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Sonoma City Traffic Safety Committee approves amendment to add 3rd Street bike boulevard, drops proposed school path
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Summary
The Sonoma City Traffic Safety Committee unanimously approved an amendment to a Go Sonoma-funded active-transportation project that removes a proposed school trail and instead adds a Class 3 bike boulevard on 3rd Street West, increasing the project budget by about $47,000; the amendment will go to the Sonoma County Transit and Climate Authority for review.
The Sonoma City Traffic Safety Committee voted unanimously to approve an amendment to a Go Sonoma-funded active-transportation project that removes a proposed school trail and replaces it with a Class 3 bike boulevard on 3rd Street West, city staff said.
City staff told the committee the change is conceptual and will require final engineering before construction. The staff presentation said the amendment would increase project costs by about $47,000 on top of an existing roughly $1.8 million construction allocation (about $1.6 million of which is grant-funded), with a city share of about $277,000. Any funding gap created by the change would be covered by the city through its capital improvement program if needed.
The amendment would reallocate the portion of the project originally planned as a school trail (identified in the plans as the Sassarene school trail) toward a bike boulevard on 3rd Street West that connects to the Friar Creek Bike Path and other existing routes. Staff described traffic-calming measures to be included in the concept: speed cushions (gapped to allow emergency vehicles and bicyclists to pass), painted curb extensions, retroreflective edge-line striping, and a small neighborhood traffic-calming circle (distinct from a full roundabout). Staff also said stop-sign control would be reversed at selected intersections to prioritize cyclists along 3rd Street as part of the Class 3 shared facility design.
"This is concept only — we don't have a fully engineered plan yet," a city staff presenter said, adding that the remainder of the broader project was approximately 90% complete in design. The presenter said the city took the step to remove the school-trail element after receiving pushback from the school district and community and to avoid delaying the larger package of improvements.
Public commenters offered a mix of support and concern. Tom Conlin, who said he is a frequent bicyclist, a member of the city's Climate Action Commission and a long-time participant on the Sonoma County Transit and Climate Authority citizens advisory committee, told the committee he supported the scope change and called the route "a really important route" that could become a major bike boulevard. "Let's see how it improves the amount of cycling in the city, and let's work on those finer things," Conlin said.
Several nearby residents praised design elements while expressing questions about local impacts. Laurie Baron, a 3rd Street West resident, said she had not received notice about the meeting or project and opposed a traffic circle at 3rd Street West and Perkins, arguing the narrow streets and a curve could create hazards for cyclists and drivers. "I am totally opposed to having a traffic circle at that location," Baron said.
Armando Zimmerman described near-miss incidents at the Napa Street crossing and urged the project team to address crossing and signal issues—some controlled by Caltrans—so the boulevard safely connects to the plaza and other paths.
City staff outlined the amendment review process: the proposal will go to the Sonoma County Transit and Climate Authority (SCTCA) technical advisory committee, then the SCTCA citizens advisory committee, and finally the SCTCA board. Staff said approval of the amendment by SCTCA is not expected before December 2025 (or possibly January 2026 if a meeting is missed). The special meeting and public comment were presented as demonstrations of local support for the amendment during that review.
After questions and discussion about specifics — including the placement of speed cushions, the Class 3 shared-road classification of the boulevard, and how the cushions accommodate emergency vehicles and bicyclists — Committee member Brennan moved to approve the amendment "as recommended." Committee member Dimino seconded. The chair called roll; members present voted yes and the motion passed unanimously.
The committee closed the item and adjourned the special meeting. The amendment will proceed through the SCTCA review steps; staff said they will return with final engineering and any required funding adjustments through the city's capital improvement program if additional city funds are needed.
