February 29, 2024
City of Cotati
201 W. Sierra Ave.
Cotati, CA 94931
March 11, 2024
Dear City Council and Staff:
The Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition is pleased to review the first draft of Cotati’s Active Transportation Plan. We support the vision of a safe, connected, equitable bicycle and pedestrian network, and share the following comments on the draft:
1. We urge the city to adopt the bikeway design standards of the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) as the overarching guide to “best practices” when designing bike facilities (Policy 1-6). NACTO is an association of 98 cities and transit agencies. Their guidance in creating bike facilities that are safe and comfortable for riders of all ages and abilities is based on real-life experience and is a widely recognized standard.
2. Arterials and roads that are a part of the High Injury Network and/or have high Levels of Traffic Stress need to be prioritized throughout this plan and in its implementation – East Cotati Avenue, Old Redwood Highway, Highway 116, Redwood Drive.
These are the roads that people use to reach key destinations, and they need to be accessible to riders of all ages and abilities.
Figures/Maps
1. The plan needs a map showing a more clearly defined network that includes existing and proposed bike facilities and gets people where they want to go. Figure 7 is nearly impossible to read. At the very least, proposed projects should be indicated with a dotted line. But it is less important to show specific proposed bike facilities on this map – if the map shows a basic network, the types of facilities needed will be dictated by NACTO standards.
Overall, network maps should include destinations like shopping and schools. Because Cotati is within a regional district, schools might not technically be within city limits, but it is critical to offer safe routes for kids and families.
2. The color coding on Figure 4 (Level of Traffic Stress) should be revised to use green for the lowest level of stress, and red for the highest level, based on our existing cultural understanding of what these colors represent. Additionally, the street markings should be made clearer where they overlap with the city limits.
Public Comment
3. Similarly, on Figure 3 (sidewalk gaps), the color coding should be red for the two-sided gaps and yellow or orange for the one-sided, to differentiate from the city limit lines.
Project Priorities
We propose elevating the following projects to Tier 1, based largely on their locations in areas with high traffic stress, their potential use for transportation and/or their current condition
.
• Project 5 (bike lanes on Redwood Dr).
• Project 9 (West Cotati Oaks trail)
• Project 10 (Commerce Blvd)
• Project 13 (upgrading the Class 2 lanes on W. Sierra) • Project 15 (Laguna Trail maintenance)
We propose moving the following projects from Tier 1 to Tier 2:
• Project 1 (Derby Lane from Highway 116 to City Limits). This is less focused on transportation, and more on recreation.
• Project 8 (Gilman Ranch Road). We are generally not in favor of prioritizing Class III projects.
We also question Project 2 (supporting Rohnert’s Park overcrossing of 101) – How would Cotati do this and should it be a part of the city’s plan? If those questions can’t be answered, we suggest eliminating this project.
Programs
Active Transportation Program
We support assigning staff to lead and monitor the implementation of the ATP. To this item we would add training public works staff on NACTO standards, and the city’s vision for the active transportation network.
Transportation Demand Management Supportive Programs
We question the feasibility of this for such a small town. While we support ambition, we also advocate for keeping plans in the “do-able” range.
If the city commits to a TDM program, we urge the inclusion of ways to measure mode shift.
Bicycle Parking Program
While bike parking in residential developments is critical, the bike parking program needs to include the business community, and incentives for local businesses to install bike parking of their own (per city standards).
Policies
Policy 1-5. As part of City or private development projects, enhance pedestrian and bicycle facilities along or adjacent to all arterial roadways, including East Cotati Avenue, Old Redwood Highway (between Hwy 116 and East Cotati Avenue), Redwood Drive, Highway 116, and Valparaiso Avenue. Class I and Class IV bike lanes should be the first choice in the design of all new multi-modal infrastructure.
We support this policy as a guiding vision for the entire active transportation network.
Policy 1-6. Seek opportunities to separate existing and future bike facilities from motor vehicle traffic with buffers or greater protection such as a curb, flexible bollards, delineators, or other more durable barriers on streets where vehicle speeds are greater than 25 mph. Use best practices when designing bicycle facilities.
Action 1-6.1: Adopt a Complete Streets ordinance and typical cross-sections for different street typologies to guide construction of new streets and retrofitting of existing streets.
Action 1-6.2: Update the City’s Design Standards for streets and roadways to incorporate separated and/or protected bicycle lanes (i.e., Class IV) and pedestrian infrastructure by January 2026. Low stress bicycle facilities (e.g., Class I trails/paths, Class IV separated bike lanes, Class III Bicycle Boulevards) should be the first choice in the design of new multi-modal infrastructure.
We agree with the need to adopt best practices, and support the goal of adopting a Complete Streets ordinance (Action 1-6.1). We would add to Action 1-6.2 the adoption of NACTO standards for all ages and abilities bike facilities.
We also urge that Class III facilities should be eliminated from the city’s design manuals, as these do not provide adequate safety for cyclists.
Policy 1-7: Ensure adequate bicycle parking is available citywide.
The city needs to adopt a clear standard for the type of bicycle rack, ideally an inverted U – most of the existing racks in the city are inadequate.
Policy 2-2: Maintain all bike lane symbols, striping, green paint, and buffer paint and ensure all bike lanes have standard bike symbols. Ensure bike lanes are kept free of trash bins, vehicles, and debris.
We agree that keeping bike lanes free of debris and items like trash cans is critical. We would encourage specific action items to ensure this goal can be achieved – e.g., purchasing a bike lane sweeper, working with public safety to ticket scofflaws.
Action 2-7.1: Support Safe Routes to School program and school districts to promote safe, active transportation through education, school policies, and pick-up/drop-off procedures (VZ Action
3.1).
Similar to Policy 2-2, this action would require the involvement of law enforcement (e.g. citing parents who park in bike lanes in front of schools).
Additional notes
p. 3 error: Cotati Hub is surrounded by six streets, not eight.
Thank you for your consideration.
Eris Weaver, Executive Director