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Community Connection
By Pat Ravasio

Road Rage 101

Don’t hold your breath for a solution to the crowding on 101 at Sir Francis Drake unless something akin to Yogi Berra’s famous quote comes to pass:  “Nobody goes there anymore. The lines are too long!”

The recent meeting at the Corte Madera Recreation Center hosted by the Marin Transportation Authority about planned “improvements” to the Greenbrae interchange left most of the audience underwhelmed and overstressed.  It’s always scary when audience members make much more sense than the paid staffers with their patchwork plans.  And the quick strokes of that magic marker on flip chart pages did little to convince us that anyone was actually going to take heed of all the comments.

As one man in the audience innocently asked, “Shouldn’t we define the problem a bit more specifically than stating that the interchange ‘doesn’t work’?  Wouldn’t it be helpful to actually understand the psychology of drivers, and then come up with a specific objective, rather than to just apply pre-fabricated solutions of widening lanes and shutting down exits in an attempt to improve traffic flow?”  As Bill Kester, a local commercial broker pointed out, “This highway is also our local roadway, since there are so few effective frontage roads.  Why not extend Redwood Highway north past the Cost Plus shopping center, so that it connects directly to Sir Francis Drake headed east?”  Bill even had a drawing of his idea. His was one of many suggestions that made more sense than building a whole new interchange at Nellen, closing off the ramps at Madera, putting more highway traffic onto residential streets, and onto the Tamalpais Avenue exchange. 

While I’m road raging, can anyone tell me why that slick-suited, hyper-groomed man from Caltrans knew less about new sound absorbing construction materials than Linda Bundy does?  We had to push and push before he would even concede that such things existed, as he defended the decision to erect those silly looking new stone sound walls just north of Sir Francis Drake.  It just doesn’t make sense that our own Mrs. Bundy, who is admittedly highly intelligent, knows more about these options than the guy who apparently collects a full-time salary at our expense just to do so.

Promises, promises…

Supervisor Steve Kinsey promised the group he would get involved and make sure the process led to the right solution.   I hope he jumps in right away to show us what he can do.  I’m not the only one who would suggest that he begin by using some of that monstrous $67 million budget to hire the best traffic engineers in the business.  The key objective should be the maintaining and improving of our local quality of life, which means easier access around town and to and from the highway; lower sound levels; shorebird and marsh protection, and whatever it takes to make this highway better serve us right here in Marin. Accomodating bicyclists and pedestrians simply must be a top priority.  To heck with those commuters from Oakland who are looking for a short cut to the city!  Let’s get our priorities straight.  And how about we hold no more “see how well we listen” sessions until there are some real solutions.  Afterall, most of us are too busy sitting in traffic to waste any more time discussing it.

Put every first Tuesday on your calendar.

First Tuesday Potlunches at the Rec Center have become the place to be.  Becky Reed started this monthly event, and it’s been better attended each month.  There’s good food, great discussions, and now they’ve started featuring a local expert who will get discussion going about specific topics of local interest.  This Tuesday’s (November 1) topic is about getting our families, our homes and ourselves ready for a natural disaster.  Kathy Hartzell will lead the discussion.  You know her as a Larkspur city Councilwoman and long time school board member, but Kathy is also an expert on disaster planning, learned from her years as a Red Cross volunteer, and her education as a civil engineer.  Her husband Chris is down in Mississippi right now, working on the post-Katrina reconstruction plan.
 
You may think your family is prepared, but as Becky asks: Do you have a short list posted in your home, reminding you what to grab if you have to get out quickly?  Do you have a list of bank accounts and assets, and is the list stored somewhere outside of your house, in case your home is inaccessible?   It makes you think:  Do you have 72 hours worth of food and water?  Do you have batteries and a battery operated radio and light? 

So bring a dish to pass (comfort food anyone?) and show up at noon wearing your headlamp just in case.  I’ll let you know about next month’s First Tuesday lunch a little sooner, so you can be more prepared.

Hope you survived Halloween. Throw out all that extra candy right now.

Yours truly,
Neighbor Pat

pravasio@fhallen.com

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