Two Oakmont men walking the Camino de Sonoma reached Kenwood this week. They rated the stretch of Highway 12 they had just finished the worst of the route.
Marty Behr and Mark Campbell were standing at the crosswalk near Warm Springs Road when we met them. Both live in Oakmont. Campbell is training for the Camino de Santiago in Spain, and the Camino de Sonoma is his practice ground.
Their verdict on the leg behind them was quick and unanimous.
The section of Highway 12 we just finished is the most dangerous and frightening and noisy.
Marty Behr and Mark Campbell, Oakmont
Campbell rides the same road on a bicycle.
The dream would be a bike path. I like to bike from Oakmont down Twelve to Schultz. The Warm Springs bit is very dangerous.
Mark Campbell
Why this matters now
Caltrans meets both of the valley’s advisory councils about this road on Wednesday, September 9th, at 6:30pm, at the East Sonoma County Service Center, 19080 Lomita Avenue, Sonoma. The agenda covers bicycle and pedestrian safety, crossings, accessibility, traffic speeds and maintenance. Anyone can attend in person or by Zoom.
The county wants written questions in advance, and they are due at 5pm today, Wednesday August 26th. Send them to [email protected]. A question filed by then goes into the agenda. A question raised from the floor on the night does not get the same preparation.
Campbell’s bike path is a bigger ask than paint. Highway 12 belongs to the state, and a Class II bike lane needs shoulder width the road does not have through the village. The September meeting is the first time in memory that Caltrans has come to the valley’s own councils to answer for the road. Two walkers who just covered it on foot have a view worth hearing.
The Camino de Sonoma runs 75 miles in six stages, from Mission San Francisco Solano at Sonoma Plaza to Fort Ross on the coast. It is run by a small non-profit and walked in guided groups.
The meeting is on the Social Calendar. We reported in July on the crosswalks at Kenwood Plaza Park, which are county paint rather than a Caltrans matter.