Transportation

Learn the Top 10 Things to Know about Bikes.

Written by Sarah Hadler, Program Manager and League of American Bicyclist Cycling Instructor #3909 with the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition

Yes, the City’s Building Department offers expedited permitting (1 to 3 days) for EV Charging Stations.

The ordinance can be found in Sonoma Municipal Code (SMC) 9.56.080, which limits idling of commercial vehicles when parked within 100 feet of a residential zoning district to 5 consecutive minutes of idling except when vehicles is loading/unloading in which idling is limited to 30 minutes.

The City’s existing bicycle network consists of Class I pathways, Class II bike lanes, and Class III bike routes. The City’s longest Class I pathway is the Sonoma City Trail, which generally runs east-west and extends for approximately 1.5 miles across northern Sonoma. The Nathanson Creek Trail extends north-south along Nathanson Creek in the City’s southeast quadrant connecting local neighborhoods and Sonoma Valley High School and Adele Harrison Middle School.

Bike paths and lanes are shown on the City’s Bicycle Map.

Sonoma’s Teen Services Operation Bicycle operates a community bike shop at 207 Nino Marco Square. Bike shop staff and volunteers work with teens to repair used bicycles for sale and provide maintenance and repair services for the general public. There is also a bike repair station located at the Sonoma Valley Branch of the County Library.

Yes, there is local service, the Sonoma Shuttle (Route 32), which is “fare free.” There is also intercity service between Sonoma and Santa Rosa, Petaluma, and San Rafael, and a SMART connector service. For more information visit Sonoma County Transit.

The City of Sonoma encourages the use of Electric Vehicles (EVs) as part of our progress towards becoming a low carbon community. There are public DC fast chargers located at the Bank of America parking lot and Tier 2 chargers located in the public parking lot at 152 East Napa Street (enter from East Napa Street near First Street East).  A ChargePoint Card or phone app works best to activate the charging station. If using a Visa, Discover, American Express, or paypass card please contact 1-888-758-4389 and the charging station will be unlocked remotely.

The Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau provides information on electric vehicle charging stations at local hotels and other locations in Sonoma Valley, and Sonoma County Tourism provides information on locations of EV charging stations in other areas of Sonoma County.