.org/rucs. For more information contact Matt Carpenter at (916) 340-6276 or mcarpenter@sacog.org.