From: Adrian Covert
To: Guasco, Cher; CityCouncilListPublic
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Draft ATP comments
Date: Monday, March 17, 2025 1:10:22 PM
Attachments: 03.17 DraftATP.pdf
Greetings Councilmembers,
Please see the attached comment on the draft active transportation plan from Santa Rosa YIMBY. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions! Best,
Adrian Covert
Santa Rosa, CA
March 17, 2025
The Honorable Mark Stapp
Mayor, Santa Rosa
100 Santa Rosa Ave
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
Re: Draft Active Transportation Plan
Dear Mayor Stapp and Councilmembers,
On behalf of Santa Rosa YIMBY, an all-volunteer association of Santa Rosa residents dedicated to saying “Yes-in-my-backyard” to new housing and transportation infrastructure to help build Santa Rosa into an affordable, vibrant, and low-carbon city for all, I am pleased to share our excitement for the draft Active Transportation Plan. The draft ATP lays out an ambitious yet practical blueprint for how Santa Rosa can take full advantage of its extraordinary climate and become a world-class location for pedestrians and cyclists. That said, we offer several areas we believe the ATP can be improved.
• Widen existing sidewalks. Many of downtown’s existing sidewalks, especially in Railroad Square, are too narrow, especially for families with strollers, and especially on busy nights. The final plan should acknowledge the need to widen existing sidewalks in addition to building new ones.
• Pedestrianized streets. The city planners are currently examining options to pedestrianize parts of downtown. The ATP should reflect the opportunity pedestrianized streets have for the city’s economic and social vibrancy.
• Enforcement. While road safety is correctly acknowledged to be primarily determined by infrastructure, enforcement is implicitly portrayed in the draft ATP as a zero-sum barrier to equity. Studies have shown that Black, Hispanic, and Native American individuals face significantly higher risks of traffic-related fatalities compared to white populations. Technology like automated traffic enforcement cameras can and should be deployed to improve road safety without police interactions.
• Connect major attractions. Betwen Santa Rosa’s climate, its existing network of shared use paths, and trails at Trione-Annadel State Park, cycling can and should become a cornerstone of Santa Rosa’s emerging civic identity. The ATP should help by prioritizing connecting Santa Rosa’s SMART stations with areas of regional cycling interest, such as the Joe Rodota Trail, the Prince Memorial Greenway, Trione-Annadel State Park, and the future Southeast Greenway, with Class I and Class IV lanes.
Thank you for your leadership and for considering our views.
Sincerely,
Adrian Covert
Co-Lead
Santa Rosa YIMBY