Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition’s Advocacy Summit
Summary of Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition’s Advocacy Summit, held 03/15/2025
City Councils in Sonoma County have adopted or shortly will adopt Active Transportation Plans. We need to identify specific projects that should be prioritized in the next 2 year cycle other than the projects that are scheduled to move forward and for which the City has funding.
Our priorities have included:
A bike route through the City
4 bikeable East West Corridors through the City to connect University with the Foss Creek Pathway including March Avenue, Powell, Grant and Matheson. These will incentivize more children to bike to school and parks.
Sidewalk improvements where cycling infrastructure will be addressed.
Improving access using active transportation modes to the future SMART station and from there to downtown Healdsburg.
Incorporation of more Art into the projects.
Where resistance toward change may make things hard to sell to the community, we need to consider quick builds—perhaps something that could be put up and taken down in as little as 3 days. Public Works seems to have toyed with this idea on Front Street between the bridge and First Avenue and then stopped talking about it. There is concern that this would require elimination of some parking on Front Street, a situation that some may find unacceptable. A quick build may give us an inkling of future potential benefits/problems.
Much resistance toward change has centered on the consequences of removing coveted parking spaces in the City. In this era of concern for the future of our planet and the role that increasing the number of people who choose to get around without relying on their cars has, is it appropriate to keep insisting on using our public streets to park our private vehicles to the extent that we do? Are we too set in our ways to not consider the possibility of thinking a little differently about the above? Is a cultural shift possible?
Studies in the Bay Area have shown that about ⅔ of people (including non-cyclists) support improving bike/ped infrastructure.
There is funding for Capital Improvement Projects which will be awarded by the SCTCA (Sonoma County Transportation and Climate Authorities) Board this Summer.
This is easier to obtain if the projects submitted are more than just paving projects. When pike/ped infrastructure is added to these paving projects, it is more likely that funding can be obtained. It is more likely that funding can be obtained if the project addresses safety, children, access to schools, to parks and to transportation hubs. It is more likely that funding can be obtained if the projects address a problem in both Healdsburg (in our case) and the surrounding County i.e. if the project has Regional elements. Each City can nominate 5 projects that the City will put forward. These add-on projects are also appealing in that they don’t take decades to complete.
There is also One Bay Area Grant money available. The One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) program is designed to reward jurisdictions that accept housing allocations through the Regional Housing Need Allocation process. The program totals $320 million over the next four years ($14.6 billion over the life of the Plan, which amounts to 5 percent of overall funding and 25 percent of discretionary funding in the plan). The program grants local communities the flexibility to invest in transportation infrastructure that supports infill development by providing funds for bicycle and pedestrian improvements, local road repair and planning activities, while also providing funds for Safe Routes to School programs and for Priority Conservation Areas. In order to be eligible for One Bay Area Grant money, Healdsburg will have to comply with Transit Oriented Community requirements.
Four goals guide the TOC Policy and advance PBA 2050 implementation:
Increase the overall housing supply in part by increasing the density for new residential projects. Prioritize affordable housing in transit-rich areas.
In areas near regional transit hubs, increase density for new commercial office development.
Prioritize bus transit, active transportation, and shared mobility within and to/from transit-rich areas, particularly to Equity Priority Communities located more than one half-mile from transit stops or stations.
Support and build partnerships to create equitable transit-oriented communities within the San Francisco Bay Area. Future One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) funding cycles (i.e., OBAG 4 and subsequent funding cycles) will consider funding revisions that prioritize investments in transit station areas that are subject to and compliant with the TOC Policy. With MTC Commission approval, MTC may consider compliance with the TOC Policy to evaluate applications for additional discretionary funding sources.
Resumen de la Cumbre de Defensa de la Coalición de Bicicletas del Condado de Sonoma, celebrada el 15/03/2025.
Los ayuntamientos del condado de Sonoma han adoptado o adoptarán en breve Planes de Transporte Activo. Necesitamos identificar proyectos específicos que deberían priorizarse en el próximo ciclo de 2 años, además de los proyectos que están programados para avanzar y para los cuales la Ciudad tiene fondos.
Nuestras prioridades han incluido:
Una ruta ciclista por la ciudad
Cuatro corredores ciclistas de este a oeste que conectan la Universidad con el sendero Foss Creek, incluyendo March Avenue, Powell, Grant y Matheson. Esto incentivará a más niños a ir en bicicleta a la escuela y a los parques.
Mejoras en aceras donde se abordará la infraestructura para ciclistas.
Mejorar el acceso mediante modos de transporte activo a la futura estación SMART y desde allí al centro de Healdsburg.
Incorporación de más Arte a los proyectos.
Donde la resistencia al cambio pueda dificultar la venta de las propuestas a la comunidad, debemos considerar construcciones rápidas, quizás algo que pueda instalarse y desmontarse en tan solo tres días. Obras Públicas parece haber considerado esta idea en Front Street, entre el puente y First Avenue, y luego dejó de hablar del tema. Existe la preocupación de que esto requiera la eliminación de algunos estacionamientos en Front Street, una situación que algunos podrían considerar inaceptable. Una construcción rápida podría darnos una idea de los posibles beneficios/ problemas futuros.
Gran parte de la resistencia al cambio se ha centrado en las consecuencias de eliminar las codiciadas plazas de aparcamiento en la ciudad. En esta era de preocupación por el futuro de nuestro planeta y el papel que desempeña el creciente número de personas que optan por desplazarse sin depender del coche, ¿es apropiado seguir insistiendo en usar las vías públicas para aparcar nuestros vehículos privados hasta el punto en que lo hacemos? ¿Estamos demasiado arraigados como para no considerar la posibilidad de pensar un poco diferente sobre lo anterior? ¿Es posible un cambio cultural?
Los estudios en el Área de la Bahía han demostrado que aproximadamente ⅔ de las personas (incluidos los no ciclistas) apoyan la mejora de la infraestructura para bicicletas y peatones.
La Junta de SCTCA (Autoridades de Transporte y Clima del Condado de Sonoma) otorgará fondos para Proyectos de Mejoras de Capital este verano. Esto es más fácil de obtener si los proyectos presentados van más allá de la pavimentación. Cuando se agrega infraestructura para peatones y ciclistas a estos proyectos de pavimentación, es más probable obtener financiamiento. Es más probable obtener financiamiento si el proyecto aborda la seguridad, la infancia, el acceso a escuelas, parques y centros de transporte. Es más probable obtener financiamiento si los proyectos abordan un problema tanto en Healdsburg (en nuestro caso) como en el condado circundante, es decir, si el proyecto tiene elementos regionales. Cada ciudad puede nominar cinco proyectos que la ciudad presentará propuestas. Estos proyectos complementarios también son atractivos porque no tardan décadas en completarse.