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San Rafaelian: San Rafael is Railroading Itself For SMART's Benefit
Author: San Rafaeler
Date: 12-01-2016 - 23:06
In the wake of an article on the San Rafael public transit center having to move to accommodate SMART's extension to Larkspur, noted SMART critic and anti-growth advocate Richard Hall has penned a stunning refutation of the San Rafael City Council's SMART policy. Read all about it here: [www.marinij.com]
The numbers truly speak for themselves.
Number of daily SMART riders travelling to the Larkspur ferry projected for 2025: 150.
Number of drivers passing through downtown San Rafael across the railroad tracks: tens of thousands daily
Number of detailed studies on the effects of SMART's crossing 2nd and 3rd streets on automobile traffic: 0
Hall makes a cogent point that it would be very prudent for San Rafael to make SMART wait to build its Larkspur extension until the train has established itself and ridership figures become actual, rather than just projections. In addition, traffic studies should be conducted to determine the extent of the SMART extension's effect on car traffic both on surface streets and the freeway.
Mike Arnold, another SMART critic, with whom the SMART GM refused to appear on the debate show on the MarinIJ website last month, has said much the same.
So do you agree with Hall that the SMART extension should be postponed until the matter can be studied and SMART can show that it will deliver a benefit to a large enough number of commuters to justify the costs to San Rafael citizens and employees?
The numbers truly speak for themselves.
Number of daily SMART riders travelling to the Larkspur ferry projected for 2025: 150.
Number of drivers passing through downtown San Rafael across the railroad tracks: tens of thousands daily
Number of detailed studies on the effects of SMART's crossing 2nd and 3rd streets on automobile traffic: 0
Hall makes a cogent point that it would be very prudent for San Rafael to make SMART wait to build its Larkspur extension until the train has established itself and ridership figures become actual, rather than just projections. In addition, traffic studies should be conducted to determine the extent of the SMART extension's effect on car traffic both on surface streets and the freeway.
Mike Arnold, another SMART critic, with whom the SMART GM refused to appear on the debate show on the MarinIJ website last month, has said much the same.
So do you agree with Hall that the SMART extension should be postponed until the matter can be studied and SMART can show that it will deliver a benefit to a large enough number of commuters to justify the costs to San Rafael citizens and employees?
San Rafaelian: San Rafael is Railroading Itself For SMART's Benefit