We’re grateful to the Railyards team for giving us this opportunity to write about the Railyards’ bike plan.

Our mission at SABA is to improve the region’s quality of life by enabling more people to choose a bike for everyday travel. Projects like the Railyards present especially important opportunities to serve that goal.

When it’s fully built out, the Railyards will be home to half of the Central City’s residents, many new employers with thousands of employees, and such regional destinations as the historic Central Shops, a new Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, a new regional park and a Major League Soccer stadium.

Its compact, urban footprint and location next to existing downtown neighborhoods and just across the river from West Sacramento make the Railyards an ideal place for getting around by bike. We’ve been working closely with the Railyards team to ensure that residents, employees and visitors have a safe, comfortable, convenient network of bike routes to, from and between all these new destinations and activity centers.

One particularly important bike route will be along South Park Street, a new street parallel to Railyards Boulevard on the north edge of the neighborhood. We’ve helped the Railyards team plan South Park Street as a calmer alternative to the bigger, busier Railyards Boulevard. Bike lanes on South Park Street will connect a new light rail station planned for 7th Street near Railyards Boulevard with the future Kaiser medical center.

We’re also working with the Railyards team and City of Sacramento planners and engineers to design a bike-friendly connection from the west end of South Park Street to the east end of the new I Street Bridge. Our goal is to create a continuous, calm bike route between West Sacramento and the MLS Stadium, which will also help improve access to downtown Sacramento.

The Railyards’ bike plan also calls for providing a harmonious experience for both pedestrians and people on bikes on Stanford Street, a new street parallel to 5^th Street in the Central Shops District.  Planning where people can ride and park their bikes will ensure a friendly environment for all of those who come to the Central Shops and those traveling to and from the nearby Sacramento Valley Station.

Bikes are part of a cleaner, healthier, friendlier future for Sacramento. We’re excited to work with the Railyards team to help make travel by bike part of the future Railyards experience.

Jim Brown, Executive Director, Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates

Jordan Lang, Project Analyst, Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates