Sonoma Valley - Arnold Drive Update

Here is a belated recap of recent Arnold Drive shoulder advocacy work to date and a description of our meeting with Supervisor Valerie Brown on March 26, 2009:

Background:From late ‘08 to early ‘09, we had lots of conversations with people about the state of Arnold Drive’s shoulders and safety for cyclists and drivers alike. We spoke with parents of kids attending school on Arnold Drive, would-be commuters and recreational cyclists too afraid to ride on Arnold Drive, serious and recreational cyclists and members of Sonoma Valley Cyclists, employees at Sonoma Developmental Center, and others. The general concensus: there’s a large interest in improving cycling conditions and safety along Arnold Drive, and people would sign a petition to communicate that interest to our local County Supervisor, Valerie Brown.
A petition was prepared and reviewed with help from the legal eyes of Barbara Moulton and Paul Luca. The petition pointed out that Measure M had specifically designated funding for shoulder improvements along Arnold Drive, and that citizens are anxious to see these improvements implemented.
Through the tremendous efforts of Janice Eunice as well as others (Lisa Glover, Jennifer, and Stephanie Bentham) 230 people signed the petition. Concurrently, (again largely through the incredible networking efforts of Janice Eunice as well as local interest in general), people also wrote personalized letters to Valerie Brown about their interest in this issue.
Supervisor Brown’s receipt of these letters resulted in her office beating us to the punch: before we could deliver the petition to her, she initiated a meeting, inviting Chris Culver (Executive Director of the SCBC) and me along with Sonoma County Public Works and Sonoma County Transit Authority staff.
We were excited to have a chance to communicate the community’s interest, and to hear the County’s intentions regarding implementing the Measure M Arnold Drive shoulder improvements. Our specific hope: that the meeting would begin Supervisor Brown thinking about directing the Sonoma County Transit Authority and Sonoma County Public Works to prioritize Arnold Drive shoulder improvements as outlined in Measure M and the 2007 Measure M Strategic Plan.

The Meeting on March 26, 2009:
In attendance were: Supervisor Valerie Brown; Lynn Morton-Weil (Aid to Supervisor Brown); Suzanne Smith (Exec. Director, Sonoma County Transit Authority); Kevin Howze (Sonoma County Public Works); Christine Culver (Exec. Director, Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition); Sherry Adams (SCBC boardmember and District 1 representative of Sonoma County Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee); and Jeanna Menze (former boardmember of SCBC). After introducing ourselves, Supervisor Brown recounted her recollection of past efforts to improve Arnold Drive shoulders. Apparently when initial work was begun on Arnold Drive in the early ‘90’s, the ‘Save Arnold Drive’ group mobilized a huge campaign to prevent changing the character of Arnold Drive: they brought people in from as far as Napa County to fill the Veterans Building, and tied yellow ribbons on oak trees along Arnold Drive. Supervisor Brown said that it ‘may as well have been puppies’ they were protecting, the emotional fervor was that potent. She was clear that she did not wish to re-visit that level of division and rancor by re-initiating the Arnold Drive shoulder improvements.
When we handed her our petition and stack of signatures, she asked if these signatures were from that specific neighborhood along Arnold Drive – and did they represent a ‘change of heart’ of the Save Arnold Drive group? When we told her the signatures represented a cross-section of people in Sonoma Valley including some from that neighborhood as well as interested voters throughout Sonoma County, she reiterated that until she heard specifically from people along the Arnold Drive corridor, she would not be willing to revisit the issue – to awaken that sleeping giant.
Her attitude was not exactly dismissive (since she did call the meeting and listen to our position), but she made it clear that our letters and petition signatures were not about to move her to action. She wants to know that the neighborhood itself would support the project and would not launch another protest.
Her recommendation: to contact the editor of the Sonoma Index Tribune and discuss the matter with him as a community transportation and safety issue, and see if he would write an editorial on it – then let the community respond. A sort of pulse-taking measure.

Response:
Here’s where we need to have a discussion. What do you all think?
One logical next step would be to identify supporters in the Arnold Drive neighborhood by combing petition signatures and SCBC members for people who live in that area, and gauging the level of local (very local – i.e. Arnold Drive) support.
Another response would be to try the editorial route to gauge what the community position is NOW (compared with a decade-and-a-half ago).
While Valerie Brown is still our Supervisor and has the memory of the ‘Save Arnold Drive’ campaign of the early 90’s, it is difficult to know what could assuage her fear of a community conflict. The truth is that there will most definitely be some opposition to this project by people who love the oaks and don’t want to see them impacted. The project would involve some oak removal. And if opposition kills the project then I think a relevant question to ask our elected officials is: how do we provide safe connectivity for cyclists north of Sonoma – in our lifetimes?

Thoughts?
Jeanna Menze