Caltrans is considering putting rumble strips down the centerline of Highway 1 throughout Sonoma County. They are also looking at widening the shoulder in about fifty places. No, they’re not adding an actual bike lane, these are more like pullouts for bikes OR cars. They have asked us for input as to good/bad locations for these pullouts. We’ve also made some suggestions about signage (e.g. adding BIKES MAY USE FULL LANE signs in areas with NO shoulder), questioned the benefit of rumble strips, and stated our preference for widening the shoulder and creating a bikeway along the ENTIRE stretch, rather than just a few places.
They have done a similar project in Marin County, which they say has reduced collisions (but they did not give us any numeric data).
You can download the report (which includes maps of all the proposed locations for widening) here. You can read the letter we sent them here. They will receive public comment through February 15th, let them know what you think by email or by writing:
Caltrans District 4, P.O. Box 23660, MS-8B, Oakland, CA 94623-0660Attn: Arnica MacCarthy, Senior Environmental Planner