The quarter-cent sales tax which funds the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) district will expire in 2029. A citizens committee, The SMART Initiative, is circulating petitions to put a 30-year extension of the tax on the June 2026 ballot.
The original tax measure was passed in 2008 with major support from environmental groups and the cycling community because it promised a Class I pathway paralleling the rail line.
A proposed tax extension failed in 2020. The Sonoma and Marin County Bicycle Coalitions did NOT support that measure due to lack of progress on the pathway and SMART’s rejection of our proposed changes to the measure’s wording.
So why do we heartily support it this time around?
• CULTURE CHANGE: The hiring of General Manager Eddy Cumins in 2021 has been transformative. His leadership has resulted in a huge change in the agency’s culture and priorities. SMART is now more responsive to our concerns. The authors of the current proposition made the changes we requested. Does the agency do everything we want in the time frame we want? Of course not, but our relationship is more collaborative than combative and we are optimistic that progress will continue.
• MORE MILES OF PATHWAY: Several key gaps in the pathway have been filled, allowing for longer and more useful trips. (We honored SMART for the segments of the project finished this year.) A few shovel-ready segments are being held up by a lawsuit by nearby property owners; SMART has taken action to keep the pathway project on track.
• HIGH USE BY CYCLISTS: SMART – both the train and the pathway – is good for cyclists, expanding the distance we can travel without a car. In August 2025, over 16,000 people (13 percent of passengers) took their bicycle on the train and 65,000 cycled the pathway. That is 81,000 trips by cyclists in ONE MONTH!
• WHAT HAPPENS IF THE TAX IS NOT RENEWED: If this measure does not succeed, the last chance for a tax renewal would be the 2028 election cycle. Is SMART likely to continue to receive federal and state grants when the agency’s future is uncertain? Are contractors likely to submit bids? Would they be able to continue work on projects in progress – filling pathway gaps, building extensions to Healdsburg and Cloverdale, etc? NO. 2026-2029 would be dedicated to either searching for other revenue streams or winding down operations.
We need SMART to continue. If you care about global warming, air quality, active transportation options; if you love the ability to commute by bike without sharing the road with cars; if you want to see MORE of our neighbors feel safe to ditch the car and go by bike PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION. We have copies in the office, and there are paid signature gatherers on the train and in front of local businesses.