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Brad Bollinger: Transportation gets big lift; also, a bank’s goodwill

It was a happy coincidence for the North Bay that within days of each other, voters approved taxing themselves to build a regional commuter rail line and a long-awaited third-lane opened on Highway 101 through downtown Santa Rosa.

Note to traffic reporters: Cars are now moving smoothly through what was one of the most congested corridors in the Bay Area.

And then there is the SMART rail-trail initiative, Measure Q, approved by a stunning 69.5 percent of voters in Sonoma and Marin counties. At a time of high economic anxiety, voters agreed to tax themselves to begin to build something resembling a 21st Century transportation system.

Passenger rail moving along a 70-mile corridor could be the catalyst for a new era of residential and commercial development oriented around urban hubs.

And just a day after Measure Q’s passage, a Sonoma County winery owner whose new tasting room is next to the rail line commented that he could see tourists hopping off SMART for a visit or a picnic.

A Marin County bank executive who has a summer home along the Russian River said he could to use the train on his weekend getaways. He also happens to enjoy cycling, for which the bike and pedestrian path along the entire rail line will provide new vistas.

And, most importantly, SMART will provide a desperately needed transportation option for 101-stressed employees, whether for county government, hospitals or other major corporate contributors to the prosperity and lifestyle of Marin.

The political, business and community leaders who worked tirelessly for the last several years to get SMART passed – and those who worked for more like two decades on Highway 101 in Sonoma County – are owed a debt of gratitude.

***

Last word: When Santa Rosa’s Exchange Bank announced in September that construction lending losses would force it to suspend funding of its Doyle Scholarships for Santa Rosa Junior College, one could have anticipated a backlash of criticism.

Instead, there was broad community understanding.

Exchange Bank, people seemed to say, has given so much to the community in its 118 years, it now deserves our support.

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Brad Bollinger is editor in chief and associate publisher of the Business Journal. He can be reached at bbollinger@northbay

businessjournal.com or 707-521-4251.