Corte Madera Larkspur Shuttle Service Begins
Pat and I are one of the sponsors of the initial run of the Twin Cities Shuttle, a bus that runs daily in Corte Madera and Larkspur between 11 am and 7 pm.
It’s a terrific service, and a great example of some of the forward thinking being exhibited by both towns. The bus connects the major neighborhoods and key shopping areas in a simple loop: The Village at Corte Madera, Bayside Corte Madera and Paradise Shopping Center, then down Tamalpais Drive (easy for residents of Madera Gardens and Chapman Park). It then makes a right onto Corte Madera Avenue, down Magnolia through downtown Larkspur, then down Doherty Drive, and back to the Village. That means it effectively connects many of the major neighborhoods in Larkspur also, such as Palm Hill, Baltimore Canyon, Madrone Canyons, Heather Gardens, and Meadowood.
In the process, it runs right past most of the schools, such as Marin Primary, St. Patrick’s, Hall Middle School, and Redwood High School, as well as their athletic facilities. I think many children will use it to get back and forth to practice for soccer, lacrosse, volleyball, etc. Once they fiugre it out, even more will use it to get back and forth to The Village.
While at the opening ceremony yesterday, I spoke to Larry Chiu, the Mayor of Larkspur, who along with Corte Madera Council Member Melissa Gill, was one of the key proponents of this. Larry is convinced this is the start of something big, and will help alleviate some of the traffic congestion that plagues Larkspur at 3:30 in the afternoon. They did a traffic study to prove it, but anyone who has been there knows that is the busiest time of the day for traffic in town.
The service is free through the end of the year, and then will charge $2 a ride. Although in conversations I had with several of the Council Members, there is a lot of energy behind trying to make it $1 or even free.
Once this service takes off, it will be one more of many factors that will make real estate values in Corte Madera and Larkspur even more attractive.
