SMART Protestors Spat at, Shoved and Sworn at in Marin County

http://blip.tv/file/1292792/

http://blip.tv/file/1292792/

http://blip.tv/file/1292792/

=v= Trains have far less impact on the environment than the cars and SUVs that Marinites are so addicted to for lack of alternatives.

Why would this particular train increase traffic congestion?

Can you explain what is going on in Marin and Sonoma better? My experience with Golden Gate transit is that it is super expensive compared to midwestern city buses (often $3.75 for one-way rides) and you often need to bring a bicycle to get to any destination away from the few north-south corridors that the buses run on. I would experience the bicycle racks being filled already when the bus arrived, and the driver would say that the bus behind an hour later would also had a filled bike rack. So I concluded that the only solution for Marin county was carpooling, and plotting out maps to bike the entire distance.

What with the high bridge tolls, anyone who is below median income will have a hard time getting anywhere during the economic downturn.

Fact No. 1: Rail would not reduce congestion on Highway 101. SMART’s EIRs show that congestion levels all along Highway 101 would be no different with or without the train. Only 230 Sonoma county residents would take the train to Marin County during the morning peak by 2025-very few compared to the number making the trip by car.

Fact No. 2: The train would be an enormous expense, considering the few riders projected to take it. SMART's Project Funding Plan indicates that SMART would spend
$1.3 Billion over 20 years. Based on the projected number of riders, SMART would spend $50 per one-way ride.

By contrast, Golden Gate Transit's capital and operating costs per rider were $9 in 2006. In 2008 GGT and Marin County Transit provided 32,000 passenger-trips per day. Compare this to SMART’s estimate of 5,650 per day by 2025. .

Fact No. 3: Express buses would work far better in Marin and Sonoma than rail. Jobs are dispersed throughout the north bay, rather than in one or two economic centers. Ask yourself how you would get from a rail station to a job a mile from the station. Bus service would be far more convenient and would cost far less.

Fact No.4: SMART will compete with existing bus systems both for riders and funding. In many areas in which rail service has been introduced, bus service was reduced or realigned to promote rail use. In Los Angeles overall transit use declined after rail service began because bus routes were eliminated or realigned and bus fares were raised.

Rail backers want you to ignore these facts. Don't be railroaded by the slick literature you're sure to get this fall. The North Bay has much to lose if this measure passes.


30 million autos & trucks cross the Richmond San Rafael bridge every year making trips into Marin County. The train will have no impact on this traffic pattern. In-fill housing will add about 50,000 units along the trains length....think about the number of car trips that this will add. SMART is a developers' dream. Clapper rail habitat will be permanently lost if the train is allowed to cross the Gallinas Creek wetland.

Trains usually require a 3/4% tax, not a 1/2% tax as SMART is proposing. Trains in general are good ideas, however, this train is trying to cram itself into an infrastructure that will be severely effected in a stressful manner. The negatives far outweigh the positives on the train. Alternative fueled mass transit busing is the way to go in Marin and Sonoma.