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SMART BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Judy Arnold – Chair
Marin County Board of Supervisors
Barbara Pahre – Vice Chair
Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District
Jim Eddie
Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District
Debora Fudge
Sonoma County Mayors’ and Councilmembers’ Association
Madeline Kellner
Transportation Authority of Marin
Jake Mackenzie
Sonoma County Mayors’ and Councilmembers’ Association
Stephanie Moulton-Peters
Marin County Council of Mayors and Councilmembers
Gary Phillips
Transportation Authority of Marin
David Rabbitt
Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Carol Russell
Sonoma County Mayors’ and Councilmembers’ Association
Kathrin Sears
Marin County Board of Supervisors
Shirlee Zane
Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
SMART CITIZENS OVERSIGHT COMMIT TEE
Steve Birdlebough
Peter Breen
Russ Columbo
Dennis Harter
Patricia Kendall
David Oster
Steve Rabinowitsh
It is the intricate approval process, Mansourian says,
that has posed pitfalls for the biking and hiking pathway.
“Unfortunately, we can’t go into sensitive marshlands
as we’d hoped to, which creates some disconnects; and
the pathway will not always parallel the rail line as some
expected it to.” Early feedback from local bicycle groups
revealed the right-of-way was too narrow or traversed
habitat too sensitive to accommodate some portions of
the pathway. The result: 54 miles of Class One trails and
17 miles of Class Two trails or surface street connectors
within the full 70-mile system (Cloverdale to Larkspur).
Portions of the pathway have been completed around
Santa Rosa and, in Marin, the Cal Park tunnel connects
Larkspur with San Rafael. Both segments are proving popular with cyclists and pedestrians, and more stretches will
be built this year. However, Mansourian says, several portions are tied up in environmental reviews. “We’re dealing
with the National Environmental Protection Act,” he says.
“And that takes a very long time; it’s a lengthy procedure.”
The good news: Completing the NEPA process qualifies
these segments for potential federal funding.
The Operations
As for times of day SMART trains will run and expected
fares, “we’ll have trains arriving and departing every 30
minutes during peak commute hours, and one, possibly
two trains running midday,” Mansourian says, with four
trains running on weekends and holidays. “It’s too early to
be specific” about fares, he adds, “but they will be competitive with other public transit options.” Also, use of Clipper,
the popular all-inclusive Bay Area transportation payment
card, is definitely under consideration. As for parking,
most SMART stations will have newly constructed lots
or will rely on parking that exists nearby. SMART officials
are working with local transit providers in both counties
to coordinate routes that will shuttle passengers to their
nearest station. And until phase two is completed, Express
Connector buses will transport passengers to SMART’s
future stations in Windsor, Healdsburg and Cloverdale.
Some might find it interesting that SMART stations have
already been completed at both Windsor and Cloverdale,
even though these are considerably north of SMART’s
phase one terminus at the Sonoma County Airport. But
not Mansourian. “My task is to build a train that goes from
Larkspur to Cloverdale,” he says enthusiastically. “That’s
what voters approved in 2008 and my staff and I are to doing
everything we can to see that that happens. We’re looking for
money whenever and wherever we can find it.” M
SMART main office: 5401 Old Redwood Highway, Suite
200, Petaluma, 707.794.3330. Construction information:
855.312.7444. sonomamarintrain.org, info@sonomamarin
train.org. Facebook: facebook.com/sonomamarintrain,
Twitter: @smarttrain.
WHO’S ON BOARD
As the primary property owner, we’re
working with SMART to plan the downtown
San Rafael station. We’ve submitted plans
for a five-story building, with 50 affordable
living units for seniors, to the city for
feedback. It’s very exciting.
Joe O’Hehir, executive director, Whistlestop, a nonprofit serving seniors
SMAR T general
manager Farhad
Mansourian
