Transportation – Enviro Updates

North Bay’s new coordinated transit service is up and running

July 29, 2026

Natalie Hanson, PRESS DEMOCRAT

Since April, nine transit agencies unveiled schedule adjustments under the three-year Marin-Sonoma Coordinated Transit Service (MASCOTS) pilot, intended to align route times and improve transfers and service with SMART and Highway 101. The agencies say it’s a first step to make it easier to travel, as they gather data to improve their own service areas and regional connectivity for more than half a million monthly riders.

Transportationbuses, Golden Gate Transit, MASCOTS, public transit, Santa Rosa City Bus, SMART, Sonoma County Transit

California’s new $3,500 EV rebate

July 13, 2026

Fred Lambert, ELEKTREK

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 168 today, creating a new “MyFirstEV” program that gives first-time electric vehicle buyers a $3,500 instant rebate at the dealership starting later this summer.

The point-of-sale discount is backed by $135.5 million in state funding, matched dollar-for-dollar by participating automakers — and a California-headquarters rule makes Rivian and Lucid the biggest winners, while Tesla qualifies only on its cheapest models.

How the $3,500 instant rebate works

Unlike the old application-based Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, MyFirstEV is an instant point-of-sale discount. Eligible buyers walk into a participating dealership and drive out with the money already off the price — no paperwork, no waiting for a check.

Climate Change & Energy, Transportationelectric vehicles, electrification, rebates

Op-Ed: E-bikes are not the problem. Here’s what is

July 8, 2026

Eris Weaver (Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition), PRESS DEMOCRAT

Electric bikes allow riders to travel farther with less effort, which is great for commuters who want to arrive at work without dripping with sweat. They allow folks with declining strength or fitness to continue cycling. Research has also shown that folks with e-bikes ride more often than those with conventional bikes.

As more people ride e-bikes and similar devices, injuries have increased. Since many of these devices are capable of faster speeds, the severity of injuries has also increased.

To put this in perspective: last year about 7,000 injuries were associated with e-bikes, e-scooters, and other devices nationwide. In the same year, 2.5 million people were injured in motor vehicle crashes. So why all the ruckus about e-bikes?

Transportatione-bikes, pedestrian safety, Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition, traffic hazard

Sonoma County airport tackles growth pains

July 6, 2026

Jeff Quackenbush, NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL

‘We are the fastest-growing non-hub airport in the United States’

Commercial airline traffic at Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport has reached record levels as officials prepare for the busiest phase of a multiyear expansion of airline aircraft parking, commercial service, vehicle parking capacity and work to address growing aircraft noise concerns in western Sonoma County.

The county-owned airport handled 86,500 commercial passengers in May, the highest monthly total since airline service returned 19 years ago, according to the latest data. The figure was up 21% from May 2025. Alaska Airlines, the airport’s largest carrier, carried nearly 58,000 passengers during the month, an increase of almost 28% from a year earlier.

or the first five months of 2026, nearly 317,000 passengers traveled through the airport, up 3.5% from the same period last year and nearly double the pre-pandemic total for the first five months of 2019.

Transportationairport expansion, noise complaints, Sonoma County Airport

SMART proposes new train station in Geyserville

June 24, 2026

Adrian Rodriguez, NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL

The northward expansion of Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit could include one stop more than initially planned.

The agency’s long-term goal is to run from Larkspur to Cloverdale, and so far it reaches Windsor. It aims to have a Healdsburg station by 2028.

But it’s about 18 miles between Healdsburg and Cloverdale. A stop in Geyserville would provide a halfway point, presenting a way to spread out the cost and construction, while also expanding service to another community, officials said.

“It makes sense,” said Sonoma County Supervisor Chris Coursey, chair of the SMART board. “It’s a long hop from Healdsburg to Cloverdale. Geyserville is right in between, and tracks would be just east from the center of town. A station there makes sense.”

At its meeting on June 17, the board directed staff to solicit public comments on the proposed Geyserville station.

TransportationGeyserville, SMART, SMART station

SMART tax triumphs in landslide

June 4, 2026

Austin Murphy, PRESS DEMOCRAT

What a difference six years made for SMART.

Measure B, the ballot proposal to extend the quarter-cent sales tax that is the lifeblood for Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit system, remained about 20 points clear of the 50%-plus-one-vote it needs to pass in the two counties as of the latest updates Wednesday.

After a yearlong campaign staked on the very future of SMART, supporters were jubilant Election Night.

“This has felt like an existential situation,” said SMART board Chairman Chris Coursey, a Sonoma County supervisor. “Had we not been able to extend it, we would have come back in 2028. People would have been looking for jobs. We would have been planning on how to wind it down.

“Now, we’ve got another 30 years. This is my grandkids being able to grow up and have this train.”

Transportationpublic transit, SMART, SMART Measure B, trains

Highway 37 project wins permit from regional agency

May 13, 2026

Adrian Rodriguez, PRESS DEMOCRAT

A multimillion-dollar project to reduce gridlock and protect against flooding on Highway 37 between Marin and Solano counties has secured a key approval after more than 10 years of regional planning.

The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission voted unanimously to authorize a permit for the first leg of a three-phase construction project on a 10-mile segment of the highway from Sears Point to Mare Island.

The project, which also is intended to fortify a portion of the San Pablo Baylands, is an interim solution while planners work toward what they call the “ultimate project” to raise the entire 21-mile corridor. The undertaking is years away and expected to cost billions of dollars.

The first phase involves replacing the Tolay Creek Bridge at Sears Point with a longer and wider bridge, and widening the highway to four lanes east through Tubbs Island.

Climate Change & Energy, TransportationHighway 37, San Pablo Bay, sea level rise