Category Archives: News

Beach Bus! Great things happen when we work together

SRTA, RABA, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area and Redding Recreation are joining together to make the Beach Bus a reality.

This program comes directly from feedback given in recent unmet needs surveys that show strong interest in summer service to the lake.  This was validated as a priority by the nine member Social Services Transportation Advisory Council  (Reminder:  We are lucky to have Margie McAleer represents us on this council, on behalf of Shasta Living Streets members and mission.)

ACTION ALERT:  Join us at the RABA meeting next Monday to show support for this program!   

  • Monday June 20, 5:15pm at Redding City Council Chambers.  You’ll find us in the right side seating / towards the front.

Local agencies are responding quickly to your voices on the transit unmet-needs surveys. Thank you to everyone for taking a little time to make comments.

Beach Bus

Great things happen when we work together!

Let’s continue to show our support for improvements to transit that build excellence and support active lifestyles in Shasta County!

Walkable Cities: On our way to PedsCount! Summit next week

California Walks brings together professionals, academics and community leaders to share their most promising work and discuss ways to eliminate traffic fatalities and build walkable cities and vibrant public places.

Dave Moore, Director Caltrans District 2 will be a featured speaker, presenting successes and challenges from four projects in the North State, including projects in Downtown Redding.

Anne Thomas, Shasta Living Streets, Sara Sundquist, Shasta Safe Routes to Schools, and Shellisa Moore, Healthy Shasta will also represent Shasta County at the Summit.

PedsCount! Program 2016

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State award for bringing parklets to major downtown streets

California Streetsies: Local Advocacy with the Biggest Statewide Significance

Congratulations everyone!  We – YOU – won a Streetsie!  Silly name, nice award.  How great to be celebrated for the contributions by our volunteers and supporters, members and donors.  It’s nice to see Redding and Shasta County recognized for these positive community results.

The parklet project is an example of the type of demonstration strategy Shasta Living Streets produces to showcase community support for improvements and innovations. Together we are making a real difference for better bikeways, walkable cities, trails and vibrant public places. Thank you for your support.

READ THE AWARD

This award is a tribute to the dozens of volunteers and the collaboration of many groups and businesses who made the project possible, including:  Enjoy the Store, Cascade Properties, Ryan Russell Studio, Dignity Health, Mix 101, Aztec Construction, Sierra Pacific, Scout & J.Miller Coffee, Carnegie’s, Tantardini’s, J&A Foods, Amarte, Dulceblomma, Foundry Square, In-Dwelling, Sierra Nevada, California Street Shop, Healthy Shasta, The Shasta Historical Society, Moseley Family Cellars, Carousel, Shameless O’Leery’s, View 202, Lucy Hair Enhancement, Red Arrow, Rader Excavating, Civic Auditorium, TEDx Redding, Catalyst Young Professionals, Op-Test, and the thousands of people and participants who came by and enjoyed the parklet. This project was a collaborative effort with both the City of Redding and Caltrans District 2.

Great positive press for innovation, collaboration and vibrant public places in Downtown Redding

Great positive press for innovation, collaboration and another first by YOU! – Shasta Living Streets volunteers and partners, City of Redding and Caltrans District 2

Read the article on StreetsblogCA.org, here

Redding’s Successful Parklet May Help Bring Statewide Guidance

by Melanie Curry   Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Thank you everyone for all your hard work and contributions!
This parklet – your parklet –  was made possible by dozens of volunteers and a collaboration of many agencies, groups and businesses, including:

Caltrans District 2, City of Redding, Enjoy the Store, Cascade Properties, Ryan Russell Studio, Dignity Health, Mix 101, Aztec Construction, Sierra Pacific Scout & J.Miller Coffee, Carnegie’s, Tantardini’s, J&A Foods, Amarte, Dulceblomma, Foundry Square, In-Dwelling, Sierra Nevada, California Street Shop, Healthy Shasta, The Shasta Historical Society, Moseley Family Cellars, Carousel, Shameless O’Leery’s, View 202, Lucy Hair Enhancement, Red Arrow, Rader Excavating, Civic Auditorium, Catalyst Young Professionals, Op-Test.  And all the thousands of people and participants who came by and enjoyed the space.

This was a very successful project.  City of Redding is now designing standards and policies for local businesses to have living streets amenities of more permanent parklets and bike corrals- and now Caltrans HQ is working on policies that will help other cities in California!

Community Renewal – People Powered – Downtown Play – Public Goodwill – Business Focus – Beautification

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We won an Award! Innovative safety measures for cyclists

Introducing the Flying Wedge!

Caltrans District 2 and Shasta Living Streets win state award for newly designed rumble strip markings in Shasta County that make for a safer commute by bicycle.  

Caltrans Excellence in Transportation Award Winners 2017

We are very pleased to have partnered with Caltrans for the innovative new hazard-alert markings, to help cyclists ride safely along highway shoulders – the Flying Wedge!  Allen Kost, Anne Thomas worked together with Caltrans over a couple of years to make this happen.  Keith Williams (Caltrans Bicycle Advisory Board Member, SRTA) also assisted.

People ride this route every day and the new markings are an elegant way to keep everyone safe.  These new markings are the first of their kind in the state.

Many people ride roads like this between their homes, businesses, and daily errands because there is often no other option.    Shasta Living Streets and our volunteers have been collaborating with Caltrans for nearly three years to make travel safer for people on bicycles, by alerting cyclists to rumble markings in the roadway.

BEFORE

Impossible to see the road hazards

 

 

IMG_0635AFTER

These markings alert people on bicycles to rumble strips and grates in the road

 

 

 

More markings along HWY 44

IMG_0635 grate victor 3 IMG_0644 IMG_0646 IMG_0647 AFTER 1

Allen Kost has been riding in Redding and Shasta County for many years.  He provided valuable input on this project for a number of years, and has this to say:

After riding bicycle for many years on State Highway 44 and hitting rumble strips from time to time as they seem to hide in plain sight, the new warning markings that have been added by Caltrans are a most welcome sight.  In the past I have been jolted, had tire damage that ensued in delayed flat tires, some by blow out, and know a friend who crashed on a rumble strip that resulted in an ambulance trip to the ER.

These rumbles do hide in plain sight. Now with the new white markings a cyclist can concentrate more on the other parts of the road feeling assured that the rumbles won’t pop up so unexpectedly. In addition to marking the rumbles Caltrans District 2 is also marking the drainage grates and other utility covers that could also pose a hazard to the unexpected rider.

I find the new markings to be a great addition to making my commute along Hwy 44 a safer and more enjoyable trip. Hopefully these markings will become the norm throughout District 2 and the State of California.  A  big thank you Caltrans District 2 for a job well done.

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It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way

Yesterday, a person on bicycle was killed in Redding.

At Shasta Living Streets, we believe that most collisions are preventable by reducing dangerous behaviors and building streets that work for everyone.

In America, over 30,000 people die every year on our streets and highways; somehow, we have become inured to these daily tragedies and accept them as inevitable. Programs like Vision Zero say, “Wait a minute, these deaths are preventable. We don’t have to accept this—better infrastructure and better policies can stop the slaughter.” What’s more, Vision Zero programs have been shown to work.

Better infrastructure like protected bike lanes are the cornerstone of any Vision Zero program. Make no mistake, protected bike lanes work:

And better infrastructure doesn’t benefit just people on bikes:

  • When protected bike lanes are installed in New York City, injury crashes for all road users (drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists) typically drop by 40 percent and by more than 50 percent in some locations. [source: Memorandum on Bike Lanes, City of New York, Office of the Mayor, 21 March 2011]

Better bicycle infrastructure also has many proven economic benefits, but we will discuss that another time. The fact is that we can do better. We should do better.

Let’s not shy away from excellence. Let’s not turn our back on the deaths. Let’s work together to built streets that work better for people who walk, bike, and drive.

Report: How to Make Downtown Redding More Walkable

The May 1 workshop, Best Foot Forward: Downtown Redding was a wonderful opportunity to gather people from across the community to discuss opportunities and solutions that could make a real difference in our community.

The California Walks and SafeTREC team developed a report to synthesize the conversations and recommendations.  We want to share the report with you.  It’s available here:

Report – Recommendations to Improve Pedestrian Safety in Downtown Redding

Workshop Presentation – Working Toward a Safe, Vibrant and Walkable Community

Redding Injury & Collision Data –  Data for Redding

California Pedestrian Injury Data – California Injuries Data

The City of Redding was identified as a focus community for a Community Pedestrian Safety Training, in collaboration with Shasta Living Streets, based on resident interest in pedestrian safety and walkability, as well as recent and planned active transportation improvements in and around the downtown core.

Summary of the May 1 Workshop

Redding community members requested a workshop to 1) provide City staff, community organizations, and residents with a toolkit for promoting pedestrian safety and walkability to inform future comprehensive active transportation planning and improvement efforts; 2) foster an open and collaborative relationship between community groups, residents, and City agencies; and 3) develop consensus for pedestrian safety priorities and actionable next steps in downtown Redding.

The workshop was attended by 25 individuals representing a wide range of organizations and disciplines, as well as the community-at-large, including:

  • Francie Sullivan, Mayor, City of Redding
  • Missy McArthur, Vice Mayor, City of Redding; Board Member, Shasta Regional Transportation Agency; Redding Area Bus Authority Representative
  • Kristen Schreder, Council Member, City of Redding; Board Member, Shasta Regional Transportation Agency
  • Redding Department of Public Works
  • Redding Police Department
  • Downtown Redding Property Owners
  • Downtown Redding Transportation Planning Consultants
  • Shasta Living Streets
  • Shasta County Department of Public Works
  • Shasta County Regional Transportation Agency
  • Shasta County Public Health / Healthy Shasta
  • Shasta County Safe Routes to School Program
  • Caltrans District 2
  • Caltrans Headquarters
  • Shasta Historical Society
  • Downtown Business Owners
  • Developers
  • Trilogy Architecture
  • Community Residents

Participant Recommendations

The group reached broad consensus on the following recommendations:

Establish Pedestrian-Friendly Speeds through Traffic Signal Timing:   Participants unanimously agreed that traffic speeds in downtown Redding needed to be re-evaluated and retimed in order to achieve lower, pedestrian-friendly speeds (between 23-25 MPH)—particularly for California, Market, and Pine streets.

Create Safer Intersections with Curb Extensions & Pedestrian Signal Adjustments:   Participants identified several low-cost priority strategies to improve safety for people walking and crossing at intersections, including: building curb extensions—including temporary ones—to reduce crossing distances and slow turning vehicles; improving pedestrian signal timing with automatic pedestrian recall adjustments and leading pedestrian intervals at peak hours at downtown intersections; and adopting a “daylighting” policy to restrict parking at intersections and near crosswalks. Participants supported temporary curb extensions that could be rolled out in the near-term to achieve significant pedestrian safety gains, with Market/Placer, Placer/California, and Pine/Yuba as high-need initial installation sites. Participants noted, however, that the City should also plan for the systematic conversion of any temporary curb extensions to permanent concrete curb extensions in the future.

Ensure Market Street Remains a Pedestrian-Priority Street: Participants broadly supported re- opening Market Street to vehicles with the caveat that Market Street must remain a pedestrian- priority street. Participants identified extremely low vehicle speeds (15 MPH or less) and providing pedestrian-scale amenities (seating, shade, etc.) as key strategies for maintaining Market Street’s commitment to being a pedestrian-oriented space. One group suggested opening cross streets across the Promenade as an alternative approach to re-establishing vehicle traffic on Market Street itself.

Provide Shade throughout Downtown:  Participants identified the lack of shade as a large barrier for people walking and recommended that the City systematically plant additional shade trees and/or install shade structures throughout downtown and especially for the Market Street Promenade.

Explore Options for Downtown Parking Policy:  Participants expressed interest in working with the City to reexamine the downtown area’s parking policy in order to encourage increased turnover through strategies such as variable pricing of on- and off-street parking; creation of a parking benefits district where collected parking fees would be reinvested in streetscape and safety improvements in the area where the fees are collected; and the establishment of a “park once” strategy for downtown.

Improve Downtown Walkability through Parklets, Wayfinding, & Lighting:   Participants identified several strategies to improve downtown’s walkability, including exploring the establishment of temporary, voluntary “parklet” program; installing additional pedestrian-scale lighting; implementing pedestrian-scale wayfinding and signage throughout the downtown area; and improving the lighting and/or painting the ceiling of the central parking garage white to encourage more utilization of off-street parking as a park-once district strategy in the short- term.

MORE INFORMATION — See the report for an overview of safety conditions in downtown, complete input by the group, recommendations by the California Walks and SafeTREC team – and a complete list of all the people, businesses and organizations who contributed to this workshop and report.

Thank You to the many participants who gave their time, energy and expertise for this project.   Thank You to the workshop presenters and facilitators:  The California Walks and SafeTREC team and Cheryl Brinkman from San Francisco MTA.  

And a very special Thank You! to Shasta Living Streets members, business sponsors and supporters whose contributions make projects like this possible.   Thank You to the Northern C’s Cal Alumni Club our community partner for this project.

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Redding is the Feature Story! Caltrans Report

Caltrans announces a new people and community-friendly direction that will help transform communities across California – and Downtown Redding is the Feature Story!

We have set course on a new mission, established a new vision and adopted new goals to ensure that California has a transportation system that meets the complex needs of the coming century.    Caltrans Director, Malcolm Dougherty

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This new direction was announced in Caltrans Performance Report, June 2015.

 

 

 

 

 

We are excited to see the feature article in this important publication – Redding, California:  New Road Diet Improves Downtown Business!  

  • I was initially concerned and not happy about the idea to go from three lanes to two on California Street. But now I love it – the foot traffic at our business [corner of California & Placer] has increased threefold! It’s fantastic.” – James Mazzotta, Enjoy Store

Thank You and congratulations to our many members and supporters who made this project possible in the first place.  Your letters and phone calls supporting this project made the difference.

Read the article:  Mile Marker: Redding, CA. New Road Diet Improves Downtown Business

Goals:  Triple Bicycling, Double Walking and Transit

Caltrans is committed to supporting an increase of bike trips to 4.5 percent of all trips in California in the next five years, plus increasing walk trips to 33 percent and transit to almost 9 percent of all trips.   Read more about this:  Streetsblog: Caltrans goals triple bicycling, double walking and transit by 2020

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In 2015 Caltrans announced an ambitious new direction.

 

 

MISSION

Provide a safe, sustainable, integrated and efficient transportation system to enhance California’s economy and livability

GOALS

  • Safety and Health
  • Stewardship and Efficiency
  • Sustainability, Livability and Economy   Make long-lasting, smart mobility decisions that improve the environment, support a vibrant economy, and build communities, not sprawl.
  • System Performance
  • Organizational Excellence

Kudos to staff and leadership at Caltrans District 2 and staff of the City of Redding  for the vision, design and planning to implement the California Street project quickly for the benefit of downtown businesses and local people who want to see a more inviting and safe downtown district.

We look forward to further improvements on California Street and downtown Redding for walking, biking, public spaces, parking and driving – though the current planning processes and future project implementations.

keepcalm_caltrans2

 

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Further Refinements to California Street

When the California Street right-sizing was initially completed,  a large empty area was left on the east side of California Street to the left of the yellow line. We felt this was a less than optimal choice, because we were concerned the wide, empty area would be used as a travel lane or encourage speeding.

Happily. Caltrans recently returned and striped about a dozen on-street parking spaces along the east side of California Street. In addition to adding to downtown Redding’s already generous parking capacity, this has the effect of calming traffic: parked vehicles prevent motorists from using the area as an additional travel lane, the parked vehicles act as a buffer between traveling vehicles and pedestrians on the sidewalk, and the act of on-street parking discourages other motorists from speeding.

This is a win-win: more parking for motorists and safer streets for everyone!

More Refinements on the Way

A process is currently underway to develop a plan for Parking, Circulation, and Transportation in Downtown Redding.   Share your thoughts on these important community development issues:  contact information here –  Downtown Redding Transportation Plan

Mark your Calendar!  The first Community Workshop will be Wednesday, March 25 from 5:30 – 7:30 pm, in the Atrium at the south end of the Market Street Promenade.   We hope you can attend this workshop to learn more about planning activities – and ways you can provide your input and ideas for improvements to downtown transportation.  Your voice counts.

Want to learn a little more about the history and development of Downtown Redding?   From the beginning of Redding’s history until today, it’s fascinating!  View it here:  Downtown Redding: A Timeline

Bike-Walk-Trails-Transit Create Local Prosperity

We are excited to be participating in the PROSPERITY project, led by Northern California United Way.   It’s part of our continuing effort to work with groups across the community to achieve reliable routes for people walking, biking and taking transit.

WealthWorks

Reliable Routes for people walking biking and taking transit will help us achieve economic vitality

  • Attract the Talent that Makes a Region Thrive
  • Meet the Needs of Employers and Employees
  • Increase Business in Local Shopping Districts
  • Secure Sustainable Communities Funding for Re-Development
  • Relieve Traffic Congestion (and Cut Public Works Costs)
  • Save Money for Thousands of Households
  • Boost Our Health (and Cut Regional Medical Costs)
  • Meet the Needs of Our Community’s Aging Generations
  • Meet the Needs of Younger Generations
  • Make a Difference in Economic and Racial Inequality
  • Drive the Real Estate Market by Offering Active Living People Want
  • Cash in on the Power of Clusters
  • Increase Public Safety – Eliminate Major Injury Collisions
  • Boost the Academic Performance of Students

Let’s Join the National Movement

  • Americans made 10.7 billion trips on public transportation in 2013– a 37 percent transit increase since 1995.
  • Bike commuting is up 60 percent over the past decade, according to census figures.
  • People are walking 6 percent more than in 2005, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  • The number of miles Americans travel in cars and trucks per capita has dropped nine percent since 2005. 

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Prosperity is a cross-sector collaboration of organizations in the Shasta County interested in creating lasting solutions to multi-generational poverty issues and the effects of those issues in our local community.  The vision of Prosperity is to create a connected and vibrant community with a thriving economy that benefits all residents.   More:  United Way Northern California Prosperity

Community Level Goals & Outcome for Website

More Information – Recent Articles

11 Reasons Why Transit, Bikes & Walking Are Moving Us To A Brighter Future.   BeyondChron,   January 21, 2015

New policies and funding to build transit (bus, bike, ped) and other needed infrastructure.  Streetsblog, January 21, 2015

New California policies and funding for affordable housing plus transit (bus, bike, ped).  CaliforniaEconomy.org, March 9, 2015

Invest to create a community where everyone lives well.

Help us make a difference in our community by creating reliable routes and safe spaces:  Bike – Walk – Trails – Transit – &  Vibrant Public Places!   Become a Member Today!