I moved to Curtis Park in the summer of 2016 and have come to enjoy many things about the neighborhood, including the park, my neighbors, many different styles of homes and the proximity to downtown.
One thing I do not enjoy is the traffic and speeding on Sutterville Road. Since Feb. 2018, I have sent letters to Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Councilmember Jay Schenirer without recognition or response.
I have also contacted the Sacramento police about this matter. The representative I spoke with told me they were aware of the matter but did not have the police staff to deal with it and referred me to the community center. I wrote to the Sierra 2 Center without any response.
I have spoken with neighbors about this matter and they agree that things should change.
Trying to cross Sutterville Road should not endanger one’s life. There should be a crosswalk where there once was before the city removed it at East Curtis Drive and Sutterville Road. There should be reduced lanes with bike lanes similar to the Broadway plan. There should be enforcement of the 35-mph speed limit. People speed at all hours of the day as they jockey for position on their way to Freeport Boulevard and Sacramento City College, and as they head to Highway 99.
With the new development of the Crocker Village shopping center, I expect that traffic and speeding will only worsen.
I would be happy to go door-to-door to have a petition signed for making changes. I would happily speak at any of the community meetings to bring attention to these problems and to find ways in which we can bring change that promotes safety and maintains the integrity of the community that so many of us are fortunate to enjoy.
If the city can change the traffic pattern on Freeport Boulevard, make changes on 24th Street to slow the traffic down by building an oversized roundabout and adding speed bumps, and by agreeing to make significant changes to Broadway, then I should expect the city should address the traffic and speeding on Sutterville Road.
After many months, I recently received word from Mr. Eric Poon from the Sacramento Police Department who tells me that there has been a new sign added to Sutterville Road to address this issue. However, personally, I have not noticed any difference in the behavior of most motorists. I told him I think a speed limit radar device, similar to the one on Freeport, might be helpful.
Next, Mr. Poon indicated that there would be a crosswalk with stop traffic function added at East Curtis Drive for pedestrians to cross Sutterville Road. When I asked him about reducing the lanes as has been done with Freeport and soon to be done with Broadway and Franklin Boulevard, he told me that that would not be possible. Certainly fewer lanes would reduce the speeding.
Meanwhile, it’s off to the races on Sutterville Road.
By Bruce Espenshade