Windsor puts city employees on two wheels

In what may be a first for Sonoma County, the town of Windsor is buying bicycles for some of its employees to go about their jobs.

Windsor recently bought two bikes for its Planning Department employees to use in their work. Four more bicycles will be ordered for Public Works employees to use in the performance of their duties.

The intent is to cut down on greenhouse gases.

"If you're a town employee and riding a bike, you are not riding in a town vehicle and using fossil fuels," said Planning Director Peter Chamberlin, who's pedaled short distances to check on project sites. "I enjoy doing it."

"I did it in heels," Assistant Town Manager Christa Johnson said of her recent 3-mile round-trip peddle from Town Hall to a meeting at the fire department.

Like other cities in Sonoma County, Windsor is committed to reducing greenhouse gases in an attempt to address global warming.

The bicycles are one method, along with a commitment to buy hybrid and electric vehicles.

Other cities also have hybrid cars. And Santa Rosa has police officers on downtown bike patrol as well as bikes for employees to use on-site at the Llano Road wastewater treatment plant.

But Windsor is taking it a step further by having rank-and-file employees use bikes when appropriate on city streets.

The $700 Giant brand bicycles were purchased at Windsor Bicycle Center, an effort to keep the money in the community.

The rugged street bikes with knobby tires have front and rear carriers, splashguards, dual headlights and taillights, disc brakes, a bell and odometer.

Town staff members want to keep track of the mileage so Windsor can get credit for the reduction in greenhouses gases.

"The plan is afoot to roll it out and get as many employees as we can to participate, as long as we keep it efficient and safe," said Johnson.

Besides enjoying the exercise, town employees also are becoming aware that Windsor could use a better bike corridor to cross Highway 101.

"Central Windsor is neither pedestrian- or bike-friendly," said Chamberlin, who is looking at ways to create a path under the freeway along an existing culvert.

Johnson said it makes sense to use the bikes for short rides, rather than a trip to a meeting in Healdsburg, for example.

""It's a gorgeous ride," she said. "But I don't think I'd get a lot of support for that. We're starting out with baby steps."

You can reach Staff Writer Clark Mason at 521-5214 or clark.mason@pressdemocrat.com.