There are two large redevelopment projects in the works for Marin County: the former Fireman’s Fund site in Novato, and Northgate Mall in San Rafael. Each of these projects (which are several years away from actual construction) will bring over 1,000 new housing units to Marin County, filling a dire need for new housing. Learn more about the Fireman’s Fund redevelopment plan here…
Imagine packing your bags, getting on your bike, and heading out of town on a quiet bike path. A few days later, that same path has carried you to another city hundreds of miles away, without having to navigate traffic the entire time. Is this the Netherlands? Denmark? Some future bike utopia? Nope – you can do that today between Pittsburgh and Washington, DC. Might we do the same in California?
A man was killed in a hit-and-run crash while walking on a gap in the SMART pathway, underscoring the importance of safe walking and biking infrastructure.
A group of United States Senators and Representatives introduced a resolution on Tuesday, July 27th, that would commit the US to zero traffic deaths by the year 2050. This bold resolution was authored by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and joined by 11 other members of Congress, including Rep. Jared Huffman, whose district includes Marin and Sonoma counties.
In June we learned that the County was required to build a bike lane adjacent to Bayside Park upon construction 50 years ago. That bike lane was never built. As part of County plans to upgrade Bayside Park, MCBC and the Bay Trail Project encouraged the County to close this long-standing bike lane gap. While the County initially agreed, this win-win safety project is now on hold.
Despite these already challenging conditions, a new factor has been added to the mix: increased wind. Recently, the west side of the bridge seems to have gotten worse to ride on high wind days and MCBC has fielded a steady stream of complaints following the recent installation of the new bridge railing.
There are a lot of exciting things happening in Marin County. Below are the most impactful projects currently in the pipeline. A great deal of our work at MCBC is keeping tabs on the projects happening around Marin County, and making sure to be in the room pushing for the best bike infrastructure that we can. While sometimes this rises to the level of asking our members to call in to city council and make their voices heard, at other times our work is behind the scenes, writing letters of support, giving public comment, or weighing in on designs.
Despite these already challenging conditions, a new factor has been added to the mix: increased wind. Recently, the west side of the bridge seems to have gotten worse to ride on high wind days and MCBC has fielded a steady stream of complaints following the recent installation of the new bridge railing.
A great deal of our work at MCBC is keeping tabs on the projects happening around Marin County, and making sure to be in the room pushing for the best bike infrastructure that we can. While sometimes this rises to the level of asking our members to call in to city council and make their voices heard, at other times our work is behind the scenes, writing letters of support, giving public comment, or weighing in on designs.
Parklets are here to stay…at least through 2022 in some Marin towns. Find out more…
Ever since we learned back in February that SMART was sitting on a substantial financial surplus, we’ve been working to raise up your voices, pushing for the bulk of that money to be allocated to the pathway. Our work has included direct outreach to board members, taking them on a bike tour of the pathway’s gaps with Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition, as well as a request for our members to write the board. Between MCBC and SCBC, the SMART Board received nearly 500 emails!
One of the things that makes Marin County so special is the incredible number of off-street paths for cycling and walking. From the Mill Valley-Sausalito Pathway, to the Tiburon Linear Park, to the Corte Madera Creek Path, few places have such a great number of opportunities for safe walking and biking just outside folks’ backyards.
