Here are two quick stories, on SMART and BART, of interest to the safe and livable streets community.
Another mile of SMART bike path completed
Marin advocates, cyclists, and politicos celebrated a newly opened section of bike path last week along the SMART train tracks between the Civic Center stop and McInnis Park.
As readers are probably aware, the 45-mile SMART train, connecting destinations in Marin and Sonoma, opened in 2017. It was supposed to have a bike path along its entire length, to help cyclists reach the stations. However, it's been a struggle to get it completed and long gaps persist.
From a post written by the Marin County Bicycle Coalition's Warren Wells:
It’s been nearly four years since a new segment of the SMART pathway opened in Marin County. As longtime followers of the SMART saga will know, even that segment only happened thanks to MCBC and our allies fighting tooth and nail (even threatening a lawsuit!).
Happily, much has changed since then. SMART is under new leadership and is getting the pathway back on track. SMART’s General Manager, Eddie Cumins, has been at the helm for over three years. The agency is now moving full steam ahead on delivering the long-promised pathway.
While optimistic, Wells points out that the struggle continues:
Despite our joy at the new segment, there is a wrinkle. The pathway to access the new segment along McInnis Parkway is in terrible shape, having not been resurfaced in decades. We have been urging the City of San Rafael, which owns the path, to bring it up to working condition for years, but it has not happened yet. If you live in San Rafael, please reach out to your city council member and ask them to push for the McInnis Parkway path to be resurfaced.
As far as SMART goes, we know the agency is pursuing funding for the next segment of the pathway immediately north of this project, a 2.6-mile segment connecting Smith Ranch Road to Main Gate Road in Hamilton. This segment, when built, will complete 5 miles of flat, scenic, uninterrupted multiuse pathway between Terra Linda and Novato.
Readers who live in San Rafael should be sure to follow the link to push for getting the existing access path resurfaced.
Come ride the Cupid Train
If you're single and looking for love, maybe it's time to take the train. BART is holding a Valentine's Day event to try and help people meet that special someone (with no shortage of bad puns). From a BART release:
On the evening of Friday, Feb. 14, BART invites adults ages 18 to 35 to join us for an on-the-rails mixer aboard a moving BART train. Ride BART into someone’s heart on a special train reserved just for this event!
It’s time to get off the apps and get on Trainder. This is speed dating – literally.
We’ll help grease the wheels with icebreaker activities, conversation starters, a raffle, and BART-themed Valentines that you can give to potential connections.
Adults of all sexual orientations are welcome as are those looking to make friends rather than find romance. We will have name tags with a space to write in what you are looking for.
The event will start Friday, Feb. 14, at 6:45 p.m. at Downtown Berkeley Station. The ride will conclude at 24th St./Mission before returning to Downtown Berkeley. Interestingly, the train will not stop. So if you're not diggin' the experience, you're kind of stuck. If that sounds like a formula for some uncomfortable moments, BART promises there will be additional staff and safety presence on each train car and that:
BART has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual and gender-based harassment, consuming alcoholic beverages and illicit substances, and engaging in disruptive/disturbing behavior in our trains and stations.
Lastly, if you were born before 1990, you are not invited. "Participants must be ages 18 to 35 (we’ll explore hosting a similar event for those 35+ in the future)," wrote the agency. More details on the Eventbrite page.
