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City presents draft Active Transportation Plan; public review starts March 3
Summary
Santa Rosa transportation staff previewed the active transportation plan update — a rewrite of the 2018 bicycle and pedestrian master plan — and asked the committee and the public to review the draft during a March public-comment period that staff said will run March 3–30.
The City of Santa Rosa Transportation & Public Works staff gave the Waterways Advisory Committee a full briefing on the draft Active Transportation Plan (ATP) on Feb. 27 and invited the committee and the public to review the plan during a March public review period.
"What we have done with this plan is we've made safety the number 1 consideration," Transportation Planner Toreena Wilson said in the presentation. She described the draft ATP as a rebranding and technical overhaul of the 2018 bicycle and pedestrian master plan to reflect national best practices and an emphasis on low-stress bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
Wilson, the project manager for the ATP, said the city began the update in September 2023 and that the public review draft will be posted online March 3 through about March 30. The draft will be an interactive, public-review PDF on the project web page; staff said they expect the Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Board to see the final plan in May and the City Council to consider adoption in June.
Key elements and prioritization
Wilson said the plan contains five chapters: background and existing conditions, project and program recommendations, and a prioritization chapter (chapter 5) that ranks projects for implementation over the next five years. The prioritization incorporates safety metrics, proximity to transit, school and park access, and the city’s pavement-maintenance schedule so that high-priority improvements can be bundled with repaving projects.
Wilson described how the ATP team coordinated with the water department and the creek stewardship program to prioritize safe crossings where creek trails intersect arterials. She gave examples of locations included in the plan: a creek crossing on Hardee’s where no marked crosswalk exists, and a crossing on Gurnville Road that lacks ADA-compliant access and would benefit from a median or signalized improvement.
Wilson also noted pilot projects and expected next steps: a protected bike-ped pilot on Steel Lane that will remain in place for now because it reduced vehicle collisions and speeds, and a timeline linking pavement maintenance work and potential construction of protected facilities.
Public outreach and how to comment
Wilson said the March public review will include the full draft and an interactive map; staff will advertise the review via City Connections and the project mailing list, and will post materials to the ATP project web page. Committee members were asked to share the link with neighborhood groups, nonprofits and business contacts. Wilson said she will send an email to those signed up to her list when the draft becomes available.
Why it matters: The ATP is intended to make walking and bicycling safer across Santa Rosa and to accelerate projects by combining them with scheduled pavement maintenance and other capital work. The committee discussed intersections of the ATP with creek trails and project opportunities to improve crossings and access for off-street trails.
Next steps: Staff asked committee members and the public to review the draft between March 3 and March 30 and to provide feedback on the plan’s chapter 5 prioritization and proposed projects.
