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Citrus Heights Messenger

Neighborhood Champions Promote Street Safety

Oct 10, 2019 12:00AM ● By Story by Shaunna Boyd

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - The City of Citrus Heights is initiating the Multimodal Transportation Safety Program (MMTSP), which will improve the way the City addresses residents’ traffic safety concerns. The project is funded through a Caltrans Sustainable Communities grant with matching funds from the City, and the goal is to make Citrus Heights neighborhoods safer places to drive, walk, and bike.

Through the program, the City will conduct significant community engagement, develop a methodology for evaluating and prioritizing safety concerns and requests submitted to the City, and identify potential funding sources for safety solutions.

Leslie Blomquist, Principal Civil Engineer for Citrus Heights, said they have received requests for traffic calming measures for nearly every street in Citrus Heights. Examples of calming measures include speed humps, raised crosswalks, curb extensions, neighborhood gateways, median islands, and roundabouts. These measures can help reduce unsafe speeds and discourage drivers from cutting through neighborhoods.

The City is working with Steer, a consultancy groups that specializes in helping cities improve infrastructure and transportation. Jim Daisa, Associate Director of Steer, explained that the City’s current procedure for processing requests isn’t transparent, making it difficult for residents to follow the status of their requests. And with no established methodology for evaluating and prioritizing requests, many significant complaints can be lost in the shuffle.

So, the City is asking residents to get involved by volunteering as Neighborhood Champions. The role of the Champions is to promote street safety in Citrus Heights, communicate project goals to people in their neighborhoods, and attend and help facilitate community workshops. Neighborhood Champions will play an important role by ensuring that neighborhood concerns are reflected in the project and by encouraging others to participate in the process. The Champions’ focus would be on collecting input from a diverse group of community members.

The Neighborhood Champions project has a superhero theme because “in Citrus Heights we use our powers for good,” said Steer Consultant Sarah McMinimy. “We have a responsibility to make our streets safer. We want to encourage neighborly behavior and focus on inclusivity.”

Champions would also arrange field workshops, or WALKshops. Champions would lead residents along pre-determined corridors to look at examples of calming measures to see whether they are working effectively. They would ask attendees to share their opinions about whether they would feel comfortable walking along those streets and if they would like to see those measures implemented in their neighborhoods.

The City sent letters or emails to everyone who has ever complained or submitted a request about traffic safety, inviting them to become Champions to help improve the process. On October 2, the City held their first Champion Orientation to explain the project goals. Mary Poole, Citrus Heights Operations Manager, said, “We want a transparent community-centered process.” She explained that the role of the Champion is flexible: “We don’t need everyone to come to every event. … That’s why we want a lot of people involved and engaged — many hands make light work.”

One attendee said he felt that he and many of his neighbors are “burnt out.” He said, “We already did all this. We went door to door, got people to sign a letter to the City. … We did everything the City requires, but we keep getting pushed off.” He said he knows a lot of people who have “just had it with the City.”

Poole said she understands the frustration, and she assured everyone that every complaint the City has ever received is still in their system, and community participation will help those concerns be heard and addressed.

All the attendees expressed concern about traffic in their neighborhoods, especially vehicles driving at unsafe speeds. They are worried that the neighborhood streets are not safe for pedestrians, especially for young children walking to school. One resident said, “People who don’t live there don’t care.”

“It’s dangerous,” said another resident. “I’ve just kind of given up.”

McMinimy is hopeful that the community will engage in the process, because even though some people are frustrated and fed up, “they still showed up — which shows they still care.” She is optimistic that residents will take this opportunity to work with the City to improve street safety for all residents.

The City is still recruiting Neighborhood Champions, so if you would like to get involved, visit www.citrusheights.net/945/MMTSP-Multimodal-Transportation-Safety to complete an interest form. Whether you choose to become a Champion or not, the City wants to hear your concerns. All residents are invited to the first MMTSP Community Workshop on Wednesday, October 30 from 4:30 – 6:30 PM at the Citrus Heights Community Center, 6300 Fountain Square Dr., Citrus Heights, CA 95621.

 

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