Judging by all the outlines of bodies i see in SF, I don't think they're a model for pedestrian and bike safety. Their critical mass bicyclists demonstrations are frightening and sometimes violent.
i do think if sacramento wants to maintain a pedestrian friendly environment, while expanding its residential and worker population, the city must clamp down on auto traffic now. But the city also has to provide some service in return. something that meets commuters and residents half-way.
i live on freeport blvd. which is part of a two-way conversion effort that has dragged on for years before i even lived here. i didn't think that the auto traffic would bother me much when i moved here having before lived on H Street downtown where it is one-way, but it is a nightmare. People are terribly irresponsible when they are rushing to work in the morning, and bolting the city when they punch out. I can't even describe it to you - you'd just have to witness it first hand. I'm one who accepts certain facts when living on a traffic artery, but i've scraped many dead pets off the street, seen countless hit and runs, seen regular speeds from 40-70 mph day and night, cars through neighbor's fences, cars have hit a couple houses and also hit trees (another reason to love those trees).
The real problem is that people are assholes in their cars. they don't even behave like their normal selves once inside. it's unfortunate that people are so irresponsible, but they are. if you give a driver two lanes, they use both. if you give them 35 mph, they drive 45. if this city wants to make itself "the most livable city" then they must mitigate the car traffic problems with public transportation, traffic calming streetscaping, and more evenly dispersed routes that move both ways.
Thankfully, the city at least now has control of 160's former routes and can actually decide what's best for them. it seems like some business owners kinda take any bone the city throws and are content - if the midtownies really want a two-way conversion to happen they need to rally up the resident support need to make enough noise. In my opinion 19th and 21st streets should be converted, especially with all the residential growth on those two streets in the past couple years. I think it's better for drivers to use 19th AND 21st, instead of one or the other. But that's my opinion based on experience from Freeport & 21st in Land Park, and H and G Streets downtown.
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