Green Means Go

New lights should make fair oaks stretch safer

By Duffy Kelly
November 2018

With an eye to transform Fair Oaks Boulevard into a more pedestrian- and bike-friendly street, the Sacramento County Department of Transportation is installing four additional stoplights along Fair Oaks in the quarter-mile stretch between University and Fulton avenues.

Along the route, the county will reduce lanes from six to four, swapping two car lanes for bike lanes. Added all up, including the existing lights at Howe Avenue and Munroe Street, there will be a total of six traffic lights with crosswalks and a “cycle track.”

Called the Fair Oaks Boulevard Complete Streets Project, the plan occurs in two phases. The first is underway and adds two new signalized crosswalks, which are crosswalks that allow pedestrians to push a signal button to stop traffic.

One crossing will be near McDonalds, the other near Zinfandel Grill. The second phase starts early next year and adds bike lanes and two conventional, synchronized traffic lights designed to work with the flow of traffic, such as the lights at Howe and Munroe. The signals will be installed at University Avenue and Fulton and Fairgate Road.

“We will use the right of way that is now used for cars and replace it with a Class IV bike lane, a cycle track,” says county senior traffic engineer Matthew Darrow. “All of those improvements will help benefit bikes and pedestrians and allow people who want to use the businesses and establishments to get there other than driving.”

Some residents have expressed concerns that the project will increase commute times. Darrow explains engineers determined there’s nothing to worry about.

“This will add only seconds of additional delay,” he says. “People are worrying about signals and eliminating a lane in each direction. When people drive the speed limit and go with the flow of traffic, it will only be seconds of delay.

“If it were to add five additional minutes, I would have a hard time accepting that. But we’re talking about seconds, not anywhere close to five minutes.”

How did the idea for the project come about?

“The county is always paying attention and looking to see how we can make things better and what opportunities we have,” Darrow says. “This was born out of some of the engineers in the office. When the opportunity to apply for a grant comes up, we always say, what would be a good project to apply for? We have noticed some people jaywalking in that area.”

Without question, traffic is heavy and crossing Fair Oaks is a challenge along this stretch. But reaction to the proposed plan is mixed.

Adjacent business owners are largely in favor of the project, while some commuters say the consolidated cluster of stoplights is too much.

Mansour Yaghoubian, whose Mansour’s Oriental Rug Gallery is across the street from Loehmann’s Plaza, says he’s witnessed many accidents in front of his shop.

“For traffic lights close to my shop, I am in favor of that,” he says. “We have had numerous accidents close to my shop when people try to make U-turns or turn left going out of Loehmann’s. One person even died. So one traffic light for sure, but four, I don’t understand.”

Jennie Overland, manager of Renaissance Fine Consignment, believes the best option is an overpass connecting the Ettore’s side to the Pavilions side.

“This will help traffic and walkers who want to shop at both centers. We have a parking problem on our side, so we could park over there, and vice versa. No matter what, a traffic light is long overdue because we have an accident out front almost every day,” she says.

Some nearby residents worry the change will encourage motorists to drive through quiet Sierra Oaks to avoid traffic lights. And they wonder whether bike lanes make sense since they won’t be safely connected to the rest of Fair Oaks Boulevard, which has no similarly dedicated safe space for bikes or pedestrians who navigate narrow shoulders, driveways and ditches.

The Sacramento Area Council of Governments and the 2014 Bicycle and Pedestrian Funding Program provided the money for the first phase. Funding is still being sought for the second phase, which is expected to begin in a couple of months and cost between $5 million and $6 million.

For information, contact Matthew Darrow, Senior Transportation Engineer  darrowm@saccounty.net, or call him at (916) 874-7052.