Poll: Buses, trains not practical commute option

Respondents in an online Argus-Courier poll said they would not ride Petaluma Transit buses to link up with the SMART train for their daily commute. More than 80 percent said this was not a viable option to get to work.

Here are some comments:

“Could the whole SMART thing be more complicated, cost more, and take longer than just using my car to even get through the congestion? It doesn’t go anywhere useful anyway.”

“For many in Petaluma the SMART train will take too long to get to our destination. It takes me 30 minutes to get to Novato. To drive or take a bus to the train station on Lakeville will take me 10 minutes or more, wait for the train, and then a 15 or 20 minute trip.”

“It won’t leave me anywhere near my office. What a waste of money this train is.”

“It’s too time consuming. If I didn’t have a job that required me to take three different buses and then get on the train to get to work I would consider it.”

“We will never ride the SMART train. What a waste of taxpayer dollars. The money would have been better spent widening Highway 101 from the Novato Narrows to Petaluma. We prefer the flexibility and ease of commuting by car.”

“I would if I worked on the 101 corridor, but the SMART train doesn’t go to Sonoma.”

“The $11 to $15 round trip fare from Santa Rosa/Windsor to Petaluma is not going to work.”

“It has a very inconvenient schedule and would increase my commute time by 20 minutes each way.”