Poll: Streets, Rainier, Hwy. 101 top priorities

Readers were split nearly evenly in an online Argus-Courier poll about Petaluma’s top infrastructure need.

About 27 percent felt that street repair, the Rainier Avenue extension and Highway 101 widening were the top priorities.

Here are some of the comments:

--

“Better systems for collecting and recycling water, brown water etc., as other counties are doing.”

--

“Although I selected the second train station, I’ll note that the station is actually the responsibility of SMART, not the City. For a strictly City task, I’d go with street repair, not pothole patching, but true full depth street section replacement so we aren’t continually throwing good money after bad by patching roads that have failed too badly to accept a patch.”

--

“It needs it all, really, except for that train to nowhere.”

--

“I was only allowed to pick one and that sucks because really it’s street repair, Rainier and dredging.”

--

“More dedicated and designated bicycle lanes and dredging of the river.”

--

“Most of the choices in this survey are good ideas, but we don’t have the money for them all. Widening 101 would benefit the most people.”

--

“Obviously street repair and other infrastructure Things that Petaluma can pay for themselves.”

--

“Rainier is long overdue and the politicians will just ignore it. We do need help with the roads and the river, but the crosstown connector is the top priority.”

--

“The current design and purpose of a cross -town connector at Rainier will actually increase traffic congestion in Petaluma. And CalTrans won’t widen the freeway until Rainier is either designed properly or dropped altogether. I wish the media would investigate and report properly on this.”

--

“To be honest, I don’t think Petaluma streets are really much worse than any other town around here. Everyone has sort of jumped on the band wagon regarding it. 101 needed to be widened years ago.”

--

“Wow, tough list. Street repair has to come first, but everything is necessary. River dredging is important for tourism and to keep the ecosystem healthy. Building an east side SMART station is also integral for the long run. We need to come to terms with a tax raise of some sort across the board. It will reap long term benefits for the entire community.”

--