Category Archives: safety

Bike Trail, safety

Slow down or risk ticket, Sacramento County tells parkway bicyclists

Cyclists who zip along the American River Parkway faster than the 15 mph speed limit may find their free-wheeling ways costing them $50.

Starting as early as this weekend, Sacramento County rangers will be lying in wait – a LiDAR speed gun in one hand, a citation book in the other – to clock, warn and eventually cite cyclists who treat the crowded trail as a racetrack.

“If cyclists want to open it up, they really need to go out on the roadway,” County Regional Parks Chief Ranger Stan Lumsden said. “This is a multiuse trail with pedestrians, dogs, horses, strollers and joggers.”

Cyclists have long been allowed to ride faster than the posted limit, often doing it safely. But as the parkway has gotten crowded, Lumsden said, rangers have noted more speed-related crashes, including some serious head-on collisions.

Lumsden said parkway groups and users complain about unsafe riders, especially clusters of cyclists hitting speeds of 30 mph.

“People say it’s a long time coming,” Lumsden said. He acknowledged the effort will be controversial. “Yeah, but everything we do is.”

The citations will be issued under the county park code. They will not be reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles, and will not affect a cyclist’s driver’s license standing or car insurance, Lumsden said.

More at SacBee.com >>>
Bike Trail, Rafting, safety

Sacramento region braces for record-high heat

It’s not yet summer, but it’s not too early for extreme summer heat.

Record-high temperatures, peaking at 105 degrees, are expected to hit the Sacramento region today and Saturday.

At least until the Delta breeze kicks in Sunday across the Valley, when the thermometer may plunge below 90 degrees, health officials advise that this is not the time to sip alcoholic cocktails under the sun. That will only further dehydrate you amid the withering heat.

And state fire officials suggest that you not even think about barbecuing outdoors or mowing that dry grass in the Sierra foothills. They warn that two days of dry, scorching weather, followed by threats of lightning strikes Sunday, means elevated danger for wildfires.

“In this kind of weather, even a smoldering look can cause a fire,” said Janet Upton, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

National Weather Service officials are predicting temperatures in Sacramento will hit 102 today – tying a record from 1883. The heat is expected to reach 105 on Saturday, burning past the high of 103 recorded in 1973.

Weather officials were originally predicting even hotter conditions before determining that a cooling breeze could slip in between competing high and low pressure systems. That would allow high temperatures to drop back down to a comparatively chilly 89 degrees Sunday.

Until then, “there is just going to be a lot of hot air coming in,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Drew Pearson. “It’s unusual to be this hot, this early.”

While the Sacramento region is certainly used to its summer swelters, Dr. Peter Hull, emergency medical director for the Sutter Roseville Medical Center, is putting out warnings early this year on coping with heat.

“Doing everything possible to avoid being out in the heat is the first priority,” said Hull. He added that “the young, the very old, the sick and the obese” should take particular care to drink plenty of fluids and stay in the air-conditioned indoors – whether it’s at home or in a chilled shopping mall or theater.

He warned of signs of heat exhaustion. It may start with cramping. In severe cases, vomiting, diarrhea or disorientation may mean someone needs medical attention and should call 911.

More at SacBee.com >>>

 

Bike Trail, safety

Nine American River bike trail intersections change to 2-way stops

Nine out of 12 intersection stop signs on portions of the American River bike trail will be taken out to allow runners and bicyclists the right of way.

The intersections will go from four-way stops to two-way stops with vehicles required to give right of way to bike riders, runners and walkers. Stan Lumsden, Sacramento County chief ranger, said the traffic flow change is about safety.

“We have more bicycle traffic through the parkway than vehicles and it makes sense to give the bikes the right of way,” said Lumsden in a county press release. “On the safety side, bikes can roll through the intersection allowing cyclists to keep up their momentum and avoid rear-end collisions.”

More at SacBee.com >>>

 

Bike Trail, Rafting, safety, Water, Wildlife

Sacramento highly rated for parks

According to the Trust for Public Land’s Parkscore index, Sacramento tied for third in a rating of the nation’s top park systems with Minneapolis taking top honors.

New York came in second and joining Sacramento in the number three spot is Boston and San Francisco.

Three factors comprise the ratings: park access, which measures the percentage of residents within a half-mile walk of a park; park size, which is based on the community’s median park size and percentage of total city area dedicated to parks; and a category that combines number of playgrounds per 10,000 residents and per capita park spending.

The report’s profile of cities mentions Land Park (most visited) and the American River Parkway (largest) in Sacramento.

Rafting, safety, Water

Sacramento officials launch push for more life jackets on the rivers

With the Saturday drowning of a 16-year-old on the Sacramento River and record heat in the forecast, city and county leaders are pushing for a wider distribution of life vests on Sacramento’s rivers.

Supervisor Phil Serna said he asked county staff and reached out to City Councilmen Steve Cohn and Steve Hansen – both with popular swimming spots in their districts – to “do what is necessary to have life jackets available to the public ASAP.”

Serna said he’s planning to have life vests distributed at Paradise Beach and Sand Cove Park near where the 16-year-old drowned along Garden Highway.

Witnesses said the boy, whose name has not been released, was swimming with a 13-year-old friend – both without life jackets – when he went under the water and never came back up.

It was unclear whether the life jacket distribution would apply to other beaches as well, Cohn said.

In an email to The Bee, Serna said there is some urgency to getting life jackets into the hands of recreational swimmers, with temperatures expected to top 100 degrees by the end of the week. The National Weather Service predicts a high of 109 degrees on Saturday.

More at ModBee.com >>>

 

 

Fish, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Study finds unsafe mercury levels in fish from Delta watershed

The first comprehensive study of rivers and streams in California has found that sport fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed have higher concentrations of mercury and PCBs than anywhere else in the state.

The survey adds to the history of high mercury levels in sport fish in the Sacramento region and dovetails with recent research that found consumption of sport fish from certain Delta region streams remains high, despite knowledge of the high mercury levels.

The sport fish survey, conducted by the State Water Resources Control Board, surveyed 16 species from 63 locations in 2011.

“While past monitoring looked at fish contaminants in lakes, rivers and streams, it was not focused on providing a statewide picture,” said Jay Davis, senior environmental scientist with the San Francisco Estuary Institute.

The survey piggybacks on similar surveys done on lakes and reservoirs as well as coastal areas – all of which found mercury to be the most common contaminant in fish. The survey is meant to provide information for future action and monitoring.

In the river survey, the highest contamination was found in sport fish high in the food chain – such as smallmouth and largemouth bass, striped bass and the Sacramento pikeminnow.

The river sites that yielded highly contaminated fish included the American River at Discovery Park and the south fork of the American River at Coloma. Fish tested from the San Joaquin River pier at Point Antioch and at Louis Park in Stockton also showed high mercury levels.

More at The Modesto Bee >>>

Bike Trail, safety

American River parkway attempted sexual attack leads to arrest

A man suspected of attempted sexual assault on a woman along the American River Parkway was taken into custody this morning.

Police said the 9:45 a.m. Tuesday attempted sexual assault took place near the bike trail at H Street. The woman told citizens in the area about the incident and police were summoned.

Police set up a perimeter and sent out a “reverse 911” to area residents, telephoning neighbors about the suspect in hope that the community could help find the attacker.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Events, Rafting, safety, Water

Life jackets recommended for holiday fun in the water

Memorial Day weekend traditionally marks the beginning of the summer recreation season, drawing boaters and swimmers to Sacramento region waterways.

With that in mind, public safety officials are urging people recreating in area rivers, lakes and streams to wear life jackets. Even though the river flow is low this year, they stress that strong currents exist below the surface and the water is cold.

The American River Parkway Foundation announced this week that is taking on the responsibility of purchasing and supplying life vests for Kids Don’t Float, a program that lends life vests to children during the summer months at seven access points along the American River.

The Kids Don’t Float program was initiated in 2003 by Sacramento County and its Emergency Medical Services Agency. Since then, the program has provided more than 2,000 new life vests annually to stock river access stations. Due to ongoing budget cuts, however, the county recently discontinued funding for the program, leading the American River Parkway Foundation to assume responsibility.

The foundation, a nonprofit agency, manages volunteer and donor programs to help preserve and maintain the 23-mile stretch of the parkway from the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery.

The life vest stations will be re-supplied and inspected twice a week from Memorial Day through Labor Day by the Drowning and Accident Rescue Team, and Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District. Life jacket stations include two sites at Discovery Park, Ancil Hoffman Park, Howe Avenue river access, Watt Avenue river access, River Bend Park and the Sunrise river access. Life jackets should be returned to the appropriate stations at the end of the day so other people can use them. Each station will offer ten to 15 life vests in various sizes.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Bike Trail, Fish, Rafting, safety, Wildlife

Last day to reserve campsite for weekend

This is Wednesday — and that means this is the last day to book a campsite reservation at a state park for a Friday arrival on Memorial Day Weekend.

A detailed recreation forecast for the upcoming weekend will appear in Thursday’s Chronicle and at sfchronicle.com.

The first campgrounds to sell out are coastal sites. The last to sell out are in the valleys, foothills and Redwood Empire.

As of Wednesday morning, these parks still had campsites available, from just one day to all three days for the upcoming weekend:

Greater Bay Area: Big Basin & Little Basin Redwoods, Brannan Island, China Camp, Henry Cowell, Mount Diablo, Portola Redwoods.

Coast: Salt Point, San Simeon.

Foothills & valleys: Clear Lake, Clear Lake cabins, Colusa-Sacramento River, Folsom Lake, Fremont Peak, Indian Grinding Rock, Lake Oroville, San Luis, Turlock Lake, Woodson Bridge.

More at SFGate.com >>>