A group of tourists visiting from Venezuela. Photo by Pam MacLean.

The council voted 4-1 last night for a plan that provides racks - lots and lots of racks - in three strategic locations so that cash-bearing cyclists can park-and-spend their way through the scenic city on the shore of Richardson Bay.

The city won't even have to pay for the $8,000 in racks; they're being provided by companies that rent the bikes to tourists, including Blazing Saddles, Bike and Roll, and Bay City Bike Rentals. Together, the racks will add about 360 new bike parking spaces to the 120 slots now available.

The council's action follows heated complaints from residents and merchants, who say the vacationers cause more problems than they're worth. About a quarter-million rental bikes rolled into Sausalito last summer, drawing comparisons to a swarm of locusts from many critics. Even some cyclists crossing the Golden Gate Bridge have complained about inexperienced bike renters who clog the narrow bike paths, stopping unpredictably to snap a picture or wait for a friend.

Although the city benefits economically from cyclists, bicyclists are a frequent target of complaints from city residents. Beyond the issue with the tourists, many complain about scofflaws from the city who soar through stop lights, drawing fines that run into the hundreds of dollars. Many local cyclists say the city is overreacting and should do more to restrict automobile traffic and better-educate drivers on how to share the road with the two-wheelers.

Separately, as reported here March 2nd, the city is currently studying new routes to get cyclists through town safely, and with less controversy.

'Aesthetic' Issue

In addition to installing racks, the city will also post signs instructing touring cyclists to ride single file and avoid riding on sidewalks. But the straightforward approach wasn't enough to appease Councilwoman Linda Pfeiffer, who, according to a report in the Marin Independent-Journal, worried the racks would create "aesthetic" issues in the city known for its million-dollar views. To be sure, the scenic bayside ferry plaza is now crowded with industrial-looking gray steel racks.

The racks also complicate the crowding issue near the ferry, where many townfolks like to stroll on lazy summer afternoons. With the racks, it now gets even more crowded when more than 100 cyclists line up for the next boat.

As we noted last Friday, parking is only one of the issues with the tourists. Another round of complaints stems from the homeward-bound ferry commuters in San Francisco, who saw boats running 30 to 60 minutes behind schedule last summer as the cyclists disembarked one-by-one from the ferry.

The slow offloading stems from the fact that the bikers can roll their bikes onto the lower level of the boat in Sausalito, but then must carry them up a steep and narrow staircase so they can leave the boat from the upper level.  With each cyclist taking about 20 seconds to mount the stairs, it can take an extra 20 minutes for just 60 cyclists to leave the boat.

The Golden Gate Transit District added a second boat last year to ease the problem, and plans to modify the docks in San Francisco to allow the bikes to exit from the lower level. District spokeswoman Mary Currie estimates that modification will take about two years, which could prove to be a case of too little too late. The number of cycling tourists has roughly doubled in each of the past three years.

The project includes a 1.2-mile Class 1 bike path and a self-contained “tunnel within a tunnel” replete with video cameras, lighting, ventilation, emergency phones and even fire hydrants, just in case. The bike passage will have its own walls and concrete ceiling, separating it from the 45 mph diesel trains a few feet away. The trains are expected to start rumbling through in 2012.

Construction crews have been busy removing the original redwood arches inside the tunnel and replacing them with steel braces. All went smoothly until the crews reached the south end, where they encountered loose dirt running through sinkholes and boulders the size of small cars.

“We have a lot of loose ground and cavities and we don’t see an end to it,” said Hohenshelt. But she cautiously predicted the south end would be opened up by May.

South side of the tunnel in Larskspur.

County planners stressed the workshop was intended only to gather community input on three possible routes as part of a $225,000 study that will be concluded this fall. But emotions shifted into high gear as cyclists cited reasons to restore the railroad tunnel that’s been decaying over the last four decades.

“The handwriting is on the wall. It’s only a matter of time,” said David Hoffman, planning director for the Marin County Bike Coalition. “There aren’t any issues with the tunnel that can’t be resolved.”

Like much of the existing bike network in Marin and Sonoma counties, the 16-foot-wide tunnel was built by the railroads. It opened in 1884 as redwood forests were being leveled to support urban sprawl in San Francisco. The passage was sealed in the 1970s, and portions have collapsed as its 12-by-14 redwood beams rotted in the dank, stagnant air trapped beneath the mountain. The southern end crumbled in a rainstorm 28 years ago. Several large portions have been filled. The north end is plugged with 125 feet of cement.

The old railway bed that approaches from either end has given root to lush, green foliage and stands of blossoming cherry, almond and magnolia trees, creating a natural haven for nearby residents who jealously guard the solitude and beauty. Some of them fear a wave of spandex-clad cyclists would threaten the seclusion of their sanctuary.

“There’s going to be a huge reaction from the neighborhood,” said one Scott Valley resident who declined to give her name. “It’s going to change the overall feeling of the neighborhood.”

John Palmer, secretary of the Scott Valley Homeowners Association, presented an 18-page bound report that included a number of dubious claims about cycling, such as: “Bicycles are impractical to use for anything more than light shopping, especially for families with children.”

Click for a larger image.

Although only about half the crowd wore green day-glo “I Support the Tunnel” stickers, they did most of the talking as county planners took detailed notes on the pros and cons of each of the routes under study.

Cyclists complained that Horse Hill, the existing bike route along US 101, was inadequate because it’s too steep for children, too dangerous for pedestrians and so close to the freeway that oncoming cars blind cyclists at night with their headlights.

Camino Alto, the serpentine road that winds up the 450-foot hill above the tunnel, is too narrow, too crowded and suitable only for those in top shape, they said.

“Camino Alto is a death wish. It’s too hard unless you’re a super athlete,” said Jane Chesson, a Corte Madera resident who brought her five children – ages 7-17 – to the workshop. She said her family can’t cycle to the Mill Valley Recreation Center over either of the existing routes. “It’s dangerous. It’s not fun. We’re not going to do it.”

The study is part of the county’s $25 million Non-motorized Transportation Pilot Program, which is designed to encourage residents to walk or cycle instead of drive a car. In addition to determining the best route, the study will also develop an estimate of what it would cost to reopen the badly damaged tunnel. The actual funds to restore the tunnel would come later, meaning that even if the tunnel option is favored, it would be years before the first cyclist could roll through it.

In his report, Palmer wrote: “…it’s easy to imagine the cost to reconstruct the 2,172 foot-long Alto Tunnel rising to $15 million or more.” He estimated $10 million would be enough to construct 53 miles of new bicycle/pedestrian paths.

Tunnel advocates estimate the cost at anywhere from $10 million to $25 million. But they say it would be worthwhile even at the higher cost because it’s a project that would benefit generations of area residents.

Click for a larger image

The tunnel between Mill Valley and Corte Madera is the focus of a transportation workshop tomorrow night in Marin County. 

The other two routes are well known to any cyclists who've ridden north of Mill Valley: an existing bike path over Horse Hill by Highway 101 and the twisty Camino Alto, which climbs to about 450 feet on the hill above the tunnel. Neither route is pedestrian-friendly, and many cyclists shy away from Camino Alto because of its narrow lanes, fast cars and afternoon traffic jams.

The 16-foot-wide tunnel would link existing bike paths on both sides of the hill. Southern Pacific sealed the 2,172-foot passageway in 1971, dooming its 12-by-14 redwood supports to rot in the stagnant, moist darkness. The southern entrance collapsed during a rainstorm in 1981 and several other portions have been filled to protect the homes on the hilltop.

“People are very, very excited about the tunnel," said Andy Peri, a spokesman for the Marin County Bike Coalition who predicted dozens of cyclists will show up. "One woman just called me and told me she’s bringing all five of her children from 7 to 17 years old.”

Patrick Seidler, founder of the nonprofit Transportation Alternatives for Marin (TAM) and a vocal advocate for the tunnel project, allows that "change is difficult" for people. But he noted that studies by Rails to Trails Conservancy (PDF) show the same local residents who oppose the reopening of tunnels often turn out to be their biggest fans when the projects are completed.

An even bigger obstacle may be the cost. The price tag on the shorter, wider Cal Park tunnel between San Rafael and the Larkspur tunnel is already up to $22-24 million, according to Peri. Nobody knows what kind of shape the Alto Tunnel is in, but the current guess is that renovation costs would be comparable. The study is intended, in part, to develop a better estimate.

Seidler, who is also president of Wilderness Trail Bikes, says the tunnel project would be worthwhile even at a cost of more than $20 million because it would help to complete the greenway, which, in turn, connects the communities that sprang up along the old rail lines during the 19th century.

"The essence of bicycle transportation is that, to work to its potential, there needs to be a complete system," he said. "The rail lines are the most direct and efficient paths of travel between the towns."

The workshop is Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Edna Maguire School, 80 Lomita Drive, in Mill Valley. 

The city has hired Alta Planning and Design to recommend options to keep bikes rolling along the two-mile stretch between its downtown ferry landing and the start of the bike path next to US 101. The money comes from a $25 million federal grant Marin County received through the Non-motorized Transportation Pilot Project, which is aimed at encouraging people to walk and bike more.

The current bike route along Bridgeway was widened and repainted last year, but neither cyclists or motorists are happy with it. The study will look at alternate routes, including a circuitous path along the waterfront or a route over an old railroad right-of-way. It also may simply recommend upgrades to the current bike lanes, such as new pavement, landscaping, signs and bike sensors at traffic lights. City officials will use the study, which is expected to be completed this year, to apply for $300,000 to $1 million in additional funding from the pilot project.

"The relationship between the cars and the cyclists is becoming increasingly worse," said Sausalito Police Sgt. Stacie Gregory. "Both are getting frustrated they're not given their fair share of the road." 

There have already been two crashes in 2009 that resulted in police reports, and Gregory said the bicyclists were to blame for both.  The latest came Thursday when a bicyclist "injured her face" by crashing into the back of a car that stopped suddenly. Police said she was "following too closely." The other came when a cyclist crashed into a car it was "illegally passing on the right," Gregory said.

There's no study to improve the bike route through the south end of town - from Alexander Avenue to downtown - because so much of the property is privately owned and would be too costly to acquire.

"Sausalito has the enviable problem of being a destination spot in the Bay Area," said David Hoffman, planning director for the Marin County Bicycle Coalition. "For the most part, the community likes the idea of keeping traffic to a fairly slow speed, which makes it reasonably good environment for cyclists to get through. I think where the frustration really comes from is residents who feel the town is being overrun by cyclists."

Both Gregory and Hoffman noted a weekend flood of recreational riders from San Francisco, including hundreds of tourists who rent bikes in San Francisco and ride back on the Sausalito ferry or continue along the bike path to Tiburon.

"The truth is all these people who are coming into Sausalito are adding to the tax base," said Hoffman. "If they get rid of the cyclists, they're going to see a lot less tax revenue. And, times being what they are, I can't believe any city is anxious to give up all that revenue."