February 7th, 2010 09:19am
Last train to Cloverdale
by PeteGolis
Less than two years ago, Sonoma County voters were promised passenger rail service in return for their support for a quarter-cent increase in the sales tax.
And their response was overwhelming. Almost three out of four voters supported the tax measure. It was their way of embracing the future.
Now they are paying the tax, only to find out that the train may be a long time coming. Officials of Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit blame the recession and declining sales tax revenues.
Local residents understand the changes caused by the recession. What they don’t understand is the suggestion that the cities of central and northern Sonoma County might be last in line for train service. Click here to read the rest of the story.
Category Uncategorized
Pete Golis is a columnist for The Press Democrat and a longtime resident of Sonoma County.
This transit system should have been started YEARS ago – Cloverdale is, of course, IN Sonoma County – that means we also get this transit system – we should probably get it FIRST as we are the farthest north. . . it is a real shame this has taken so long and may take even longer.
by Ruthie
I agree Ruthie, it is a real shame. Shame on the SMART (not so smart) folks for their poor planning. It’s a real shame for property owners who keep getting hit with taxes over and over to fund this and that. We need real conservative leadership that does not take taxpayer dollars for granted.
And if the train is to have only a partial route, why put it down in Marin at all? Those people voted it down each and every time, before the last vote. Cloverdale has had a train station ready for years! Bring it up here!!
by right2laugh
Nobody is going to take this train to commute to SF. It will travel far too slowly with far too many stops and then only gets you to Larkspur. By the time you wait for the ferry, ride it and get to your building in SF you will have spent at least another hour. A bus would always be quicker door to door. They ought to refund the money, or keep a bit of it to pave the rails between Cloverdale and Larkspur and run an electric or Nat Gas bus.
If they do build it, the main benefit for Cloverdale will be an influx of low income workers who could now live cheaply in Cloverdale while commuting to their jobs in Santa Rosa and Healdsburg. You see this a lot on the East Coast. Illegals converge on the main day labor hiring towns from cheaper rail-linked suburbs. The train gives those without cars an alternative to the bus and the freedom to live further away from their jobs.
by treeamigo