Author CHRISTIAN KALLEN INDEX-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
City public works officials are recommending lowering the number of vehicle lanes on Broadway from five to three — and making room for bike lanes.
As state highway officials are planning to repave Highway 12 over the next two summers, including its Broadway portion, Sonoma has an opportunity to ask them to re-stripe the road to fit Sonoma’s 21st century traffic-flow needs, according to Public Works Director Colleen Ferguson.
On March 6, the city website at sonomacity.org added an online survey for the public to weigh in on plans for “Broadway Restriping,” which could change the flow of traffic for much of Broadway in Sonoma from MacArthur Street to the Plaza.
It won’t result in any changes in the street’s physical layout, but simply be a matter of a paint job to restripe the lanes from five lanes to three, with additional room for a bike path on each side of the street.
“Restriping Broadway is an idea that predates my time with the City of Sonoma,” said Ferguson, public works director since 2017. She points to the 2016 Circulation Element of the General plan, which recommends a reduction from five lanes to three. “(It) would be expected to operate safely and efficiently, would help to regulate vehicle speeds in a pedestrian-oriented area, would create space for bicycle facilities, and would potentially create space for additional parking spaces.”