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SVCAC eyes Riverside Drive plan

The Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission will be looking at a proposal to turn Riverside Drive from Boyes Boulevard to Craig Avenue in the Springs into a one-way street.

For the past year, a group of residents along Riverside Drive have been meeting with each other, with county officials including 1st District Supervisor Valerie Brown and Public Works officials, and with school officials as it impacts El Verano Elementary School.

Last month, Tom O’Kane, deputy director of Public Works, said he discussed four alternatives with Leah Brumer, Carole Peccorini and Zuli Baron, the women who put together the proposal, but said the one that will be designed is an 11-foot traffic lane in the center, going south, with two 4-1/2-foot pedestrian/bike lanes flanking the traffic lane. And O’Kane said the change could be made before the end of the year.

But other residents along other streets in the vicinity didn’t know of the plans to turn Riverside Drive into a one-way street until reading about it in the Index-Tribune.

At last month’s Springs Community Alliance meeting, a number of neighbors complained that they weren’t part of the process and the proposal would increase traffic on their streets.

In a piece on today’s editorial page, B5, by ?Kathryn Eckhardt, Judy Curme, Patrick McMurty and Cathy Carr, they are calling for further traffic studies before the proposal is implemented.

“We fail to understand how this decision could have been made in the absence of traffic impact studies, community meetings and trials of alternative strategies. This change in the traffic pattern will divert the northbound traffic from Riverside, traffic from the Riverside residents themselves, as well as re-routed neighborhood traffic through our narrow, pothole-ridden streets. The surrounding neighborhoods now are aware of this issue, and are calling for the Commission to defer decision on this proposal until comprehensive impact studies are completed. We agree with the residents of Riverside Drive that it is a priority to make our streets safer. Increasing traffic to smaller streets only adds to the problem in other neighborhoods. We look forward to joining forces to work together as a community to increase the safety on all of our streets,” the piece said.

The SCVAC will look at the proposal at its meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24, in the Community Meeting Room, 177 First St. W., in Sonoma.