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PrintCouncil eyes bike traffic report
How much bike traffic is enough bike traffic to warrant the installation of Class II lanes and the partial elimination of on-street parking?
Are two bikes each hour enough?
How about 25 students, counted going to and coming from school, on a peak-usage, “Walk and Roll to School Day?”
Those are questions the City Council will struggle with on Monday, during a review of the level of usage on the not-yet, year-old West MacArthur Street bike lanes.
In a report to the City Council, the Traffic Safety Committee has recommended city staff continue with bicycle education and promotion programs to increase bike ridership.
While acknowledging that bike counts taken on a bike-to-school day are likely atypically high, the committee report recommends the city allow more time for the bike lane to be fully utilized.
“It takes time, effort and education to promote a culture of usage, especially in areas that may have previously been considered unsafe or undesirable with respect to bike ridership,” the committee report states.
City staff say they intend to conduct ridership counts on an annual basis.
Also on the night’s brief agenda is a report by Patricia Talbot on Health Action Sonoma County, a presentation on Cradle to Career Sonoma County (a partnership connecting all sectors of the educational community) and a proclamation honoring Sonoma Valley firefighter Gabriel Stirnus (see story on page 1). The City Council will meet in the Community Meeting Room, 177 First St. W., at 6 p.m. The public is invited.
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First it was "farmer's markets", soon followed by "roach coaches" (meals on wheels) and now its bike lanes.
Its amazing how these trendy practices take hold from city to city, county to county and state to state.
America is the land of the automobile. That's why public transportation is in such a poor state in most places.
Bikes are great, -- for kiddies and teens to play around on, but are not a serious means of transportation and will not be in the foreseeable future. We have an elderly population in Sonoma, are they to be expected to take up bike riding for shopping, doctor visits and general transportation around town?
The closing of traffic lanes for bikes that are hardly ever seen is absurd. Today bike riding seems more of a political statements as spandex wrapped, slick helmeted riders troll about town exercising their rights to ride. But when they need to do or move something serious, they have no qualms about either using their own or asking somebody with a car to lend a hand (and an auto, too!)
No to bike lanes, they are absurd. And for those bike riders on the road, have them follow the rules of the road and the California vehicle code when out on the public streets which belong to all and not just a piddling minority.
Bike lanes are not just a 'trendy practice' as suggested by Andrew Betancourt. Bike lanes have been around in cities and towns for many years and most bike riders seen in Sonoma aren't 'slick helmeted riders (who)troll about town'. The bike riders I see daily are Sonoma residents, young to senior citizens, who choose to use this mode of transportation for a variety of reasons: for exercise/health, to avoid having to pay the high gas prices so often and/or to do their bit to cut air pollution. Students choose to bike to school instead of walking or taking the bus. Some of our Sonoma residents don't have a car and some can't afford the many costs of vehicle ownership.
As for our 'elderly' population, my uncle was still riding his bike around town at 91 and 'elderly' neighbors do the same, not because they are 'expected' to but out of choice.
The article doesn't suggest closing traffic lanes. Bike lanes already exist and the article suggests looking at possible additional measures to make road usage safer for both bike riders and drivers. I was happy to see bike lanes created for our town to make it easier and safer for me, as a driver, and for bike riders.
Sonoma has been in need of new bicycle lanes for a while. Especially by the Blue Moon Saloon/Former Bonanza Ford Area. Some locations such as around Little Switzerland and El Verono school are dangerously unsafe. I can't recall how many times I had to dismount my bike and walk because the safety was so inadequate along those rodes. As for the first comment, America may be the land of the automobile but encouraging the use of cycling is a good thing. Have you ever been to Rhonert Park? It's disgusting.