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03-24-2010, 10:37 PM
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Sebastopol may experiment with a few car-free Sundays | PressDemocrat.com (https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100324/ARTICLES/100329762/1350?p=1&tc=pg)
[B]Sebastopol may experiment with a few car-free Sundays
By BOB NORBERG ([email protected])
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 at 5:25 p.m.
Car-Free Sundays, on which auto use is discouraged in favor of walking and biking, are being proposed as monthly events for the city of Sebastopol.
“It is an educational program, to encourage people to park their cars and walk around or bicycle, to encourage people to shop locally, stimulate our local business, and to give people a sense of what it is like to be part of a pedestrian-oriented community,” said Councilman Larry Robinson.
Calling them fewer-car Sundays may be more realistic.
Sebastopol sits at the intersection of heavily traveled state highways 12 and 116, one leading to the Sonoma County coast and the other to the Russian River.
“Most of the traffic in Sebastopol is coming through Sebastopol, people who live outside and are going through or past,” Robinson said.
“This probably is not going to impact their driving habits, although we would encourage them to park, walk around downtown and spend money at our businesses,” Robinson said.
Undaunted, supporters want to give it a try anyway.
The plan calls for the first Sunday of each month to be promoted as days asking residents to use alternative forms of transportation, while urging passers-through to stop, park and shop.
“It is not a mandatory thing, it is to ask people to consider other means of transportation,” said Councilwoman Kathleen Shaffer. “It will be the first Sunday of the month ... we will see how that goes.”
Shaffer expects the City Council to endorse the proposal that is being coordinated by LITE Initiatives and Transition Sebastopol and may involve dozens of other Sebastopol environmental groups.
A planning meeting is scheduled from 6 to 8:30 p.m. today<no1>Thursday<no> at Park Side School.</no></no1>
The first Car-Free Sunday would be April 4, but because that is Easter Sunday, organizers are really targeting May 2 and June 6.
<no1><no>The intent is not to ban vehicles from downtown Sebastopol, just nudge change in some driver’s habits to lessen vehicle emissions.</no></no1>
“It’s a statement that completely supports the environment, across the board,” Shaffer said. “If you can get out of your car, you can avoid the gridlock, you avoid the fumes,” she said. “At certain times during the day here in Sebastopol it is not so pleasant. Any little bit you can do is important.
The goal for May 2 is to get 1,000 people to attend the farmer’s market at Sebastopol’s Downtown Plaza in some way other than by car, and perhaps ask them to wear an orange or green arm band or something else to distinguish themselves.
Portia Sinnott of LITE Initiatives said there may be special events to mark the Sundays.
“We have had bike rides, walks, we have had rallies, presentations,” Sinnott said. “What we will do on May 2 has not been figured out ... a walk, a possible bike ride and we are planning to have some sort of celebration with music.”
Sinnott said success will be a matter of educating the public.
“What they really need are the skills,” Sinnott said. “How do we motivate them, what do they need to know to get out of their cars? We teach them how to drive less. It comes down to time management, clumping your errands, and who else is going to carpool with.”
Sebastopol may experiment with a few car-free Sundays | PressDemocrat.com (https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100324/ARTICLES/100329762/1350?p=1&tc=pg)
[B]Sebastopol may experiment with a few car-free Sundays
By BOB NORBERG ([email protected])
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 at 5:25 p.m.
Car-Free Sundays, on which auto use is discouraged in favor of walking and biking, are being proposed as monthly events for the city of Sebastopol.
“It is an educational program, to encourage people to park their cars and walk around or bicycle, to encourage people to shop locally, stimulate our local business, and to give people a sense of what it is like to be part of a pedestrian-oriented community,” said Councilman Larry Robinson.
Calling them fewer-car Sundays may be more realistic.
Sebastopol sits at the intersection of heavily traveled state highways 12 and 116, one leading to the Sonoma County coast and the other to the Russian River.
“Most of the traffic in Sebastopol is coming through Sebastopol, people who live outside and are going through or past,” Robinson said.
“This probably is not going to impact their driving habits, although we would encourage them to park, walk around downtown and spend money at our businesses,” Robinson said.
Undaunted, supporters want to give it a try anyway.
The plan calls for the first Sunday of each month to be promoted as days asking residents to use alternative forms of transportation, while urging passers-through to stop, park and shop.
“It is not a mandatory thing, it is to ask people to consider other means of transportation,” said Councilwoman Kathleen Shaffer. “It will be the first Sunday of the month ... we will see how that goes.”
Shaffer expects the City Council to endorse the proposal that is being coordinated by LITE Initiatives and Transition Sebastopol and may involve dozens of other Sebastopol environmental groups.
A planning meeting is scheduled from 6 to 8:30 p.m. today<no1>Thursday<no> at Park Side School.</no></no1>
The first Car-Free Sunday would be April 4, but because that is Easter Sunday, organizers are really targeting May 2 and June 6.
<no1><no>The intent is not to ban vehicles from downtown Sebastopol, just nudge change in some driver’s habits to lessen vehicle emissions.</no></no1>
“It’s a statement that completely supports the environment, across the board,” Shaffer said. “If you can get out of your car, you can avoid the gridlock, you avoid the fumes,” she said. “At certain times during the day here in Sebastopol it is not so pleasant. Any little bit you can do is important.
The goal for May 2 is to get 1,000 people to attend the farmer’s market at Sebastopol’s Downtown Plaza in some way other than by car, and perhaps ask them to wear an orange or green arm band or something else to distinguish themselves.
Portia Sinnott of LITE Initiatives said there may be special events to mark the Sundays.
“We have had bike rides, walks, we have had rallies, presentations,” Sinnott said. “What we will do on May 2 has not been figured out ... a walk, a possible bike ride and we are planning to have some sort of celebration with music.”
Sinnott said success will be a matter of educating the public.
“What they really need are the skills,” Sinnott said. “How do we motivate them, what do they need to know to get out of their cars? We teach them how to drive less. It comes down to time management, clumping your errands, and who else is going to carpool with.”