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Sonoma traffic committee: crosswalk on West Spain Street is in design; staff to study signage and interim measures
Summary
The Sonoma City Traffic Safety Committee heard resident concerns about speeding and truck traffic on West Spain Street and was told a requested crosswalk between 5th Street West and Highway 12 is part of a Go Sonoma‑funded project now in design (about 65% complete). Staff and the traffic engineer recommended striping, signage and radar feedback signs as near‑term options while design advances.
A petition by residents seeking a crosswalk on West Spain Street between 5th Street West and State Route 12 is already programmed into the city’s bicycle and pedestrian capital improvement project, city staff told the Traffic Safety Committee on April 1.
"Since our canceled February 4 traffic safety committee, we've received one traffic hazard reporting form," Ashley, a Public Works staff member, said. She told the committee the crosswalk request is included in the Go Sonoma‑funded project and "we're about 65% through design," so a construction timeline depends on how the project moves from design to bidding.
Residents pushed for a clearer timeline at the meeting. "We live at 820 West Spain Street, and the traffic is a lehi hazard because people go down Spain Street to avoid Napa," Elizabeth Edmonds said, adding it is "difficult to exit where we live" and asking when the crosswalk would be built.
The city’s contract traffic engineer, Frank Henry, reviewed traffic data for the corridor, noting historical daily volumes that peaked near 9,000 vehicles and more recent values around 6,200 per day, and an 80th‑percentile speed roughly in the low 30s. Henry said a neighborhood traffic circle at the 3rd Street intersection would be difficult "without major geometric changes" because existing crosswalks would fall within the circulatory roadway. "Installation of a traffic circle at this location would be very difficult," he said, and a modern roundabout would require additional right‑of‑way.
Instead, Henry and staff recommended lower‑cost or operational measures that could reduce speeds and improve pedestrian visibility: longitudinal striping to narrow travel lanes to about 10–11 feet, sharrows or bike‑route signage to increase bicycle visibility, radar feedback signs, and potential revision of truck‑route signage to reference the Sonoma Municipal Code. "These items are relatively low cost and can be implemented with operations," Ashley said.
Residents also urged stronger enforcement and other calming devices. Armando Zimmerman, who read letters from neighbors, said oversized tour buses and frequent speeding make the street noisy and dangerous; "We've been waiting for three years," he said.
Staff told the committee the striping and bike‑lane signage will be installed as part of the FY 26/25 Spain Street pavement project; the public‑works representative said staff will investigate installing truck‑restriction signage and radar feedback signs sooner if they are not already part of the rehabilitation project. The committee did not take a formal vote on the crosswalk itself, but members expressed general support for the project and asked staff to provide updated timelines as design progresses.
The committee moved on to other agenda items; Public Works said it will provide more precise dates once design milestones are reached.
