Ban bikes on sidewalks
Editor: I was appalled when reading the letters in the Dec. 31 issue of The Sun regarding a missing bike ordinance prohibiting bicycles on sidewalks. Sonoma does, or did, have an ordinance prohibiting bikes on sidewalks. When and how was this ordinance removed?
Shortly following Brett Sackett’s appointment as Sonoma’s Police Chief I wrote him a memo reminding him of this ordinance since not only were, are, children riding their bikes on sidewalks, but so were, are, mature males! A phone call from Chief Sackett agreed this was a dangerous practice but he would not enforce the ordinance because he would “rather know his children were riding their bicycles on the sidewalks than in the streets!” To the best of my knowledge, Chief Sackett does not even reside in Sonoma!!
According to the Department of Motor Vehicles’ California Handbook, bicycles are subjected to the same rules and regulations as a moving vehicle … must stop at stop signs, etc. Since when do moving vehicles, automobiles and trucks, ride on sidewalks?
Linda L. McGarr
Sonoma
Horrible situation
Editor: I was horrified to hear of Wendy Mitchell’s accident. I have a few thoughts – First, a bike going 13 or so miles per hour hitting an immovable object could be very damaging, deadly even, I imagine. There needs to be a closer look at bike riding in Sonoma, especially where it impacts pedestrians.
Who is going to pay for the many months or years or lifetime of care Mitchell will need when she is discharged from the hospital?
Also, don’t the parents of the bike rider feel any remorse or even concern for Mitchell? Why did they not step forward and offer their help or concern, or make a public statement? Even though it was an accident, their child did in fact interrupt and perhaps ruin the life of another innocent person.
The whole situation is horrible.
Carol Kelley
Sonoma
Cyclist is caring, responsible youngster
Editor: I am writing to express my concern about hostilities towards the 13-year-old boy who was involved in an unfortunate bike accident near the post office several weeks ago. First, I would like to say I have known this boy and his family for many years and he is the sort of person who would do anything for you and is always on the lookout for the safety of younger children in our neighborhood. He and his family are deeply concerned about the woman injured in the accident, despite what others have said about him and his parents. While he suffered nothing less than a verbal flogging by a store owner who witnessed the accident – who later admitted this boy was not riding recklessly or outside existing laws – it was this boy who acted as the caring and responsible citizen by calling for help in the midst of what must have been a horribly frightening experience for one so young. The store owner, however, opted for swearing and cursing and unleashing what must have been a lifetime of stored-up resentment towards all children instead of helping an injured woman in her moment of need. Of the two, the Good Samaritan was the boy.
Second, as a mother of teenagers, I never advise them to use the designated bike lanes in Sonoma; they are treacherous and little respected by cars. We want to live in a town where children can grow up with a sense of safety and independence yet the corridors available to cyclists remain inadequately connected, poorly lit and often seen as an unnecessary nuisance by drivers. I am ashamed and alarmed by some of the comments aimed at this child. This type of premature condemnation gives caring, concerned children like this boy little incentive to grow up into compassionate members of a community.
Lisa Summers
Sonoma
Farmers market
Editor: Our family has been attending the Tuesday night Farmers Market since before our 16-year-old twins were born. We think there could be no worse outcome of the current controversy than to remake the market into a tourist attraction.
The Tuesday night market is a weekly community gathering which has its own special sense of place. Go to the Plaza on any Tuesday evening in the spring and summer, weather permitting, and see every picnic table in use, blankets and chairs all over the grass, and parking is difficult to find. This perspective is missing in the dispute between market management and individuals who want to be vendors.
While the complaints must be addressed and changes made, we hope this can be done without forgetting that the Tuesday night Farmers Market is a popular, beloved local event.
Gina Cuclis and Roy Tennant
Sonoma