“We've also seen them embrace ‘quick builds,’ which are changes in the street landscape to increase safety that aren't necessarily permanent. They can be tried out and then evaluated.” NCBC offers lots of community engagement around cycling—with education, bike rides, events, a bike valet service and a “Bikefest.” All of it helps encourage riding in Napa County. “People love when a bike valet is available,” Vernor says. “We park about 330 to 350 bikes each day at Bottle Rock, and around 100 to 150 bikes at events like Earth Day or Fourth of July celebrations.” In the spring, NCBC hosts its popular all-day Bikefest. Bikefest starts early in the morning with multiple free bike rides, like the cultural heritage ride around Napa. There are rides for kids, a bike-decorating station and a bicycle rodeo. They also have bands, food, beer, wine and a swap meet where people barter or bargain and trade bikes. “It’s a really nice place to find a bike for an entry level person because there's a lot of really good quality used bikes that are less expensive than a new bike,” Vernor says. Vernor says NCBC has been fortunate to receive support from the state Office of Traffic Safety. “That has allowed us to go out and teach fourth and fifth graders about traffic, bike and pedestrian safety,” she says. They provide 90 minutes of classroom education about how to be safe while walking and riding. There’s another 45 minutes with kids on their bikes, practicing what they've learned. “We set up a course that mimics the street,” Vernor says. “They're able to practice what they learned as well as develop their bike-handling skills.” Vernor says the coalition spent a few years on an analysis of the barriers to walking and riding to public schools in Napa County. The reports are on its website and include a detailed look at projects that would make riding and walking to school safer. Vernor has hopes that the newly signed Complete Streets legislation will help make those kinds of advancements commonplace in future Caltrans projects. She pointed out that the majority of the county’s high-injury network were Caltrans roads. “Caltrans roads need the most change and attention,” she says. “They're the biggest game changers in being able to increase safety and to decrease fatal and serious collisions.” “The Complete Streets legislation will increase transparency, so we were thrilled that the bill passed,” Vernor says. “It took some time. I think people wanted to see whether or not changes could happen at Caltrans without legislation forcing those changes. But, with time, it was apparent those changes still weren't happening.” Vernor believes the impact of a more walkable, bike-friendly community would be far-reaching. She points out that vacationers are often drawn to areas where they can walk or ride to everything. Feeling safe is important for an area to feel walkable and bike friendly. Locals and vacationers can feel safer going on a group ride with NCBC. They host group rides throughout the year. Vernor says they emphasize visibility when riding in the evening or at night. “We encourage the use of lights, reflective gear and equipment that you can add to your bike,” she says. “My favorite from this past year was a sunset ride in American Canyon,” Vernor says. “We rode out in the Wetlands Edge Park and through some neighborhoods to get that practice with traffic safety.” “It was a beautiful ride,” she says. “It's right on the bay, and the sun sets out over the water to the west. It's just gorgeous.” n
playground with lanes, stop signs and all kinds of stuff,” Weaver says. “The kids get to practice skills on the bike. We've got mechanics there to make sure the kids’ bikes actually are rideable, and we fit helmets. If kids don't have helmets, we have those available.” Weaver says it’s heartbreaking that each year more and more kids show up who have never ridden a bike. When that happens the SCBC folks teach them how to ride. The SCBC hosts Walk and Roll to School Day where schools try to get everyone to walk or ride to school. There's a celebration and prizes. They host family bike workshops where they get together with parents and kids to do a little bit of education and take a ride. “That helps the kids learn, but also makes sure parents know what the rules of the road are and they get to have kind of a family experience together,” Weaver says. Like MCBC, SCBC partners with CalBike to promote safe cycling and was also encouraged by the passage of the Complete Streets bill. “Caltrans is a giant—like a dinosaur,” Weaver says. “It's this giant entity and half of its parts don't know what the other parts are doing, and it moves very slowly. It's not like the person at the top can say, “We will do this!” and it filters down and everybody changes how they've been doing things. So this was an attempt to get more accountability and more push back on Caltrans.” Adds Weaver: “For instance, if they're going to be putting down asphalt, they can put in a bike lane and narrow the other lanes or do something to adhere to this standard.” Weaver points out that over 60% of the greenhouse gas emissions locally are from transportation. “Most of the county is in the process of updating their active transportation plans, all of which include language about wanting streets that are safe for cyclists of all ages and abilities to be safe on the road." Napa County Bicycle Coalition “Our local jurisdiction has begun embracing more modern bike and pedestrian infrastructure and traffic-calming treatments,” Kara Vernor says. Vernor is executive director of the Napa County Bicycle Coalition. She’s been with NCBC for three years and has appreciated seeing the infrastructure improvements the coalition has advocated for included in local plans and then implemented on the ground. In the past year, Napa County got its first buffered bike lanes and a protected bike lane. “We're starting to see folks embrace things like low-stress bike infrastructure and roundabouts that help calm traffic,” Vernor says. Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition volunteers operate a bicycle valet service at local festivals, sometimes parking up to 350 bikes. Napa and Marin County Bicycle Coalitions operate the popular bicycle valet service as well.
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28 NorthBaybiz
January 2025
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