SMART White Papers
Following the razor-thin defeat of its ballot measure in November 2006, the Sonoma-Marin Rail Transit District’s Board of Directors convened an ad-hoc committee to meet with community groups, local government officials, supporters and opponents of the passenger rail project.
The goal of the committee was to gather input from all quarters regarding what people felt was right with the project, and where they perceived it fell short.
The overwhelming message was that SMART was on the right track. The measure to raise the sales tax by one-quarter of one percent to pay for the project earned 65.3 percent of the vote in Marin and Sonoma counties – 1.4 percent short of the required two-thirds super-majority.
Still, there were things SMART could do better. Add weekend service. Consider lighter-weight self-propelled rail cars. Move up construction of critical links in its adjacent 70-mile pedestrian-bicycle path. Those elements and others are undergoing environmental review as SMART moves toward returning to the ballot in November 2008.
In addition to those changes in the plan, SMART’s ad-hoc advisers repeatedly emphasized that SMART needs to do an even better job explaining its project to the public. It’s a good project, they said, but some people still don’t understand it. They don’t know what it does, and what it doesn’t do.
In an effort to correct misunderstandings and overcome some of the confusion that was deliberately spread by the opposition during the 2006 campaign, the ad-hoc committee recommended that SMART prepare a series of white papers, or fact sheets, about various components of the project. These papers are based on SMART’s previous planning documents, environmental studies and expenditure plans, all of which are public documents. They also include information gleaned from research by SMART staff and advice from SMART consultants and advisers.
Because certain elements of the SMART project may change before a measure is placed on the ballot in late 2008, some information in the individual papers may change, too. Check back often to read more facts about SMART. To be notified when additional white papers are uploaded to the SMART website, please sign-up for SMART Email Updates.
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Introduction
#1 on SMART Travel in the 21st Century
#2 on Climate Change and SMART
#3 on Alternatives for the NWP Corridor
#4 on Why Not Pave the Tracks?
#5 on SMART's Rail Vehicles
#6 on SMART's Clean Diesel Trains
#7 on SMART's Impact on Air Quality
#8 on SMART is Both Rail and Trail
#9 on SMART Shuttles
#10 on Connecting SMART with Existing North Bay Transit
#11 on Park and Ride
#12 on SMART Station Planning
#13 on Two-way Track Operation
#14 on Freight Trains and Passenger Trains
#15 on Quiet Zones
#16 on Traveling Safely in the North Bay
#17 on Downtown Traffic and SMART
#18 on SMART's Funding Plan