Is It Smart to GET SMART?

Date March 27, 2006

I don’t know. In my dreams, I would love to walk to a shuttle bus that takes me to a central rail system. Using the rail system, I would be free to shop up and down the 101 corridor, or traverse easily to the ferry to San Francisco. I am lured by the prospect that while I ride SMART to Larkspur, I can blog via on-board wireless network. I love to support a system that will improve air pollution and congestion on our 101.

Is SMART going to give me that? The more I look into it, the more I have doubts.

SMART or Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit is becoming a hot topic lately in the area. In November 2006, there is a planned quarter-cent ballot measure. The expenditure plan is structured to provide funding for passenger rail service from Cloverdale to Larkspur using a mix of local, state and federal funding.The estimated cost for the Cloverdale to San Rafael segment will be $338 million (the way projects go in Northern California shouldn’t we just double that amount?). It has already been reported that SMART’s $340 figure is two years out of date and new figures won’t be out till September. Critics have said that this number doesn’t figure in the cost of bond debt, which could be as high as 1.2 billion.
SMART is a 70 mile corridor extending from Cloverdale in Sonoma County through Marin County to a San Francisco bound ferry terminal. There will be 14 station sites along the corridor, nine in Sonoma County and five in Marin County. The plan also is looking to include a 70 mile class 1 bicycle/pedestrian lane running along the corridor. Check out the SMART MAP and the SMART STATION PROPOSAL.

It is painfully obvious that there needs to be a solution to commute time highway 101. High density development is only going to continue bringing more cars onto the 101 corridor. SMART estimates that the average commute time by car during peak commute hours between Santa Rosa and Larkspur Landing is 70-80 minutes. They estimate the trip by SMART will be 55 minutes. There are people who question those numbers and suggest that the time travelled is basically a wash. Critics say that SMART fails to calculate the time getting to the rail and waiting for the train. There are also doubts that any system will reduce traffic even in SMART’s own report, but alternatives like the rail system supporters say will allow residents to opt out of the congestion.People also question the wisdom of spending millions in additional sales taxes over 20 years for a system that even SMART admits on their website FAQ will operate at a loss.

 

“Projected operating costs are estimated at approximately $10-12 million per year. As with all transportation services, some of these costs will be covered by subsidies from local funds and other sources. However, with ridership projections of approximately 5,100 daily rides forecasted at start-up, annual passenger revenues will provide approximately $3-4 million for the Cloverdale to San Rafael segment.”

Another thing to consider is that for all these costs, the trains would only run during the commute hours Monday through Friday. The San Rafael to Larkspur section of the rail would not be completed for years, dampening the hope to give relief to SF bound commuters. Complicating matters is that, “demolition of a number of office and commercial buildings.”

Other alternatives have been offered to solve the problem instead of SMART. Fred Levin, a spokesman for the Sonoma County Taxpayers’ Association, wrote an op-ed in the IJ. He favors, “paving over a portion of the tracks and using existing buses to provide a “rapid busway” from Healdsburg to south of Petaluma.” That would be great if you lived in Sonoma County, but does nothing to help the entire region.Another proposal is to expand current bus service that already is said to serve 30,000. I am not sure that just adding to Golden Gate Transit is the answer. Is the problem really that we need more buses? If you read sfgate, bus fares from the North Bay to San Francisco are only going to get more expensive.

 


“Directors with the Golden Gate Bridge District agreed Friday to raise fares 5 percent annually for regional transit users, including the disabled, starting July 1. The increases will then occur every year until 2010.”

Supporters of SMART and the November ballot measure, say that people who pose questions about the plan are just stalling and not looking at the big picture. People with questions must be an “anti-environmentalist.” They point to a recent poll that has 72% Marin voters, and 71% of Sonomans look favorably to the concept of the 70 mile rail system. The results are not surprising, because, like I said before, the idea of an alternative to 101 congestion and a state-of-the-art rail system to Larkspur is compelling. The devil seems to be in the details.

Supporters of SMART and the November ballot measure, say that people who pose questions about the plan are and not looking at the big picture. People with questions must be an “anti-environmentalist.” They point to a recent poll that has 72% Marin voters, and 71% of Sonomans look favorably to the concept of the 70 mile rail system. The results are not surprising, because, like I said before, the idea of an alternative to 101 congestion and a state-of-the-art rail system to Larkspur is compelling. The devil seems to be in the details.I will keep an open mind and welcome anyone to educate us on this proposal. I would love an earth friendly solution to the 101 corridor. I want a plan that works.

 

 

 

 

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Category Posted in Living in Marin, Marin Politics, SMART