NEWS FROM THE SONOMA COUNTY BICYCLE COALITION

ISSUE 14 SUMMER 2005 promoting bicycling for transportation and recreation

Defending Bicycle Master Plans

Michael Eunice

About fifteen years ago, Congress passed the first Trans-

portation Enhancement Act (TEA), which required states,
counties, and cities to develop bicycle master plans with
the advice of bicycle advisory committees. Subsequently,
Congress added pedestrians to the plan, resulting in
bicycle and pedestrian advisory committees (BPAC’s).
Most public agencies still view BPAC’s only as a means to
receive federal money from TEA. That is, most cities and
counties implement their bicycle plans only when pushed
to do so, although some traffic engineers do put bike
lanes on the streets, whenever they can keep it below the
political radar screen. For example, if public works is do-
ing an overlay of a street anyway, they can paint on a bike
lane for very little cost. If the project is important enough
to pay for the time to make the application, they will ap-
ply for TEA funds to pay for the bike lane part.
Several years ago, Gene Benton, the traffic engineer for
Santa Rosa, tried to put bike lanes in the Bennett Valley
area. No one appeared at the City Council meeting in
support, and one person from the Chamber of Commerce
spoke against the bike lanes. When an accident in Ben-
nett Valley involving a prominent politician pointed up
the need for left turn lanes and a signal, Gene was then
allowed to add bike lanes at the same time.
In recent years, the Santa Rosa BPAC members have
noticed several cases where staff members have ignored
the bicycle master plan. In fact, a highly placed member
of the planning department told me a year ago that if a
conflict occurred between a developer and the bike com-
mittee, the committee would lose. This year, a member
of the city planning department came to the Santa Rosa
BPAC (well stocked with coalition members) to ask our
blessing for a master plan amendment which would
facilitate a development project. This amendment would
eliminate the bike lane requirement on Aston Avenue,
thereby allowing a developer to ignore the approved
Bicycle Master Plan. The motion to amend the bicycle
master plan failed in committee for lack of a second.
The planners took their amendment to the city council
anyway, where Mike Martini eloquently led the Council
unanimously to defeat the proposed amendment. This
action represents a major policy change for the Council
from the Bennett Valley days.
Bike lanes on Mendocino Avenue demonstrate a major
conflict for the Santa Rosa City Council. They say that
traffic is the number one issue for them. Traffic engi-
neers, because of their training, try to move as much
traffic past a given point as fast as possible. Once again,
they told the members of the BPAC that bike lanes on
Mendocino were impossible even though they were in
the master plan. Yet, Mendocino Avenue, in front of the
Junior College and Santa Rosa High School, has the
highest pedestrian and bicycle accident rate in the city.
Dan Burden, a consultant hired by the J.C. Neighborhood
Association, said that traffic must be calmed down for the
safety of pedestrians (a.k.a. students), and that narrowing
the traffic lanes and adding bike lanes were necessary.
Will the Council antagonize motorists with traffic calm-
ing measures, or will they accept the high accident rates?
The Council faces a choice between two evils.
Fortunately for Rohnert Park and Windsor, they have bi-
cycle proponents on their City or Town Councils. Rohnert
Park has a bike lane on every major street and bike paths
along most of the creeks, due in large part to Council
member Jake Mackenzie. Also, the Town of Windsor
recently completed bike lanes on Old Redwood Highway
the entire length of Windsor due in part to the efforts of
Council member Debora Fudge.
continues on next page
 The Petaluma BPAC meets twice a month, twice as often The issue of bicycle parking is just appearing on the po-
as others, to review the reports of its members, who study litical horizon. Most recreational riders don’t think about
each new development to see if it conforms to the bicycle bicycle parking much; but bicycle commuters, includ-
master plan. ing students, do because they need a place to park their
The Sonoma County BPAC (also well stocked with coali- bicycles where they will be safe from theft and vandalism.
tion members) creates and enforces the master plan for The city of Santa Rosa, for example, has a zoning code
all of the roads in the unincorporated areas of the county. #20-36.90 that requires a bicycle locker for every ten mo-
In recent months, the members of the tor vehicle parking spaces in residential developments,
county BPAC have received development and a one in twenty ratio for commercial development.
plans for review. This should result in bet- This code has been on the books for about twenty years.
ter implementation of its bicycle master The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (Bay Area
EDITOR AQMD) provides funding for free bike lockers (for com-
Christine Culver plan. Thanks to their efforts, we now have
a bike lane or a shoulder on major county muting workers) and bike racks (for shoppers) and their
CONTRIBUTORS
Loretta Esparza roads from Cloverdale to Petaluma. installation. They also provide the funding for a full time
Vicki Duggan Special thanks go to County staffer Steve position to administer the program along with other
Sheri Emerson
Schmitz, for finding the money for the alternative transportation programs. If we want people
Mike Eunice
Christine Culver Share the Road signs on all those county to get out of their cars and ride bikes to work, we need
Lou Salz roads without shoulders. Also, thanks go to provide adequate parking for them. Even though bike
COPY EDITORS to Janice Eunice, District One representa- lockers are practically free to the City, when the issue
Loretta Esparza
tive, for schmoozing the traffic engineer arises, blank stares result.
Bunni Zimberoff
with cookies.
PHOTOS
Jon Dick
Bruce Eisert
Mike Eunice Santa Rosa’s Citywide Creek Master Plan project
DESIGN & LAYOUT
Kim Stuffelbeam
receives a Community Based Transportation
SCBC Board of Directors Planning Grant of $110,000 from CalTrans
Bernie Album
Miguel Crawford Sheri Emerson, Environmental Specialist, Santa Rosa Public Works Department
Vicki Duggan
Mike Eunice (Secretary)
Tim Gonzales
Doug McKenzie
Misty Mesel (Treasurer)
Lou Salz
Sean Walling
Ken Wells (Vice President)
Gary Wysocky (President)
The City of Santa Rosa has been awarded
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Christine Culver $110,000 from the Community Based
MEMBERSHIP
Transportation Planning Grant program,
COORDINATOR/ applied towards the bicycle and pedestrian
OFFICE MANAGER access planning element of the Citywide
Marguerite Bellringer
Creek Master Plan. The Plan will guide
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Citywide Creek Master Plan will be completed in the
the protection and enhancement of 70
We welcome following phases: Public outreach, resource assessment,
your comments. miles of streams and waterways within
development of recommendations, development of imple-
Send letters to: Santa Rosa, and will include specific
mentation strategy, preparation of plan document, and
SCBC recommendations for new pathways and
PO Box 3088
connections to existing pathway facili- environmental review. City staff and project partners are
Santa Rosa CA 95402-3088
currently in the process of evaluating the condition and
e-mail comments: ties, to link schools, transit, residences,
scbc@att.net location of existing flood control channel access roads,
employment centers, civic hubs, shopping
centers, and recreation destinations throughout the City. street crossings, pathway access points and gate design,
and potential for connections and improvements. Please
Ultimately, implementation of the project recommenda-
contact Public Works Environmental Specialist Sheri Em-
tions will help integrate the community’s restored wa-
erson at (707) 543-4225 or sjemerson@srcity.org with
terways into a viable network of greenways that will help
to balance transportation and promote the community’s your ideas for improving our creekside trails and their
2 livability.
use as alternative transportation corridors.
Wow!
These past three months have kept those of us in the
bike advocacy world pretty busy. I’m so pleased that the
federal transportation bill, Safe, Accountable, Flexible,
Efficient Transportation Equity Act-Legacy for Users
(SAFETEA-LU), finally passed. Along with scores of other
bike advocates, I visited Washington, D.C. twice to support
non-motorized transportation and bicycling specifically
in this bill. If you see Jim Keene, part owner of NorCal
Bike Sport and the Bike Peddler, tell him “thanks” for
going with me and dedicating some of his precious time
to talk to our government representatives about the im-
portance of supporting bicycle-related funding and the
impact it has on local businesses.
There is a great article in this newsletter about the im-
portance of public agencies following their bicycle master
plans. Unfortunately, on occasion a project is done under
the radar and is built incomplete. A good example of this
is a job the city of Petaluma just finished on Petaluma
Boulevard from Twin Bridges to Lakeville Highway. This
project was originally approved with improved shoulders,
but instead they paved only a foot to the right of the white
line, not leaving much room for bicycle or pedestrian
travel. The City of Petaluma Bicycle Plan states multiple
times that Petaluma Blvd. should be improved with
Class II bike lanes (those are the real deal - 5 ft. paved
and marked lanes). These can be found in the Petaluma
SCBC Sonoma County Bike Map
SCBC board member Lou Salz with his team
of volunteers has been diligently working
on a comprehensive bike map for
Sonoma County. We can finally see
the light at the end of the bike path.
At the time of going to press with this
newsletter we have the draft at the SCBC
office for final review. We hope to have
the map ready at the end of September for
approximately $10. A huge thanks to Lou,
his team and to Landis Bennett of 360Geo-
graphics for all their dedication and hard
work on this project!
Thanks to Sprint for supporting the SCBC.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan Chapter 2, Policy 8, page 10;
Chapter 6, page 31; Chapter 4, Policy 19, page 19, page
32; Chapter 6, page 33; Chapter 6, page 38; Chapter 6,
pages 38- page 39.
Shame on you, Petaluma. The members of your Bicycle
and Pedestrian Advisory Committee work hard to create
a better place for bikes and pedestrians, and they deserve
to receive an award for “Most Improved Bicycle Com-
munity” because of the important input they have given
on new projects. But in this case the project
managers just didn’t follow the Plan for
bike lanes on Petaluma Boulevard; it is SCBC CALENDAR
only mentioned in the Plan no less than SCBC Board Meetings
Board meetings are regularly held
seven times. on the third Wednesday of each
Yes, there are imperfections in our bicycling
month 6:30pm, 445 Orchard St.
Suite 205 in downtown Santa
network, and believe me, there are some Rosa, members are encouraged to
doozies. But there has been much forward
attend, open to the public.
movement with the addition of bike lanes Valet Bike Parking
and paths in the last four years. Now let’s Wednesday evenings at the Santa
try to insure that our communities keep to
Rosa Downtown Market through
the end of August
their plans - that’s why we have them.
Street Skills Seminar
E-mail SCBC@att.net, or call
545-0153 to register or for more
information
October 5
Walk and Roll to School
Christine Culver For help in organizing your school
Executive Director call 545-0153
3
 Bicycle Santa Rosa
Fourth of July Festival
By Vicki Duggan

Photo by Jon Dick. (from left to right) Christine Culver, Jake MacKenzie, Debora Fudge,
Lee Pierce, Kent Mitchell, Sarah Gurney, David Poulsen, Patty Kolin and Jeff Kolin

The second Bicycle Santa Rosa event was a rousing suc- Activities at the park included several hours of great live
cess. Held in Juilliard Park, the event attracted more than
music provided the Pulsators (including SCBC board
600 people for a relaxing day of bicycle-related fun. First
member Doug McKenzie); a display of unusual and in-
held in October 2004, Bicycle Santa Rosa was moved to teresting bikes and head tube badges; a helmet giveaway
summer to take advantage of the Fourth of July holiday sponsored by the City of Santa Rosa Police Department
and to be the successor to the former Old-fashioned and a decorated bicycle parade for kids; traditional July
Fourth of July Festival sponsored by the city of Santa Fourth games such as three-legged races and a water
Rosa. balloon toss; BeamO toss; poster and chalk art; a jug-
Events got off to a great start with a “City Councilmem- gler; a Trek cruiser bicycle raffle; bicycle rides led by
bers’ Ride” led by SCBC charter member Janice Eunice. members of the NorCal women’s racing team and tours
Approximately 50 bike riders, including Rohnert Park of the Church of One Tree led by former Santa Rosa Rec-
Mayor Jake McKenzie, Sebastopol Vice Mayor Sarah reation and Parks director Bill Montgomery. Maps for
Gurney, City Councilmembers Lee Pierce of Santa Rosa, two short rides were also available for self-guided bicycle
Debora Fudge of Windsor, Kent Mitchell of Healdsburg, rides to see some of the Charlie Brown statues scattered
Santa Rosa City Manager Jeff Kolin and his wife Patty, around downtown Santa Rosa and the Railroad Square
Santa Rosa Planning Commissioner David Poulsen, area. Food and cold drinks were available for purchase to
SCBC Executive Director Christine Culver, SCBC members round out the summer picnic atmosphere.
and others bicycled toward Sebastopol along the Prince Many thanks to all who attended and to all of the volun-
Greenway bike path and Santa Rosa Creek trail, return- teers who helped to make the event a success, including
ing on the Joe Rodota trail. Future trail access and use Doug Simon, Christine Culver, Vicki Duggan, Janice and
improvements were pointed out on the ride, including a Michael Eunice, Misty and Zach Mesel, Russ Powell,
4 bridge currently under construction, which will connect Kathy Kellison, Tom Bahning, Kimberly Hoffmann, Bill
the Prince Greenway bike path with the Joe Rodota, trail. and Becky Montgomery, Deanna McKenzie, Iola Beckley,
continues on next page
 SR City Council member Lee Peirce with Bike decorating contest SCBC volunteer, Kim Stuffelbeam holds a framed copy of
winners, Photo by Jon Dick the beautiful event poster he designed. Photo by Jon Dick

Gary and Jessie Wysocky, Ken Wells, Bernie Album, Sean
Walling, Miguel Crawford, Tim Gonzales, Lou Salz, Doug
McKenzie, Linda Picton, Janice Oakley, Kim Stuffelbeam,
Bill Oetinger, Isabella Sever, Richard Sever, Malinda
Dagit, Kaydee Mellor, Simone Mellor, Helene Simon and
anyone we missed. Thanks also to the event sponsors:
Santa Rosa Recreation and Parks department, the Red-
wood Empire chapter of the American Lung Association
and Winzler and Kelly Consulting Engineers. More pho-
tos of Bicycle Santa Rosa may be seen at the SCBC website
www.BikeSonoma.org
Mark your calendars now for next year’s event!

SUPPORT THE BUSINESSES THAT SUPPORT SCBC!

Agilent Technologies Empire Eye Doctors Pepe’s Mexican Soulcraft Bikes

www.agilent.com Medical Group Restaurant 707-775-2453
707-575-3800 Santa Rosa 707-571-7478
American Lung SyCip Designs, Inc
Association 707-527-5864 The Middle Way & REI 707-540-9025 707-542-6359
Community Bikes
The Bike Peddler Rincon Cyclery Winzler & Kelly
707-823-8755
707-571-2428 707-538-0868 Engineers
NorCal Bike Sport 707-523-1010
Cambria Bicycle Outfitter Santa Rosa Cyclery
707-573-0112
707-206-9500 707-537-2254 Wooden Spoon
Orthopedic & Sports Technologies
Car-Lite So Co Agricultural
Physical Therapy 707-523-2222
Preservation & Open
Community Market 707-571-7615 zach@wooden-spoon.
Space 707 565 7360
707-546-1806 com
5
Special thank you to REI for a $3000 grant to promote safe bicycling.
 Bike to Work Events 2005
As torrential rain bombarded Sonoma County the day Volunteers
before Bike to Work Day, bicycle commuters prepared Richard Battles Cindy Lewis
their bike fenders and rain slickers. Happily, the morning Ken Brown Laura Maddox
of May 19 was without rain and with 1,322 bike com- Andy Bunnell Tom Maunder
muters—157 more riders than last year. Thanks to all Ed and Judy Buonaccorsi Misty Mesel
volunteers who picked up supplies, set up at daybreak and Autumn Buss David Miller
worked the 24 Energizer Stations throughout the county, BC BC Capps Andre Morand
many sacrificing their own bike commute in order to Anne Cotrell Dick Nosker
serve others. A special thanks to the enthusiasm shown Claire Culver Terry Oden
by Lawrence Fischer’s REI crew at the Santa Rosa City Barbara Denlis Mim Paschal
Hall station, who fueled bike commuters by cooking pan- Jon Dick Shaun Ralston
cakes and serving them with a smile along with strawber- Bruce Eisert Steve Reddie
ries and whipped cream, in addition to other energizer Hope Fauna Ruben Rios
mainstay items such as fruit, bagels and juice.
Lawrence Fischer Katie Rieden
They had so much Donamarie Forbes Adam Russell
fun putting in an Tim Gonzalez Kelli Saufnauer
extra effort that Phil Grinton Marcia Scanlon
next year SCBC Kimberly Hoffman Steven Schmitz
will have a contest Mike Ivory Jill Scott
for the best Ener- Jim Jarvice Cherice Silva
gizer Station! Jim Keene Kathy Storin
Bike to Work Day Melanie Lenat Suzanne Whipple
is a collaborative
If we missed you on this list please let us know so we can
effort of city and
thank you too!
county agencies,
local and regional Sponsors
Photo by Bruce Eisert. bicycle coalitions Press Democrat
REI employee Lawrence Fisher dishes up pancakes and hundreds of Sonoma Air Quality Resource Team for the Bay Area Air
volunteers. This Quality Management District
year’s event was the Bay Area’s eleventh Bike to Work Day, Agilent Technologies
and it was successful as a celebration to promote bicy- Sutter Medical Center
continues on next page
cling as a healthy, fun and
viable form of transporta-
tion. More than 180 Ener-
gizer Stations were located
along local bike commute
routes in all nine Bay Area
counties and provided
free beverages, snacks and
local encouragement to
bicyclists.

Bike Clinic
Sponsors
Cambria Bicycle Outfitter
REI, Santa Rosa
Sonoma Mountain Cyclery

6
A Bike to Work cyclist, Peggy Songster, Dick Nosker and Patty Powell
Supporting organizations
and businesses
Amy’s Kitchen Press Democrat
Andy’s Produce REI
BAAQMD RKA Luggage
Basin Street Properties Rohnert Park Pedestrian
Cambria Bicycle Outfitter Bicycle Advisory
City of Cotati Committee
City of Santa Rosa Santa Rosa Cyclery
City of Santa Rosa, Transit Santa Rosa Junior College
and Parking Sonoma Air Quality
Community Market Resource Team
Cotati Chamber of Sonoma County Bicycle
Commerce Advisory committee
County of Sonoma - Sonoma County
Facilities Operations Pedestrian Bicycle
Department Advisory Comittee
Eastside Cycles Sonoma Mountain
Grateful Bagel Cyclery
Hub Cyclery Sonoma Muffin Works
Metropolitan Transportation Sonoma State University
Commission 511.org Sonoma Technology, Inc.
Mix 104.1 Sonoma Valley Trails
NorCal Bike Sport and the Committee
Bike Peddler Taylor Maid Coffee
Petaluma Pedestrian Bicycle The Hub Cyclery Jared (left) picked up the award for the city of Petaluma, and
Whole Foods Loretta (right) won Bike Commuter of Sonoma County
Advisory Committee
Windsor Cycle Center Santa Rosa Community Market’s
Bike to Work Awards Bike Raffle.
As part of celebrating May as Bike to Work month, The Community Market organized and managed the raffle of
Metropolitan Transportation Commission handed out a Breezer Town Bike and donated the proceeds of $113 to
awards to the nine bay area counties. Sonoma County the SCBC. A big thank you to Community Market for or-
was honored with three awards at a ceremony in San ganizing the raffle and for arranging the purchase of the
Francisco at Justin Herman Plaza on May 5th, which Breezer Bike from NorCal Bike Sport and the Bike Ped-
included speeches, a bike giveaway, and a small expo dler. Congratulations to Community Market Bike Raffle
that included a bicycle-powered smoothie machine. Most Winner Deanna McKenzie and a huge thanks to everyone
Improved Bicycle Community was awarded to the city of who bought tickets and made this a great success!
Petaluma because they have demonstrated an improved Rain, rain…
commitment to provide safe and accessible bicycle lanes
and pathways throughout their city. Jared Vollmer, Peta- The second annual Bike-in Movie was sponsored by the
luma Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee mem- city of Santa Rosa on May 4th. Even the lure of a free
ber, received this award for Petaluma. ticket to watch bike film classic Breaking Away at the
Rialto Cinemas couldn’t pull most riders of the sofa and
Outstanding Workplace that Fosters Bicycle Transporta- out of their dry homes on this day of pounding rain. Al-
tion was awarded to Agilent Technologies. Agilent sup- though this year was too rainy and wet for most, we hope
ports their employees in pedaling to work by providing to offer it again next year under clear skies.
bicycle facilities and also budgets for an on-site bicycle
team. Steve Reddie, Agilent employee, received this SCBC Re-cycle Swap Meet
award in honor of his company. Our first Bike Swap held on May 15 was a howling success;
Sonoma County Bike Commuter of the Year was awarded even the rain couldn’t chase away the fun. There were over
to Loretta Esparza, a longtime bicycle commuter. She 20 booths stuffed full of cheap bikes and hard to find parts,
we even had a bargain flea market section with house wares,
uses her bike for a variety of transportation needs: to and books, and clothing to name a few items to be found. We will
from university, for errands, recreational activities and be doing it again and will be looking for bike donations and 7
just about any other excuse. She encourages others to fun stuff to sell as a fundraiser to support our good work.
do the same. For more information about the awards or Thanks to Doug Simon and all his volunteers for making this
bike transportation, visit www.511.org. such a success.
 Beware of the Goat Head!
by Lou Salz
© 2001 CDFA
It is once again goat head thorn season. Sonoma County
was hit by heavy rains late in the spring when the tem-
peratures were nice and warm. Combine this with bare
places left by earlier applications of Roundup to clear the
native brush and you have a bumper crop of Tribulus
terrestris (also known as goat or bull heads), with their
nasty thorns growing along the edges of roads and paths.
There is a lot of confusion about the plant that holds
these burrs. It isn’t the star thistle. This low-growing
plant is an annual with light green foliage and tiny yel-
low flowers; it spreads out flat against the ground and
produces a great quantity of thorns. It’s one of the few
small plants that’s still green at this point in the dry sea-
son here in the Bay Area. The fruit separates at maturity
into four-seeded segments, each of which is studded with
two or four sharp and rigid spines. As they dry they be-
come extremely strong and durable allowing the spines
to penetrate and lodge in bicycle tires, shoes, human feet
and the fur of animals. This, along with the possibility
that seeds may survive for 20 years, aids propagation.
It is possible that this is the only plant growing wild in
Sonoma County that can cause a flat tire. If you learn
to identify it, you can largely avoid it. It is common
8 throughout much of the southwest U.S. In the San Fran-
cisco Bay Area it tends to grow in areas where the ground
has been wiped clean of other vegetation (which grows
in the rainy season), either by traffic or an herbicide like
Roundup. It doesn’t seem to be able to compete with
other vegetation in this area. The seeds usually germi-
nate in the last rains of the season when the weather has
warmed. The heavy and late May/June rains seem to have
sprouted a large crop of it this year. There are some pretty
big patches of it along the roads where road crews have
sprayed to keep the fire danger down.
If you are having trouble with these thorns, look along
the side of the roads or trails in areas where you are
getting the flats and see if you can learn to identify the
plants. The thorns are pretty heavy and tend not to move
very far from the plant itself, so you can pretty much
avoid the problem by avoiding the plants. Riding in the
same tracks that cars or bicycles follow is a good strategy
too, because the thorns are quickly picked up by previous
tires.
The best strategy to avoid goat head flats is to avoid go-
ing where they are growing. While prevention products
may slow down the penetration of the thorn, spikes tend
to break off the seed and then work through to the tube.
A nasty aspect of these thorns is that they are ingenious
continues on next page
 in design and tend to have a spike sticking up. If you
have picked up one, often there are others. Tires must be
completely checked over, looking for broken spikes lodged
deep into the rubber. Thoroughly check even the insides
of the tires; a spike can be just below the surface of the
material, just waiting for you to hit a bump or provide a
chance for it to wiggle through to your tube. They then
get you a second time or more. I’ve seen spikes on the
thorns that are more than 1/4 inch long.
For more information http://www.naturesongs.
com/vvplants/puncturevine.html

© 2001 Steven Thorsted

Recent Grants, Donations and Awards

SCBC received another generous grant from Briant Smith
and the WHH foundation.
BIG THANKS TO BRIANT and the GENEROUS DONORS
LISTED BELOW we made it to our $4,000 goal!!!!
Richard and Karin Burger for their donation of $100
Barbara Denlis for her donation of $100
Mike and Janice Eunice for their donation of $500
Eleanor Guerin and Ken Wells $100
Claire and Jessie House, $100
Veronica Jacobi David Gougler for their
donation of $100
Hans Kellner for his donation of $100
David Lightfoot for his donation of $100
Barbara Moulton for her donation of $100 SCBC Executive Director, Chris Culver receiving a
David Noorthoek for his donation of $100 generous donation from Agilent’s Jeff Weber.
Maureen Peterson for her donation of $100
Marcia Scanlon for her donation of $50 Recent Awards
Kurt & Deborah Shaver for their donation of $100
Jill Thompson for her donation of $20 We received the Advocate of Courage Award presented
Warren Watkins for his donation of $115 by the Sonoma County District Attorney and the Victim
Don & Barbara Wolf for their donation of $50 Assistance Center for the support given to the Sonoma
Bunni Zimberoff for her donation of $165 County District Attorney in the successful convictions of
WHH Donation of $2,000 two drunk drivers who killed two cyclists and seriously
Agilent Technologies $1,500 injured another.
Santa Rosa Cycling Club $2,570 We won the 2005 Clean Air Award honorable mention for
American Lung Association, Transportation and received recognition from Congress-
Redwood Empire Chapter $5,000 woman Lynn Woolsey and the California State Assembly 9
WoodenSpoon Technology for donated for this award.
bookkeeping and computer IT support
 Local Scene
Petaluma
Lots of great things happening in Petaluma: The Water
Street Redevelopment project is underway and when fin-
ished will create a promenade along the river from
Washington Street to the Balshaw Pedestrian Bridge.
The freeway bicycle and pedestrian overpass con-
necting Stuart Street to the old Kenilworth School site is
now unlocked and open 24/7.
The first section of the River Trail is open at the
end of Edith Street, connecting to the Lynch Creek Trail
via the Washington Creek Pedestrian Bridge.
Repaving is scheduled this summer for South Ely Boule-
vard, South McDowell Boulevard, and Caulfield Lane.
Repaving is complete on Petaluma Boulevard. North
from Shasta Ave. to the twin bridges. Unfortunately Peta-
luma gets an “F” for not following their own master plan
and installing real bike lanes in this crucial north south
corridor.
Santa Rosa
Joe Rodota trail eastern connection is gaining momen-
tum each day. The bicycle and pedestrian bridge
that will connect the Joe Rodota Trail to the Prince
Spare the Air this Summer
and Ride Transit for Free
Summer is here, and with it sometimes we get smoggy
air. The Spare the Air program was created to help keep
our air clean. The big news for this year’s program is that
21 Bay Area public transit agencies will give free morning
commutes from 4 a.m. until 9 a.m. on the first five (non-
holiday) weekday Spare the Air days this summer.
From now until October 14, whenever air-quality fore-
casters predict the Bay Area could violate federal air qual-
ity standards and a Spare the Air Day is called, the transit
agencies will welcome morning commuters aboard
trains, buses, streetcars and ferries without charging
them a fare.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the
Metropolitan Transportation Commission are coordinat-
ing the free ride program. Transit agencies offering free
morning rides include the Bay Area’s largest operators
-- San Francisco’s MUNI, BART, AC Transit, SamTrans,
10 Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, Caltrain, and
Golden Gate Transit. A complete list is below.
Greenway is expected to be placed at the end of Septem-
ber. The Santa Rosa bicycle network is underway!
The Joe Rodota trail crossing at Stony Point
Road was completed last month. While it addresses a
critical link on this trail, what was installed is a pedes-
trian crosswalk. Please remember that when crossing in
a crosswalk you must legally walk your bike. The next
crossing at Dutton Avenue is next on the list to be added.
Bike Lanes are being added to West 9th Street from
Wilson Avenue to Dutton Avenue.
Sebstopol
The construction of the trail connection from the Joe
Rodota Trail across Hwy 12 to Morris Street has started
and should be completed by the end of this year.
Sonoma County
Sonoma County was recently awarded $650,000 from
Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Program funds through
the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to com-
plete the last stretch of Old Redwood Highway
with new bike lanes just north of the Windsor Town
limits to Eastside Road.
Spare the Air days are called when air quality forecasters
expect hot weather and little wind--the perfect recipe for
brewing ground-level ozone. Air quality officials urge
people to avoid polluting activities such as driving, paint-
ing and using barbecue lighter fluid or hairspray.
Spare the Air days will be announced about 1 p.m. the
day before, and advisories will be sent out to employers,
schools, the media and to people who have signed up at
www.sparetheair.org to get Air Alerts (e-mail notification
of Spare the Air days). More information about the Free
Morning Commute program can be found at www.511.
org. For more information about Spare the Air, please
visit www.sparetheair.org.
North bay Transit agencies offering free morn-
ing rides on Spare the Air Days are: Golden Gate
Transit; Napa County Vine; Petaluma Transit; Santa Rosa
CityBus; Sonoma County Transit.
New Transportation Bill will Help
More Americans Walk and Bike
America Bikes News Release July 29, 2005

“Everyone who contributed funds or contacted their members

of Congress – bicycle suppliers, shop owners, advocates, club
riders – should be proud that our efforts convinced members
of Congress that when America bikes, America benefits,” says
Tim Blumenthal, Executive Director of Bikes Belong, the coali-
tion representing the bicycle industry that has provided pri-
mary funding for America Bikes.
As in any legislation, the final bill fell short of reaching all of
America Bikes’ goals. In the final days of House-Senate negoti-
ation the Senate’s Fair Share for Safety provision was removed,
which would have required states to spend their safety funds in
From left to right: Former mayor of Bogotá, Enrique Penalosa, proportion to bicycle and pedestrian deaths. Today most states
Christine Culver, and Jim Keene at the 2004 National Bicycle Summit spend only a tiny fraction of those funds on non-motorized
safety, despite bicyclist and pedestrian fatality rates averaging
The final federal transportation bill approved by both the 13 percent. Another disappointment was the Senate’s defeat,
House and Senate on Friday will launch a new Safe Routes to by a slim margin, of a provision that would have required the
School program, and strengthen existing programs that will construction of complete streets – roads that safely serve all
make it safer and easier for millions of Americans to bicycle users.
and walk.
“This bill will help states provide substantial benefits for adults
and children who ride bicycles, and this will benefit America
as a whole – by helping people avoid traffic congestion, by
producing less air pollution, and by helping more Americans
lead active, healthy lives,” says Andy Clarke, President of the
Board of America Bikes and Executive Director of the League of
American Bicyclists.
The new Safe Routes to School program, championed by Rep-
resentative James Oberstar of Minnesota, is funded at $612
million over 5 years and will help make it safe and convenient
for children to walk to school. Grants administered by state
Departments of Transportation will allow communities to
build sidewalks, fix hazards, and slow traffic near schools while
increasing safety through focused enforcement and education
programs. A smaller new program, the Non-Motorized Trans-
portation Pilot Program, will grant each of four designated
communities $6.2 million annually over 4 years to develop
comprehensive networks for bicycling and walking. The intent
is to demonstrate the potential of such networks to shift travel “Despite these disappointments, we are confident that we have
patterns. established bipartisan momentum for doing more to make all
of our streets safe for bicycling and walking,” says Clarke.
The bill, known as the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient
Transportation Equity Act-Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), also A number of other provisions will also help improve the envi-
strengthens three existing programs of importance to bicycling: ronment for people who bicycle and walk; please check out
Transportation Enhancements, Congestion Mitigation and Air our website regularly for additional information on all the
Quality (CMAQ), and Recreational Trails. The Transportation provisions. This information will be updated as details become
Enhancements program has been a primary source of fund- available.
ing for multi-use trails and other facilities, and funding for For more information, contact Barbara McCann
the program is set at approximately $3.5 billion over 5 years. at (202) 641-1163.
CMAQ helps communities improve air quality with non-pollut-
ing solutions. This program will be available in more commu- Editors note: Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition’s executive
nities and funding is set at about $8.6 billion over 5 years. The director Christine Culver and NorCal Bike Sport and Bike
Recreational Trails program uses off-road vehicle fuel taxes to Peddler owner Jim Keene traveled twice to Washington, 11
build trails; it will receive a higher portion of the revenue from D.C. in the last two years to support the passing of this bill.
those taxes, receiving $370 million over five years, $100 mil- Next time you see Jim make sure you tell him thanks!
lion more than the original allocation in the last bill, TEA-21.
 NONPROFIT ORG
US POSTAGE
SONOMA COUNTY PAID
BICYCLE COALTION PERMIT NO 25
PO BOX 3088
SANTA ROSA CA 95402·3088
707·545·0153
WWW.BIKESONOMA.ORG

promoting the bicycle for transportation and recreation

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