FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Safe
Passage Success! Ground-breaking
Scheduled!
Federal STP Grants Deliver a Safe Pedestrian Pathway on
Lucas
Valley Road between Las Gallinas and Los Gamos
SAN
RAFAEL, California (August 9, 2012) – Safe Passage Along Lucas Valley Road announces
its ground-breaking celebration for the County of Marin sidewalk along the
south side of Lucas Valley Road between Las Gallinas Avenue and Los Gamos Drive
in San Rafael, California. When
complete, this pathway will allow community members to access bus service at
Highway 101, the 101 Lucas Valley Road office building, and the popular Marin
YMCA. On September 4, 2012, the
ground-breaking ceremony will take place at 2:00 p.m. at the intersection of Los Gamos and Lucas Valley Road.
Over
the past 45 months, Safe Passage has conducted quarterly “75 Minute Saturday Clean-Ups”
to remove the vegetation that prevented pedestrians from using the shoulder of
the road. Volunteers were regularly
joined by County Supervisor Susan Adams.
Safe Passage Along Lucas Valley Road is a nonprofit fiscally-sponsored project
of MarinLink and therefore eligible for tax-deductible donations. Mont Marin Homeowner Association initiated
the project in 2006 and it became an official project of the North San Rafael
Coalition of Residents in the fall of 2009.
Safe Passage co-directors Ray Lorber and Carolyn Lenert are also members
of the steering committee of this Coalition of Residents (www.94903Community.org) which expedited this project.
Lenert remarked, “This gateway to San Rafael was one of the very few
arteries off Highway 101 that had no place for pedestrians or cyclists. It was a missing link.” Minimal safety lighting and bike lane/no
parking signs have already been installed to improve traffic safety. Lorber
commented, “It has taken 7 years, but soon the pedestrians will have a better
choice than walking on the road with 45 mph traffic or in the mud and dirt of
the slanting shoulder. When completed, the
corridor will be safer." Mark McMillan, who survived being hit by a
speeding truck veering out of its lane in March of 2007 told the co-Directors,
“I do truly hope that the powers that be can come to a conclusion that will
increase the safety for pedestrians and bicyclists alike…It will be better for wildlife,
our pets, children, recreational and commuting neighbors.” Finally, something wonderful has come from
Mark’s horrific accident and his hope is realized.
In 2010, Safe Passage along Lucas Valley Road announced
their first Mark MacMillan Public Safety Award to volunteer, John Rojas, a past
leader of the NSRCR. Rojas exclaimed, “The
Stepping Up/Stepping Out Campaign is a great success!” The 2011 winner Preston McCoy (of San
Rafael’s Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee) told the gathering, “This means
concrete progress on the City’s plan for non-motorized transport! And in 2012, the winner David Crowne said, “I
had no idea when we started that together we could make a difference so
quickly!"
Safe
Passage is also grateful for the support of hundreds of community members which
we call Lucas Valley Road Lovers or LoVeRs, for short. We give special recognition to Nader
Mansourian, Traffic Engineer, San Rafael Public works department who was the
first official to step up and release a lettter that stated "I would like
to emphasize that we support the sidewalk installation:... This is a good
project for future grants. The City of
San Rafael supports the project,.... A
partial list of contributors includes the Supervisors and staff of the County
of Marin, the elected officials and staff of the City of San Rafael, State of
California CalTrans, multiple organizations and local businesses, including
Wachovia Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, FastSigns, Kiki LaPorta of DesCom Studios, Craig
Scheidt of 101 Lucas Valley Road office building, Kel Harris of Safe Routes to
Schools, Tom Forster of LucasFilm Ltd., artist John Libberton, Marin YMCA
leadership and staff, Rachel Kamman of
Kamman Hydrology & Engineering, Inc., Patrick Seidler and Transportation
Alternatives of Marin, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, David Hoffman
and the Marin County Bicycle Coalition, Preston McCoy and the Bicycle/Pedestrian
Advisory Committee, Aref Ahmadia of West End Café, Ahmad Fillabi of Smith Ranch
Deli and the Automobile Club of Northern
California.
###
Safe
Passage Along Lucas Valley Road
c/o
Five Upper Oak Drive, San Rafael, CA 94903
Telephone: 415.499.9234 – Fax: 415.499.9234
