Council member Kevin McDonnell, who also attended the memorial hike and is an experienced long-distance cyclist, said the city needs to both encourage more residents to ride and invest in more continuous cycle paths and better infrastructure for cycle paths on existing roads. One, he said, could lead to the other.

“If our transportation routes had better security, then more people would,” McDonnell said. “People would love to be able to get on their bikes, if only the facilities were there. Although it’s kind of a chicken or egg, if we had more riders we would be more motivated to ride better routes. But since we don’t have a lot of cyclists, we don’t have better facilities.

Molly Mazzella, a Penngrove resident, membership coordinator for the 198-member Petaluma Wheelmen Club, said the organization, long recognizing the danger of organized rides in the city, is shifting from education to advocacy .

“In the past, the Wheelmen have really focused on getting amateur riders out,” Mazzella said. “But I’m starting to see a change, we feel we can do some good here and raise awareness of road safety.”

The group has been in contact with several council members in recent weeks and is preparing a report on the condition of the city’s roads to present to city staff and leaders in the coming months. Among the group’s first demands, the city is to renegotiate its contract with Recology Sonoma Marin to include regular sweeps of Petaluma’s cycle lanes, to clear them of debris and garbage that create hazards for cyclists.

Cycling advocates are expected to have a welcoming audience in the current Petaluma City Council, where more than half of the council members are cyclists.

These leaders say the upcoming budget discussions and the ongoing general plan update are ideal opportunities to explore ways the city can both invest in safety measures and encourage more residents to embrace the plan. bike.

“Our job here, I think, is to make sure we make our roads safer and more secure,” said Mayor Teresa Barrett. “This should be our goal in everything we do, we need to upgrade or improve the availability of bikes on the street when it is economically feasible.”

And for some members of the Petaluma Wheelmen, including board member D’Lynda Fischer and resident Mary Davies, wider bike lanes and better signage could make some routes through town a little less thrilling.

“The problem is, we don’t have enough pavement,” Fischer said. “They’re usually designed for cars, with bikes after the fact. With many of our streets, we don’t have dedicated or striped lanes. “

While board member Brian Barnacle said in-depth discussions on incorporating bike-friendly elements into the overall plan was a priority, he said there are also a number of smaller projects that are could improve security for little expense or effort.

He suggested installing secure bike racks in downtown and shopping malls, keeping bike lanes open during construction projects, and organizing a large monthly ride to educate motorists about sharing the road.

Benefits of cycling

While much of the focus is on local cycling, there is a need to ensure that more people can ride their bikes and feel safe, council leaders also highlighted how the adoption of cycling across the region. city ​​could create a city less dependent on cars and help meet its climate goals.

Among Petalumans, 69% of daily trips start and end within city limits, with roughly the same amount below 5 miles, according to a 2020 study from the Sonoma County Transportation Authority. About a third of all trips to Petaluma take less than 3 km.

“Safe streets are the best climate policies we can have,” said Brian Barnacle, board member. “Transport represents 65 or 70% of our emissions.”

The city has made progress in recent months in its efforts to become carbon neutral by 2030. The city council has banned the construction of future gas stations, invested in charging stations for electric vehicles and banned gas lines natural in new construction to promote less dependence on fossil fuels. .

City leaders say building a city that is less dependent on cars is also key to reducing emissions and point to bicycle transportation as a piece of the puzzle.

Gail Steiner, 69, from Philadelphia, said she believes more people should cycle given the city’s layout and climate.

“In Petaluma, when it comes to setup, you can’t ask for better infrastructure in terms of flat, neighborhood and time,” Steiner said. “The lack of cyclists to go grocery shopping or to go to the doctor is incredible for me, when it is possible all year round.”

With the city now required by the state to add nearly 2,000 more affordable housing units, Barnacle and other city leaders say investing in cycling infrastructure isn’t just a climate-friendly move , but might be the only way to really minimize traffic problems.

“If we don’t commit to a strategy, we’re going to be spending our money in places and not getting the results we want,” Barnacle said. “We have to find a new model, that’s the problem we’re in right now.”

Contact Kathryn Palmer at [email protected], on Twitter @KathrynPlmr.