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PD Editorial: Santa Rosa roads are about to become safer for cyclists and motorists

PD Editorial: Santa Rosa roads are about to become safer for cyclists and motorists

Editorials represent the views of The Press Democrat editorial board and The Press Democrat as an institution. The editorial board and the newsroom operate separately…

Friday, Sep 27

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Editorials represent the views of The Press Democrat editorial board and The Press Democrat as an institution. The editorial board and the newsroom operate separately and independently of one another. The 5 miles of protected bike lanes planned for Santa Rosa are good news for cyclists and motorists alike.

Using $200,000 from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the city plans to install more than 1,300 flexible bollards to separate motor vehicles from bicycles. Federal research underscores the value of such projects, cutting bicycle-vehicle crashes by more than half. That data should quiet taxpayers who grump about money being spent to benefit the minority of travelers who are cyclists.

The other benefit is that as safety increases, biking becomes more attractive to people on the fence about riding to work, school, the shop or wherever. When they do, it takes cars off the road, potentially reducing congestion and motorists’ stress, while making a dent in the area’s transportation-related air pollution.

During the next year, improvements are planned for:

— Cleveland Avenue from Hopper Avenue to Guerneville Road.

— West College Avenue from North Dutton Avenue to Marlow Road.

— North Dutton from College to Jennings Avenue.— Third Street where it crosses below Santa Rosa Plaza from Morgan to B streets. A painted buffer currently separates vehicles and bicycles.Protected bike lanes already exist on Armory Drive and Santa Rosa Avenue .These projects have been too long in coming. For many years, transportation officials have hoped to create safety by teaching motorists and cyclists alike to share the road, […]

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