Pacific Sun September 7, 1990

Get on the train bandwagon

Editor:

I enjoyed Steve McNamara’s “Do-Gooders in Denial” Comment (August 3) and the demographic analysis of the Marin “conservative” League’s recent 14-8 vote to oppose the Marin sales tax proposal. His observation that, including the audience, no more than three people were likely to be under 40 suggests the shortsighted voting disposition of the majority of MCL’s board. Most board members are well housed and comfortable, and continue to ignore Marin’s critical affordable housing problem. Nonetheless, they continue crying “fire” about our need to add to• the 88 percent of Marin presently reserved as open space, agricultural reserve or park land and to check Marin’s average growth of slightly over 1000 people per year for the last 15 years.

Their recent opposition to the proposed oil-saving, air cleansing, single-occupant-vehicle alternative light electric “starter” train, which the sales. tax would fund, includes Democratic Supervisor-elect Brady Bevis’s often repeated remarks from a federal study. The federal study says ridership numbers on trains are often inflated. Ironically, this federal study was produced by the anti-rail, not very pro-environment Reagan administration, yet this ardent environmental Democrat seems to find it fits her philosophy. . .

The unpoliticized facts are that every light.’ rail’ system built in the U.S. since 1980 (12-15) has exceeded its ridership projections and/or is being expanded. This includes Sacramento, Portland and San Diego. San Diego had planned to have its 120-mile system completed by 2010, but due to increased ridership demand, San Diego will finish its system ten years early. About 20 cities are presently building light rail systems, even without government assistance..>.

A recent Rail Way Age study done of cities nationwide for the years 1987-1988 showed that cumulative auto, bus and air intercity travel trips in that one-year period increased one trip per 1000 people. Amtrak, founded in 1971; has been at its capacity of 20 million riders for years. With its backload of. rider calls, Amtrak could easily double its system size.

Rail is the. future for an increasing: congested, politically volatile world that needs to move people at a reduced energy cost. Marin must bring back the “little train that could” and the sales tax offers that opportunity. Properly developing land along the rail. line with a few pedestrian pockets gives Marin the opportunity to provide critically needed affordable housing, bolstering train ridership and reducing’ regional reliance on the single-occupant vehicle. With Marinite Peter Calthorpe’s pedestrian pocket development at St. Vincent’s/Silveira and Hamilton Air Base, we leave more open space on those parcels than suburban sprawl would and Marin can still remain 88 percent open space. Some, like Saddam, may not like you for voting for rail and thereby reflecting your determination to conserve resources and protect the environment — but heck, you should hardly ever try to please the bad guys who already have enough black gold and real estate.

Dwayne Hunn, Executive Director

North Bay Transportation

Management Association