Bicycle Friendly Community Status Up for Review

In 2009 the League of American Bicyclists designated the City of Sonoma as a bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community, one of 44 Bike Friendly communities in California. Now, almost five years later, the city is up for renewal of that status.

Communities apply for Bike Friendly status from the LAB – an  organization founded in 1880 as the League of American Wheelmen. Bicyclists in that age were challenged by rutted roads of gravel and dirt and faced antagonism from horsemen, wagon drivers, and pedestrians of the time.

In an effort to improve riding conditions so they might better enjoy their newly discovered sport, more than 100,000 cyclists from across the United States joined the League to advocate for paved roads. (So the next time somebody tells you “roads are for cars,” you can inform them otherwise.)

The Bike Friendly Community status is based on the following criteria:

·         Engineering: Creating safe and convenient places to ride and park

·         Education: Giving people of all ages and abilities the skills and confidence to ride

·         Encouragement: Creating a strong bike culture that welcomes and celebrates bicycling

·         Enforcement: Ensuring safe roads for all users

·         Evaluation & Planning: Planning for bicycling as a safe and viable transportation option

Sonoma is the only Bike Friendly community in Sonoma County; next door, both Calistoga and Napa have met the criteria, which includes over 76% of arterial streets with dedicated bicycle facilities.

Further evidence of Sonoma’s bike-friendly status is the city’s sponsorship of an annual Bicycle Festival to promote bicycle awareness and safety. The Police Department hosts Bicycle Rodeos tailored to bicycle safety for children, and a Community Service Officer occasionally works a booth at the seasonal Farmer's Market. Finally there’s the cross-town Bike Path, from Hwy 12 to 4th St. E.

The designation is currently up for renewal and the City would like to encourage residents and other cyclists familiar with the community to sign up to become local reviewers for the Sonoma’s Bicycle Friendly Community program.

The League of American Bicyclists is building a local reviewer database for its Bicycle Friendly America (BFA) programs. If you are a regular cyclist, work with or for cyclists, or are otherwise knowledgeable about bike issues, please consider becoming a BFA local reviewer.

Every submitted application will be reviewed by several local reviewers, who range from bicycle experts to novice cyclists. This variety of local perspectives is invaluable during the judging process and for the development of recommendations.

As a local reviewer, you may receive applications from communities, businesses in those communities, and universities that you have specified. You will have 2-3 weeks to complete your review. Reviews are typically requested in February/March and July/August. All local reviews remain anonymous to allow for candid feedback.

Your input is very important to us and the BFA applicants. Interested residents can sign up athttp://www.bikeleague.org/content/become-local-reviewer.

If you have any questions, please contact us at bfa@bikeleague.org or 202-822-1333.