Petaluma has installed Class 2 bike lanes and other traffic calming measures on D Street, bringing additional layers of safety to cyclists and pedestrians on one of the city’s main thoroughfares.
The bike lanes, part of a temporary quick build project, create visibility for cyclists, and a connection between downtown and the city’s southern limits. The project also includes crosswalks and pedestrian islands, and a traffic diverter to prevent certain streets from being used as detours when traffic on D Street builds up.
Unfortunately, some of the loudest complaints about these beneficial changes have come from other cyclists, who claim to speak on behalf of other “inexperienced” riders. Bike lanes are what give cyclists more confidence riding in traffic. Additionally, even though some parking has been removed to construct the bike lanes, the project has still left ample street parking for neighborhood use (a city parking study conducted in advance of the project showed that parking along the corridor was largely under-utilized).
Earlier this year, Petaluma City Council voted to support the project by a vote of 5-2.
SCBC rode the new lanes recently, and enjoyed the ride up to Windsor Drive and the cruise back to downtown — a vast improvement over the previous configuration which had bikes share a travel lane with a row of parked cars. Our main concern was the condition of the road itself, which is expected to be fixed following a sewer and water main replacement project next year.
Read more about the D Street project on the city’s website, and show your support by emailing the City Council or making a public comment at their upcoming meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 9.