.Opinion April 25, 2018

Read the latest letters to the editor here.

Railbank Our Resource

Lately there has been some controversy about allowing E-bikes on the Westcliff pathway. This same controversy will be magnified if the rail trail is built (GT, 4/18), because it is not wide enough to allow for separate bike and E-bike lanes for those that want to commute to work at faster speeds; plus, the rail trail deviates onto high-traffic surface streets at critical junctures. Only the Trail Only/Greenway Vision provides enough room for bike commuters (and other high-tech alternatives), which has the benefit of reducing the number of cars on our roads. The best scenario is to railbank the corridor and tear out the tracks now so we can all start using this transportation resource within our lifetimes.

Buzz Anderson  | Santa Cruz

What About the Wildlife Commute?

The Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line Right-of-Way, whether inflicted as trail only, as advocated by Greenway, or rail and trail, as advocated by Friends of the Rail & Trail, is a false engineering “solution” to a sociopolitical and existential problem: mainstream environmentalism’s absurd assertion that we must further “our way of life” with its delusional premise that we can infinitely expand our civilization—through population growth, economic growth, boundless urbanization and habitat destruction, boundless energy and materials consumption—within a finite system, Earth. Consequently, we have exceeded our carrying capacity, the sixth mass global extinction is well underway, and civilization’s implosion is accelerating.

Both groups promote a myopic “solution:” if only we had a trail or rail-trail corridor, we could continue to populate our county and accommodate our ever-growing commuting “needs.” Rather than building more transportation infrastructure to further their environmentalist pipe dream of a forever-expanding “green” civilization, Greenway and Friends of the Rail & Trail should promote decivilization, including depopulation and steady state economics. They might begin by ripping out the tracks and converting the corridor to grassland, so that coyote people and deer people can use it to commute, and pledging to not have more children.

Nigel Self | Santa Cruz

ONLINE COMMENTS

Re: Rail Trail

There’s something really, really crucial here that I hope to see in future installments: what do the people of Watsonville think? This is perhaps the most valuable insight that could be provided to Good Times’ audience, which is Santa Cruz-based. I’m not sure many of us actually get over there that often. The current political power center in Santa Cruz is choosing policies that push young people who want to put down roots to put down those roots in Watsonville, not Santa Cruz.

What does Watsonville think of Santa Cruz’s plans to gentrify it? Do current commuters from Watsonville see a train as a possibility that’s better than 45-70 minutes of Highway 1 traffic each way, each day?

—   Nigel V

Re: Train to San Jose

The loss of right of way, missing trestles and damage to the RR road bed between Felton and Glenwood makes the restoration of the train line very unlikely. OTOH, restoring the two long tunnels between Glenwood to Laurel and from Laurel to Wright’s Station (Lexington Reservoir) would result in a near-level route that would allow buses to use existing roadways to avoid climbing 17 over the summit. This would have clear advantages in bad weather and when traffic is backed up. It would require building some new roadway at the Lexington end, but otherwise the bypass could connect to Hwy 17 at Glenwood at Los Gatos. The tunnels are only wide enough for one direction at a time, but the daylight section in the middle could allow for passing. With speeds of 30 mph it would only require a two-minute wait in the middle. Otherwise the entire tunnel section could alternate directions every five minutes or so as needed. This could be a low-cost solution for a Bus Rapid Transit system.

—William Menchine

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WASTE TO GO

Leftover medicine and used sharps can pose serious public health and safety hazards, endangering public health and the environment when they’re improperly disposed of. National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 28 will help to raise awareness about the issue. Drugs and sharps should never be flushed or thrown in the trash. Leftover medicines and used sharps can be taken back to almost every pharmacy, as well as many medical centers. To find a drop-off site, visit MedProject.org.