SMART plans new signs to help travelers navigate system

Bright and bold new signs are coming to the 28-mile bicycle and pedestrian corridor along the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit line.

The signs, which are being funded with the help of a $1 million grant from Caltrans, will help commuters and travelers navigate to SMART stations and other destinations.

The board governing SMART approved the sign designs at its meeting on Dec. 20.

Zoe Unruh, planner at the agency, said the community voiced the need for path signs during a workshop in 2022.

The purpose of the signs is to “ease trip planning and travel for all users,” as well as improve connections to trails, streets and transits, Unruh said. The signs are also designed to enhance the visibility of access points along the path and create clear and unified information.

Over the fall, SMART installed mock-up signs in Larkspur and Rohnert Park and sought comments through an online survey.

Two design options were presented, one with dark green and browns, the second with bright and dark greens.

Out of 395 respondents, 207 respondents preferred option B because they liked the visibility of the bright green, Unruh said.

However, 57% of respondents preferred the logo that was displayed on option A.

The design approved by the board was a marriage of those two ideas.

In the next few months, SMART will begin working on a sign placement plan so that they can be fabricated and installed, Unruh said.

“The survey was awesome, really well done,” Marin County Supervisor Mary Sackett, a SMART board member, said after the presentation.

Sackett asked whether graffiti removal was a factor in deciding the material type, staff maintenance time and budgeting.

“All of the signs will be produced with a protective film to manage vandalism,” Unruh said. “The modular design that was selected does help with overall sign maintenance.”

“I’m really amazed that the survey was so definitive in the results,” said Chris Coursey, a SMART board member and Sonoma County supervisor. “It really helps to have those kind of numbers on one side or the other.”

Board member Barbara Pahre, who represents the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, said she’s glad the community agreed with the bright green color option, and she is pleased with the final design.

“It looks like you were extremely responsive to as many different options that you could be,” Pahre told staff. “And they’re beautiful.”