Santa Rosa gets nearly $500,000 to promote bike, pedestrian safety

Santa Rosa will spend almost half a million dollars to focus on improving bicyclist and pedestrian safety over the next two years, police officials said.

The money comes from a state Office of Traffic Safety grant and will pay for two community outreach workers who will coordinate a range of community education activities.

The two outreach specialists have already been hired from within the police department, Schlief said, and they will be organizing events ranging from presentations to schools and senior citizen groups to a community education “summit.”

The $470,000 program's chief aim, he said, is to reduce injuries, keep bicycle or pedestrian fatalities to zero and raise community awareness. It will also target bicycling under the influence of alcohol or drugs, which he termed a growing problem.

“Pedestrian and bicycle safety is one of our top council goals,” Santa Rosa Mayor Susan Gorin said in a statement. She said ongoing education is as important as enforcement efforts in reaching that goal.

The department will be teaming with the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition, the Council on Aging and the Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County to promote the campaign, Schlief said.

- Jeremy Hay