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- SMART
rail is a key component of a
transportation system that will
quickly and efficiently move
people, contain sprawl, and
reduce greenhouse gases and
other emissions. I
supported authorizing funding
for SMART in Congress, and I
will support it with my vote in
November.”
- -
Rep. Lynn Woolsey
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SMART is gearing up for election 2008! |
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The election of November 2006 brought an overwhelming majority of voters in Sonoma and Marin counties out to the polls in support of Measaure R, the SMART (Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit) Rail and Trail, which would run state-of-the-art commuter trains up and down the existing 70 miles of tracks from Cloverdale to Larkspur with an adjacent bicycle and pedestrian path.
In Sonoma County, 118,382 people, or 70.1% of voters approved SMART, while in Marin County, a healthy 44,168 people, or 57.5% of voters cast their ballots in favor of the plan. With a combined total of 64.4%, Measure R feel just 1.3% short of victory!
With over a year to go until the next big election, the SMART Board has confirmed that it will, in fact, be placing SMART on the ballot again in 2008. This means that voters in will have another chance to bring a new, desperately needed source of transportation to the North Bay region, providing commuters an alternative to the notoriously congested Highway 101, and strengthening our local communities. |
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So Let's Get Started!........... |
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| SMART
Train In The News... |
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All About Marin: Woman's tireless effort for SMART hub at Hamilton
Brad Breithaupt Article Launched: 07/02/2007 11:35:25 PM PDT
Marin Independent Journal
MARLA FIELDS said she feels a lot better about the chances of establishing a SMART station at Hamilton Field.
That's because she was distraught over the Novato City Council's June 19 decision that left the idea hanging in limbo. Even city staff had recommended against it, recommending instead, a NINBY (Not in Nobody's Back Yard) site near the Highway 101/37 interchange. read more here |
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The following letter to the editor appeared in the Press Democrat on Thursday, May 17, 2007
SMART choice
EDITOR: Recently at school, I was assigned a paper on the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit train. Now, after having researched what it is and what its proposal entails, I am surprised at the opposition and the lack of coverage SMART receives.
Maybe it's because I am too young and don't make enough money to feel threatened by an increase in taxes, but it seems to me, that for an area as renowned for its beauty and preservation of the environment as the counties of Marin and Sonoma supposedly are, the apathy and lack of support is, well, just sad. Why is there so much hesitance to support a proposal that gives its affected community the opportunity to offset the traffic congestion and environmental issues that deteriorate every day?
Sure, taking 5,000 cars off the road a day won't eliminate traffic or even drastically reduce harmful emissions. But what it will do is improve an exponentially increasing dilemma by slowing the effects of urban sprawl and the rise in numbers of people commuting on Highway 101.
If nothing changes, it's only going to get worse. Yes, a quarter-cent tax is not something I feel particularly enthusiastic about, but when compared to the cost of doing nothing and traffic and pollution being 10 times worse, it really doesn't amount to that much. Besides, people should just think of it as a gift to their kids' kids and so on.
A train might not fix anything, or even make it that much better, but at least it won't make it worse the way doing nothing will.
CAMILLE WHITE
Santa Rosa |
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