I liked the rail + trail article because it gives more freedom to our children. A safe place to ride their bikes or take the train to schools or parks. Benefiting children counts double, as enabling them to make their own trips eliminates double car trips—once to drop them off and once to pick them up. Younger children might get dropped off at school on the back of a bicycle rather than driven in a SUV. The rail line is close to more than a dozen schools and even more parks. And rail + trail benefits adults also – A household might need one less car, bike trips can count as exercise and longer rail trips allow people to do other things than pay attention to the jammed road, so commute time can become productive and rewarding. Rail + trail is an investment in our quality of life for all generations.
-Bruce Sawhill, Santa Cruz

I liked the article about the rail and trail. It’s exciting the trail is being built and we will be able to use it soon. Living in Aptos close to the rail corridor my family and I talk about how we would love to ride our bikes to the Boardwalk. The kids always enjoy the rides and then we could wheel our bikes onto passenger rail and come back home. That would be a fun day!
-Tina Andreatta

Future Use Of The Rail Corridor
In the coming weeks the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) is expected to share the draft report from the Transit Corridor Alternatives Analysis (TCAA) – the $1M study to determine if bus or train service should be implemented in the rail corridor to provide high capacity public transit.
Should it be a bus? Or a train? – Or neither, with focus on a trail?

Many have already shared their perspective, and I could (again) do likewise, but perhaps a better approach at this moment would be to:

• Review the TCAA draft report when it becomes available. What do you think of the recommendations and why?
• Engage in discussion with others you know and trust. What do they think and why? And as you encounter others in your circles who have not yet examined this subject, encourage them to do so.
• Before finalizing your position, seek out others with different points of view. What do they think and why? Maybe you missed something.

Share your perspective with the RTC via the TCAA online open house survey. If the survey questions and available answers do not capture your point of view, please send them an email with your comments.

The bottom line:
Many voices are needed to best guide such enormous decisions – and this needs to include YOUR voice! Better outcomes will be achieved with more voices and not simply the loudest voices in the room.

Follow developments on the SCC RTC website:I liked the rail + trail article because it gives more freedom to our children. A safe place to ride their bikes or take the train to schools or parks. Benefiting children counts double, as enabling them to make their own trips eliminates double car trips—once to drop them off and once to pick them up. Younger children might get dropped off at school on the back of a bicycle rather than driven in a SUV. The rail line is close to more than a dozen schools and even more parks. And rail + trail benefits adults also – A household might need one less car, bike trips can count as exercise and longer rail trips allow people to do other things than pay attention to the jammed road, so commute time can become productive and rewarding. Rail + trail is an investment in our quality of life for all generations.
-Bruce Sawhill, Santa Cruz
I liked the article about the rail and trail. It’s exciting the trail is being built and we will be able to use it soon. Living in Aptos close to the rail corridor my family and I talk about how we would love to ride our bikes to the Boardwalk. The kids always enjoy the rides and then we could wheel our bikes onto passenger rail and come back home. That would be a fun day!
-Tina Andreatta
Future Use Of The Rail Corridor
In the coming weeks the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) is expected to share the draft report from the Transit Corridor Alternatives Analysis (TCAA) – the $1M study to determine if bus or train service should be implemented in the rail corridor to provide high capacity public transit.
Should it be a bus? Or a train? – Or neither, with focus on a trail?
Many have already shared their perspective, and I could (again) do likewise, but perhaps a better approach at this moment would be to:
Review the TCAA draft report when it becomes available. What do you think of the recommendations and why?
Engage in discussion with others you know and trust. What do they think and why? And as you encounter others in your circles who have not yet examined this subject, encourage them to do so.
Before finalizing your position, seek out others with different points of view. What do they think and why? Maybe you missed something.
Share your perspective with the RTC via the TCAA online open house survey. If the survey questions and available answers do not capture your point of view, please send them an email with your comments.
The bottom line:
Many voices are needed to best guide such enormous decisions – and this needs to include YOUR voice! Better outcomes will be achieved with more voices and not simply the loudest voices in the room.
Follow developments on the SCC RTC website: sccrtc.org/
-Keith Otto, La Selva

I was very excited almost two years ago to hear that the plan for the trail alongside electric battery rail was approved unanimously by the Regional Transportation Commission (which has members from all over the county). Construction on the 32 mile trail started a few months later and should be finished in most of the populated areas in less than 7 years. Some segments are already being used by families and neighbors! I don’t understand why some people started a campaign against the plan. Why would we stop construction, tear up the tracks (eliminating any future passenger rail), and let private landowners along the corridor fight over easements (delaying a trail for many years)? Our children and future generations will be very glad we planned for clean, quiet, right-sized rail transit across our county, which everyone can use.
-Dianne