More car-free rides coming in early 2025 Brand New SMART Pathway in Terra Linda
We are excited to report that a new segment of the SMART pathway in Terra Linda is scheduled to open to the public on Saturday, January 25th! We hope you’ll join us for the ribbon cutting and ride on the brand-new pathway!
The Background
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.
Funding for this pathway segment was secured from our regional government, MTC, with letters of support from MCBC.
Where is it?
This newest 0.9-mile long segment of the path runs from McInnis Parkway (just north of the Civic Center SMART station), along the south fork of Gallinas Creek immediately next to the SMART tracks, between the San Rafael Airport and the Contempo Marin community, and connects to Smith Ranch Road via the airport driveway.
Destinations on either end of the path include:
- McInnis Park & soccer fields
- Gravity Vault climbing gym
- Las Gallinas Wildlife area
- Marin Civic Center
- Civic Center SMART
- Marin County Farmers Market
- Marin County Fair
- Northgate Mall (and the future large residential development there)
To ride a bike between Civic Center SMART and McInnis Park today requires a 2.1-mile trip up a hill, through a freeway interchange, and along busy Redwood Highway and Smith Ranch Road, a sufficiently harrowing journey to discourage most potential riders.
This new route shaves off the better part of a mile from the trip, routing riders through a picturesque marsh on a safe and separated trail rather than mixing with heavy traffic. There’s absolutely no comparison!
What’s Next
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.
MEMBERS MAKE IT HAPPEN
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