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John Parulis
Great Opportunity to Live Test SMART Effects on Traffic
I sent this letter to Mayor Phillips on December 13th, still haven't heard back.
Dear Mayor Phillips, I am a 20 year resident in San Rafael. For the past 32 years I've been a licensed contractor in the State of California. I am a consultant with the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) and Board Secretary for my 75 home town home association, Marin Cove HOA. As a frequent commuter for my contracting business both here and in communities north and south, I have plenty of experience with our daily commute, a commute that has become more clogged and stressful as recent traffic studies have confirmed. I am concerned with the forthcoming traffic impacts that the SMART rail service will have on the streets of San Rafael, and communities south, as the rail line is slated to extend towards Larkspur Landing. As a sitting member of the Board of Directors for SMART as well as the mayor of San Rafael, you have the unique position to have influence and impacts in both places. A recent back up of traffic from 101 south to the Heatherton Street on-ramp to Mission Street because of SMART train testing through San Rafael has caused concern, that this potentially dangerous backup may be multiplied many times once the trains begin operating at full service. The back ups and potential for delays will most likely echo onto the many rail crossings from San Rafael to Larkspur. In light of this, doesn't it seem wise to do a “real live” traffic study in San Rafael before fully committing to the Larkspur extension? Given that the rail service to San Rafael is a done deal, the city would serve as a great testing ground for real time traffic flow with the following innovative experiment- for a week long period, have the SMART rail-crossing-traffic-barriers programmed to function as if the trains were on a full service schedule. No trains would be needed, just the traffic crossing barriers programmed to function as if real trains were making their trips, at Mission Street, Fifth Street and Fourth Street. Traffic cams could store the results. There have been calculations by SMART that have attempted to simulate this condition, but they remain calculations and not real world scenarios. I think frequent commuters like myself and the citizens who use downtown San Rafael and the streets on the way to Larkspur, would appreciate the concern shown to them by such an experiment. If anything, the experiment would help engineers address any potential, “real” problems that may surface as a result. Thanks for your attention. Sincerely, John Parulis
As stated in the letter, San Rafael has a unique opportunity to live test the traffic effects of trains operating at full service by simulating their operation by activating computerized control of the rail road crossing barriers as if the trains were there. The numerous traffic cams can record the data for analysis. If as Richard Hall suggests in another article, that San Rafael may be "working" for SMART, then we are at a loss. If San Rafael cares about the potential for severe traffic impacts caused by SMART trains, then it owes its citizens and the many others passing through, the courtesy of this test. Doing so may save millions of dollars and millions in health costs for stress related conditions. If you agree please contact the mayor and voice your support for this idea. gary.phillips@cityofsanrafael.org