Turn empty parking spaces into bike corrals? Parking, safer routes discussed at advocacy forum in Santa Rosa

Cyclists and advocates for safe and accessible bike routes descended Saturday on downtown Santa Rosa for a forum on how to build an advocacy network and effectively engage with city and county officials on proposed changes.

The inaugural event, organized by the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition, drew about 50 attendees and speakers to Sonoma Clean Power’s Advanced Energy Center on Fourth Street, many of whom rode their bike in from across the county to attend.

Knowing many in attendance likely would opt to ride their bike to the event – some members have completely ditched vehicles – organizers were presented with a problem. Where would cyclists park?

Organizers devised a creative solution.

The bicycle coalition rented three parking spaces in front of Sonoma Clean Power and set up a free bike valet where attendees and other riders downtown could safely leave their bikes.

“We dedicate so much spaces to parking cars and it can be hard to find a safe place to park your bike and that’s often a barrier to people using bikes as a safe alternative mode of transportation,” said Eris Weaver, the coalition’s executive director.

Weaver said organizers notified Santa Rosa officials ahead of time and paid the equivalent of what it would’ve cost to park a car in the spaces for the duration of the event, about $50.

“We’re not doing this as a guerrilla thing but we’re hoping that by being out there today people can see this is a possibility,” she said.

Beyond a few bike racks set up along parts of the sidewalk, Weaver said there are few places downtown where riders can leave their bikes while they run errands or dine out without worrying about having their bike vandalized or stolen.

Weaver said cities across the region turned to unused parking spaces in the pandemic to help restaurants expand their outdoor seating and this is one other way parking spaces can be used. Parking studies have shown that most spaces downtown go unused every day so Weaver said the city should look to repurpose some of them to encourage more people to bike.

The coalition estimates about 10 bikes can fit in one space.

Increasing access to secure bike parking is just one of several infrastructure priorities the coalition is advocating for.

The forum drew members of the bicycle coalition, Bikeable Santa Rosa, Safe Streets Petaluma, members of various bicycle and pedestrian advisory boards from throughout the county and counterparts from the Bay Area for a discussion on how to expand their reach and create change.

Weaver, addressing attendees at the start of the forum, said bringing everyone together was a longtime goal of the coalition.

“This is a big milestone in a goal we set a year or two ago to increase our reach,” she said.

The coalition is advocating for complete bike networks rather than individual projects, to make protected bike lanes the norm when cities are installing bike infrastructure, and more engagement in underserved communities, among other improvements.

Roseland resident Chad Hunt, co-founder of the Taco Tuesday ride, said he wants to see improved bike facilities that can accommodate young and inexperienced riders like the children in his neighborhood.

Biking is a fun activity and should be accessible to everyone, but infrastructure improvements are needed to safely connect parts of the community, said Hunt, a longtime Roseland Public Schools educator.

He said one need he’s noticed during the Tuesday night rides, which started in the pandemic and today attract between 150 to 200 riders, is flashing traffic signals to alert drivers that the light is about to change or that pedestrians are crossing the road.

By mid-morning about 20 bikes were stationed in the corral and coalition members estimated they could fit about 50 bikes. The corral also was open to other visitors downtown who wanted to park their bike while grabbing a bite to eat or shopping along Fourth Street.

While the coalition partners with cities and other organizations to operate bike corrals during farmers markets and other events, this was the first time they’ve rented parking spaces.

Volunteers at the valet tagged each bike and owners were given a corresponding tag, similar to a car valet, and the bikes were monitored for the duration of the event.

Weaver said turning even just one parking spot per block downtown into a bike corral could make a difference and encourage more people to get out on bikes, she said.

“Each bike is one car not on the road and one parking space not being used,” Weaver said.

You can reach Staff Writer Paulina Pineda at 707-521-5268 or paulina.pineda@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @paulinapineda22.