As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition cannot endorse candidates for public office, but we are able to share information so that you can arrive at your own conclusion. Below are Sebastopol City Council candidates’ responses to our questionnaire on bicycling in Sonoma County. Thanks to the candidates for their time and thoughtful answers!
NOTE: None of these candidates are members of SCBC.
PHILL CARTER
Do you ride a bicycle in Sonoma County for transportation or recreation? How would you characterize the experience of cycling here? As an avid cyclist and parent, I regularly bike with my children for both transportation and recreation in Sebastopol. We’ve even embarked on ambitious journeys, cycling to the SMART Train, taking the ferry, and exploring San Francisco by bike! This firsthand experience has given me a deep understanding of the joys and challenges of cycling in our area.
The experience of cycling in Sebastopol is mixed. While we have beautiful off-street paths like the Joe Rodota trail from Santa Rosa and the West County trail from Forestville, our downtown area presents significant challenges. The intersection of two highways with heavy traffic (114,000 trips on one and nearly 60,000 on the other) makes downtown cycling intimidating, especially for families with children.
To address these issues, I’m actively involved in all three Active Transportation studies by Fehr and Peers, working to make Sebastopol a more bike-friendly town. I’m also collaborating with BikeSebastopol.org to develop innovative solutions to our unique challenges. Additionally, as a member of the Climate Action Committee, I’m working to reduce overall traffic and improve cycling infrastructure.
My commitment to cycling goes beyond local involvement. I’m well-versed in best practices from organizations like People for Bikes, Strong Towns, and the YouTube channel “Not Just Bikes.” This knowledge, combined with my practical experience and active involvement in local initiatives, makes me uniquely qualified to champion cycling improvements on the City Council.
What are your community’s/Sonoma County’s biggest transportation challenges, and how does bicycling fit into your vision of future development? Sebastopol’s biggest transportation challenge is balancing the needs of through traffic on our highways with the desire for a safe, walkable, and bikeable downtown. My vision for future development places cycling at the forefront of our transportation strategy. This includes:
– Creating a network of protected bike lanes throughout the city
– Developing more off-street cycling paths to connect different parts of town
– Implementing traffic calming measures to make shared roads safer for cyclists
– Encouraging bike-friendly business practices (e.g., ample bike parking, incentives for customers who arrive by bike)
– Promoting cycling education and safety programs in schools and the community
I prioritize cycling infrastructure and want a human-centered town not a car-centered town. We can reduce car dependency, improve public health, boost local businesses, and contribute to our climate goals. AND we can make sure car service levels per CALTRANS are maintained.
If elected, what will you do to improve cycling safety and encourage more people in the county to ride? If elected, I will:
– Push for the rapid implementation of recommendations from the Active Transportation studies
– Advocate for increased funding for cycling infrastructure in our city budget
– Work with county officials to improve cycling connections between Sebastopol and neighboring communities
– Support and expand our Vision Zero initiatives to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries
– Promote cycling events and programs to encourage more people to try biking
– Collaborate with schools to implement safe routes to school programs and cycling education
Our visions and goals are often tempered by available budgets, staff time and public focus. How will you seek to balance improving bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and safety with your other policy priorities? I believe that investing in cycling and pedestrian infrastructure is a cost-effective way to address multiple city priorities simultaneously, including transportation, public health, economic development, and climate action. To balance these improvements with other priorities, I will:
– Seek out state and federal grants specifically for active transportation projects
– Look for opportunities to incorporate cycling improvements into existing road maintenance and construction projects
– Engage with the community to build broad support for cycling initiatives
– Prioritize high-impact, low-cost improvements that can be implemented quickly
– Collaborate with local businesses and organizations to leverage private resources for public benefit
Are there any specific projects in your jurisdiction – either planned or imagined – that you are particularly excited to see implemented? I’m particularly excited about the potential for a “bicycle boulevard” network in Sebastopol, creating low-stress routes that connect residential areas to schools, shopping, and recreation. I’m also eager to see the implementation of a protected bike lane on Bodega Avenue, providing a safe cycling route through the heart of our city.
Additionally, I envision a “Sebastopol Greenway” project that would create a continuous, off-street cycling and walking path circling the entire city, connecting our existing trail system and providing a safe, scenic route for both transportation and recreation from north to south and connecting to the Laguna.
These projects would not only improve safety and encourage more cycling but would also enhance Sebastopol’s character as a forward-thinking, sustainable community and attract more bicyclists!
Did I mention we are working on much more art bike parking?! Let’s make biking the fun and preferred way to go.
NEYSA HINTON
Do you ride a bicycle in Sonoma County for transportation or recreation? How would you characterize the experience of cycling here? I ride for recreation. I will consider riding more for transportation in the future if I work closer to home. The nature of my career in a medical environment in Marin County has made it difficult to use a bicycle for daily transportation. Cycling in Sonoma County has both upsides and downsides. Sebastopol has in recent years become more friendly to bicycles with class 2 and 3 lanes expanded and Cal Trans markings on Highway 116 through town.
What are your community’s/Sonoma County’s biggest transportation challenges, and how does bicycling fit into your vision of future development? Safety for bicyclists can be an issue, especially for youth and less experienced bike riders. Connections between trails and bicycle lanes can make longer rides or using a bicycle for transportation challenging as lanes have gaps in connections throughout the County. Sebastopol has added bike lanes throughout the city however they do not get used in a visible way as often as you might think they would, and this causes many people in cars to complain that they should be removed or reconfigured. I think finding ways to get people more comfortable with biking around town, especially on local errands would make a big difference in improving our cycling acceptance.
If elected, what will you do to improve cycling safety and encourage more people in the county to ride? As an elected official, I do vote to improve and encourage cycling. I also try to lead by example. I signed the pledge and biked in Sebastopol on “Bike to Work Day” May 16th 2024. Although I did not ride to work, I used my bicycle more during the month of May. I am aware of the Week Without Driving Challenge planned for Sept 30- Oct 6th. I will commit to riding my bike during that week to run some local errands
within the City of Sebastopol to show support for this big event!
Our visions and goals are often tempered by available budgets, staff time and public focus. How will you seek to balance improving bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and safety with your other policy priorities? Currently Sebastopol has deep financial issues. Additional bicycle and pedestrian projects are on hold. Sebastopol has put Measure U on the ballet to add a ½ cent sales tax within the city. The current Sebastopol City Council has agreed to dedicate 40% of the tax measure to infrastructure if the measure passes. It is a general fund measure, so the funds are very flexible in terms of how they can be utilized, but our existing Council has passed an advisory resolution that states how we intend to spend the money. This commitment showcases how important
improving all infrastructures is to Sebastopol and the city council.
Are there any specific projects in your jurisdiction – either planned or imagined – that you are particularly excited to see implemented? Currently, I am working to pass Measure U. If it does not pass on November 5th 2024, it will be very difficult to work on new projects in the next few years. There is a long-range discussion/plan for a bike pathway that would connect Petaluma and Sebastopol, which is very exciting. There are many things that need to fall into place to enable this to happen, so we shall see where it goes and when, but I am supportive.
KEE NETHERY
Do you ride a bicycle in Sonoma County for transportation or recreation? I have two bikes. One has gearing, the other is a kids BMX I use at Burning Man. I tend to walk everywhere so I infrequently ride my bikes. I’m 0.3 miles from the town square so walking is a completely viable option.
How would you characterize the experience of cycling here? The times I’ve done it, nice.
What are your community’s/Sonoma County’s biggest transportation challenges, and how does bicycling fit into your vision of future development? The biggest challenge seems to be that ICE cars contribute to a large percentage of our greenhouse gasses and a large part of that is cars traversing through Sebastopol on 12 or 116. Not sure how bikes would replace the commuting that people do from Santa Rosa to west county, or from the Bay Area to west county.
If elected, what will you do to improve cycling safety and encourage more people in the county to ride? We’ve got some protected bike lanes here in Sebastopol. Most of the roads in town have bike lanes. Given that the state or county owns the roads outside of town, not sure what we can do to have them add bike lanes to those roads. What would you suggest?
I’d be interested in seeing all the bike paths without cars (bike lanes, trails, etc). Would be interesting to see if we could connect these paths together to create really long distance paths that are free of cars.
Our visions and goals are often tempered by available budgets, staff time and public focus. How will you seek to balance improving bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and safety with your other policy priorities? Roads need to be maintained. A car dodging a pothole could slam into a bike. The water and sewage system needs to be maintained. Your’s is a good question. How would you suggest we prioritize city services?
Are there any specific projects in your jurisdiction – either planned or imagined – that you are particularly excited to see implemented? Would really like the two hotels to start construction. I know they are both considering accommodations for bikes because people come here to bike.
My two priorities are keeping the city out of bankruptcy and making sure our water supply is going to last. For me, pretty much most things fall below those on the priority list. If the Sebastopol sales tax passes, we’ll be able to implement things that make Sebastopol more wonderful, like bike paths.