County of Sonoma Active Transportation Plan

Sonoma County, in partnership with the Sonoma County Transportation and Climate Authority (SCTCA), is updating its Bikeways and Pedestrian Plan—a long-term vision for improving active transportation options countywide. First adopted in 2010, the plan sets policies and priorities for building a safe, connected network for walking, biking, and other “human-powered” travel modes. It focuses on the unincorporated areas of Sonoma County, outside the nine cities and the Town of Windsor, and helps guide investment in bicycle and pedestrian projects.

The updated plan, now called the County of Sonoma Active Transportation Plan, builds on the foundation of the 2010 plan by:

• Reviewing and updating the countywide project list
• Adding new policies and refining existing ones
• Aligning with current federal, state, and local standards

Over the past two years, we’ve gathered community input through pop-up events, workshops, and online engagement to ensure the plan reflects the needs and priorities of people across Sonoma County.

Benefits of Active Transportation

Active transportation—like walking, biking, or using mobility devices—offers many benefits.

A safer, more connected transportation network can:

• Reduce reliance on personal vehicles
• Improve air quality and reduce noise
• Support physical and mental health
• Advance social equity by expanding transportation options for everyone

This update adds to the 2010 Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan in the following key areas:

1. Additional Policies: New policies seek to add clarification to existing policy, address changes in industry standards such as changes in classes of bikeways, and adding accountability to help spur active transportation project development;
2. Changes To Existing Policy: The federal government and State of California periodically update standards for bikeways and pedestrian infrastructure. Policies will be updated to match current standards and to reference up-to-date policy documents from those agencies;
3. Project Lists: The project list for proposed bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure will be updated to reflect updated standards and new methods of understanding safe and fun infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians. Primarily, these projects are aligned with the incorporated cities of Sonoma County.

The list of projects contained in the 2010 Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan have been revised and expanded upon. The key principles when prioritizing projects were: 

• All Ages and Abilities: Creating spaces for people to walk, bike, and roll that are low-stress and lower risk to create more opportunities for more people to walk, bike, and roll.
• Regional Coordination: Identifying and planning regional routes between jurisdictions as part of a larger Countywide ATP.
• Implementation: Prioritizing projects and identifying funding to focus and streamline implementation.

We looked at how easy or stressful it feels to walk or bike in different parts of the county to find places that need upgrades or new improvements. This “low-stress network analysis” focused on things like where people need to go, how safe the streets are, and where there are gaps in sidewalks, bike lanes, and other facilities. We also asked for input from people across the county to double-check our findings and make sure we didn’t miss anything. The analysis looked at many factors that affect how comfortable it feels to walk or bike, such as:

• How many lanes the road has
• How fast cars are driving
• How much traffic there is
• Whether there are bike lanes and how wide they are
• Whether there are barriers or buffers that separate people from car traffic

This information helps us recommend the most effective projects, policies, and programs to make walking and biking safer and easier.

Draft Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan: County of Sonoma Active Transportation Plan (PDF)

Draft Projects List (PDF)

This update is part of a larger countywide effort to promote collaboration between unincorporated Sonoma County and the cities of Cloverdale, Cotati, Healdsburg, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Sonoma, and the Town of Windsor. These jurisdictions have or are in the process of updating their own active transportation plans in coordination with SCTA. This allows projects to be aligned across jurisdictional boundaries. 

Project alignment is critically important for numerous reasons. Many bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure projects are funded by grants. Grants are more likely to be obtained if applied for as a team of multiple jurisdictions, such as Sonoma County and one of the above-mentioned cities. Additionally, many cycle trips in Sonoma County cross through multiple jurisdictions. Aligning projects and priorities helps to minimize gaps in infrastructure as it crosses jurisdictional boundaries and ensure a seamless experience.

This update, along with the updates made to the active transportation plans throughout Sonoma County, feed into a larger plan at SCTA. The larger SCTA plan sets priorities and objectives to help spur interjurisdictional project development and close active transportation infrastructure gaps while identifying regional funding opportunities to build the infrastructure identified in the various active transportation plans across Sonoma County. 

The updated Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan (County of Sonoma Active Transportation Plan) has been reviewed by the Sonoma County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. The committee requested changes which have been incorporated into the draft information and plan linked below. Next steps include hearings before the Sonoma County Planning Commission. Dates for these hearings will be posted on the Permit Sonoma Website once scheduled. 
Diverse public input is crucial to ensure the policies and programs resulting from the update process reflect the priorities and values of Sonoma County’s residents and workers.

Here are some ways to get involved:

• Contact the project team with questions or to provide public comment.
• Participate in upcoming hearings.

Public Comment is welcome at any time! Please submit public comment in writing to the project planner:

Wil Lyons
Wil.Lyons@SonomaCounty.gov

Or via mail at:

Permit Sonoma
2550 Ventura Ave.
Santa Rosa, California 95403