|
|
|
Safe Routes to School (SRTS)—a program of the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition-- and the City of Sebastopol worked together over the past year to create safer streets for Sebastopol pedestrians and bike riders, especially children. The joint effort has resulted in some new bike/ped-friendly traffic infrastructure.
“These changes,” says Safe Routes to School Director, Tina Panza, “are the result of a real team effort, and are a great example of what happens when citizens, non-profit organizations and government work together. It’s a true Safe Routes to School success story.”
The year-long process began with the SRTS Task Force, headed by SRTS and made up of community and parent volunteers, who conducted a series of walking and bicycling audits which identified and prioritized areas of concern that impact the safety of students who walk and bicycle to school. The SRTS Task Force took its findings to the City of Sebastopol, along with its recommended improvements to the intersections, and the City opted to implement these improvements in several of the identified areas.
“I was expecting the whole process to take a lot longer than it did. I am thrilled about the crosswalk to the Skate Park. In a matter of a few months, the whole town came together to make it happen,” says Mickey Friedman, SRTS Task Force member and Pine Crest parent.
The intersection of Murphy Avenue and Valentine Avenue, near Brook Haven Middle School, is now a three-way stop; two stop signs were added on Murphy for south and north-bound traffic. These stop signs will slow down traffic on Murphy and make it safer for children walking and bicycling to school. There is a new stop sign on Valentine Avenue at Springdale Street for west-bound traffic, making it a four-way stop; this intersection is also near Brook Haven Middle School and will slow traffic on Valentine Avenue. The City has installed a new crosswalk and pedestrian crossing signs on Laguna Parkway across from the Skate Park/Community Garden. Many kids cross here to use the Skate Park; the new crosswalk and signs will let drivers know that they need to slow down and watch for pedestrians. Finally, there is a new stop sign on Hayden Avenue at Pine Crest Avenue for west-bound traffic. This is very close to Pine Crest Elementary School and will help to slow down traffic on Hayden Avenue.
“The combined effort of the City, the SRTS staff, and the dedicated volunteers produced new ideas and recommendations that would make Sebastopol safer,” says City Council Member Kathleen Shaffer, “Now those ideas have become a reality and it is very gratifying to see the results of the work that went into the SRTS project.”
About Sebastopol and Sonoma County Safe Routes to School:
The Sebastopol Unified School District Safe Routes to School program, funded by a federal Safe Routes to School grant to the city of Sebastopol, is being implemented at Park Side Elementary School, Pine Crest Elementary School, Brookhaven Middle School, and the Sebastopol Independent Charter School. The goal of Safe Routes to School programs is to encourage walking and bicycling where it is safe, and to make changes where it is not safe. SRTS programs do this through an integrated approach that includes five E's - encouragement, education, evaluation, engineering, and enforcement. In doing so, SRTS programs address health and safety by reducing traffic congestion around schools, increasing physical activity, encouraging lifestyle changes for families, creating safer, calmer streets and neighborhoods, and improving air quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition is the lead implementation agency for the Sebastopol SRTS program, as well as the Sonoma County SRTS program, which is funded through the Measure M Transportation tax and administered by the Sonoma County Transportation Authority.
Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition
707-545-0153
sarah@bikesonoma.org; sjhadler@aol.com
Visit our Website
|
Printer-friendly format
|
Login and voice your opinion!
|
