Member Surveys

Board of Directors:

DENISE LUCY, Co-president         BONNIE MARMOR, Co-president
DAVE CRUTCHER, Secretary        CHRISTINE CHRISTIANSEN, Treasurer
AMANDA METCALF, Past President   ALAN SCHAEVITZ, Webmaster

Box 449, 369B Third Street, San Rafael, CA 94901      www.sprcoalition.org

Impact

Sample Quotes

Truck Traffic

72% of surveys

The truck traffic is extremely frequent, sometimes several behind each other. (…) Driving on Pt. San Pedro Rd. is no longer pleasant as a result. It is a real hazard.

At times the road looks like highway 101 with lineup of trucks and cars, not like a residential road leading to homes and schools.

The high volume of trucks traffic is inherently incompatible with the residential therefore. This is no longer “country” area.

Truck Menace

46% of surveys

I will only walk along Pt. San Pedro Rd. when trucks are not present to enjoy the beauty + serenity of our neighborhood.

Started after 7AM it’s like a military caravan the trucks railing down San Pedro! I like a lot San Pedro and those big trucks are scary when they go past you.

It’s a common knowledge – you don’t go for a morning walk along Pt. San Pedro Road! …unless you don’t mind being assaulted by a multitude of “18 wheelers” spurring dust + fumes as they roar past you.

Truck Speed

 39% of surveys

A truck going overpass on 580, after exiting 101 South, dropped some rocks they picked up from the quarry on to 101 killing a driver. The truck was speeding. While this was an unfortunate and rare tragedy, it is symptomatic of the risk inherent this industrial activity in our neighborhood.

Dust

58% of surveys

I will not walk on San Pedro Rd. during the week. The dust, truck fumes and traffic is enough to make anyone sick and is dangerous to our mental and physical health and well being.

Fine dust from uncovered trucks drifts into perimeter homes – dirty windows + dirty on furniture is one thing – just imagine what’s happening to our lungs. (What about lead + other airborne toxins sitting like a cloud over our community?)

We have a black car that we must park on the street. It’s impossible to keep the black car clean because the dust and dirty from the quarry settle on it almost immediately. First a thin, fine layer, but then thicker and thicker – can you imagine what it does to our lungs?

Blasting Disturbance

56% of surveys

The blasting is so powerful that it feels like an earthquake.

The whole house jumps – guests have been alarmed, thinking it was an earthquake.

We hear and feel the explosion somewhere between 11:30AM and 12:15PM. It sounds like a sonic boom!

The blasting is the most unsettling feeling I have experienced. The blasting usually happens late at night, and shakes the whole house. The noise and trembling can be very nerve racking. At times the blasts are harder than others and shake the house like a large earthquake. It can be very frightening.

The entire house rattles, pops, shakes and cracks… a little more each time.

Depending on the blast, it can feel either like an earthquake or a sonic boom blast.

As to the blasting, my house shakes, the noise is extremely loud, and even though I know what it is, it causes me to catch my breath in fright every time; I am always caught off guard and wonder if it is an earthquake.

Disturb Peace

26% of surveys

In addition, I do not understand why the working hours are permitted to commence so early in the morning and continue as late as 10pm or 11pm, as well as on weekends – sometimes both Saturday and Sunday. (...) How can such an operation be allowed to operate without taking into consideration the impact that the stress and nuisance have on the health of the residents of this community and their right to peacefully enjoy their homes and community? I do not understand how the county, the city and the state permit the quarry to operate under these conditions.

South Hill Degradation

18% of surveys

From our house we see that a great swath of trees has been removed from the top of the “South Hills”. This denudation is even becoming evident from San Pedro Road when driving east.

The South Hill seems to be missing trees, as we suspect. That entire beautiful hill is going to be destroyed. The impact is not only visual but also will cause added noise, as well.

My home looks directly out onto the Marshland and San Pedro Hill. What was once a beautiful green, tree covered hill is becoming a bald, brown eyesore.

Environmental Degradation

 17% of surveys

On occasion, we also visit McNear Park which backs onto the Quarry property. If you walk to the end near the volleyball courts, you will see that the trees in the area are coated with thick dust. The role of trees in protecting the environment is well-known and we are concerned to see the damage that is being done to the trees in the area.

Health Concerns

15%

We are concerned that this pollution has adverse health effects. As a runner & cyclist I can feel the effects on my breathing, something I have never suffered from before I moved to the area.

There has always been some dust but with the changes in the work area to the hill I find the dust level has risen. (…) My allergies to dust have gotten worse. I live with a chronic very mild caught + congestions due to it!

I worry about the dust when I see how quickly it accumulates after I clean. I worry about the impact on our lungs. I have no idea what’s in the dust!

I have noticed a white powdery dust on our patio furniture that builds up every day. I am now worried about airborne toxins/dust drifting over from the quarry which may cause respiratory illnesses in my very young children such as asthma. While an air-filter may help indoor air quality, the purpose of moving to San Rafael was so that my children could play outside in clean air and the sunshine.

Home Damage

15%

My property has suffered well over a quarter of a million dollars in damage since we have been here. Broken window panes seals are most common as is concrete cracks and failure. However, our art work has suffered when blasted off the wall from time to time. In one case… while I was home… a painting was blasted off the wall (hook and all) and fell on a $5000 dollar jade horse and broke it into thousands of pieces.

Diesel Emissions

13%

The diesel emissions of the trucks also cause concern. It has been shown that diesel fumes are carcinogenic. Given the volume of activity from both the Quarry and Brickworks, this represents a significant long-term health risk with its attendant costs on the both individual and community.

Most unpleasant is the diesel fumes that waft up to my deck and make it unusable in the work hours. (…) The fumes are a health issue.

Affected by the smell of diesel fumes coming up the hill, right on to my garden and into my house on some days – extremely bad for me as I am moved here in the hope of healing from chemical-sensitivity illness.

Our main problem is the toxicity of fumes from trucks – which make going for a walk along the water during week days a health hazard. We bought our house six years ago, primarily because of its proximity to the Bay – and fresh air.

Noise

Quarry: 44%

Brick Yard: 7%

We have lived in this house since 1972. During that time there have been significant changes in the operation and impact of the quarry. This has been a problem for 20 years! Recently it often sounds like we live next to a railroad with a never-ending train passing through.

Unbelievable!!!! If I were to make that amount of noise when the SRRQ does I would be jailed. I cannot believe that a residential neighborhood could be legally exposed to the amount of noise at the times we are.