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| Letter Date | 2004-06-04 |
|---|---|
| Recipient | Davis City Council |
| Subject | Containerization of green waste |
Davis City Council
City Hall
23 Russell Blvd.
Davis, CA 95616
Re: Containerization of green waste
Dear Council Member:
The City of Sacramento has recently taken action to implement a voluntary green waste containerization program. The reasons for taking this action are cost savings, reduced pesticide runoff, less blockage of storms drains, less street damage and improved street appearance and cleanliness.
The Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates, a regional organization with many members in Davis, urges you to consider a green waste containerization program.
Cycling safety and desirability are additional and important reasons for containerizing yard debris. Many of our members have complained about current methods of collecting green waste. The waste piles are often precisely where cyclists ride and are especially hard to see at night.
Piles of yard debris in the street present a number of problems for cyclists:
1. Cyclists can hit them and fall. This has happened to me (during the daytime) when a vehicle moved into my path and forced me into a pile of wet leaves causing me to go down. SABA has collected a number of anecdotes where serious injuries, including broken bones causing two weeks of lost work time plus thousands of dollars of medical expenses, have resulted from such falls.
2. Cyclists can be forced into the path of vehicles in order to avoid the piles.
3. Debris left behind after pick-up can present a hazard to cyclists and are a threat to bike tires.
4. Pick-up can not only damage the pavement, it can damage bike lane and other pavement markings.
Containerization seems like a good way to reduce problems for cyclists and others, especially since it also saves money.
However, we do have a caution or two. Please put reflective markings on waste containers. We expect green waste containers to be less of an obstacle than green waste piles since the containers will be out for shorter periods and will sometimes be on the curb and not in the street. The bulky containers are still hazardous though. Waste containers are difficult to see at night. All the containers need to be more visible to both cyclists and motorists.
Also, there needs to be a program to discourage putting waste containers in the path of cyclists. It is not legal to block bikeways with either green waste or waste containers. (California Vehicle Code 21211(b) "No person may place ... any [] object upon any bikeway or bicycle path or trail, which impedes or blocks the normal and reasonable movement of any bicyclist...")
We would like to work with the city to develop tools that will keep containers out of the way of cyclists. This might include public education, instructional text molded into the containers about their placement, instructions to truck operators to place empty containers out of the way of cyclists and an enforcement program.
Thanks for your consideration.
Yours truly,
Walt Seifert
Executive Director
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