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Re: Iowa Pacific is Leaving Santa Cruz--trail people ready to move in..
Author: J.K. Trowling
Date: 12-14-2017 - 07:09
Bingo, Sir! This particular quote shows a serious lack of grip on reality:
"Brian Peoples, head of Trail Now, wrote via email to the Sentinel that Iowa Pacific pulling out is “further evidence that a train is not viable along the Coastal Corridor... We can not afford to let the Coastal Corridor continue to sit unused as a ‘vacant lot’ while our community is stuck in a transportation crisis. We need the rail-trail now for alternatives to gridlock.”
Bike trails don't do anything to reduce gridlock-- they are recreation, not commuter arteries. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised if a bike trail would actually INCREASE traffic in the area, as people DRIVE to the trail with their bikes on a rack to ride the trail. You can also expect parking issues at the various trailheads and access points, particularly on weekends and holidays.
Hell, ripping out the rails and converting the right of way to a ROAD would go further toward eliminating gridlock if that is the true goal. If the commission is serious about moving passengers and reducing gridlock, bus rapid transit should be considered if rail has failed. And here's a dedicated corridor for it.
It would be pretty fun to watch Mr. Peoples shake his fist at passing buses on a dedicated corridor not open to private vehicles or pedestrians, as those passengers are briskly whisked around surrounding gridlock on what should be "his" bike trail. That my friends, is much closer to reality than the pipe dream quoted above as a gridlock solution.
Goober Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I notice that the trail people are drooling over
> the opportunity to rip up another rail line in
> order to preserve it. Story mentions how the
> trail would reduce gridlock, are there really that
> many people willing to leave their cars to ride
> the trail to work??
> I would think finding ways to get more trucks off
> the roads would be more of a help to the gridlock
> problem, but maybe in better weather thousands of
> people will ride the trail to work.?
"Brian Peoples, head of Trail Now, wrote via email to the Sentinel that Iowa Pacific pulling out is “further evidence that a train is not viable along the Coastal Corridor... We can not afford to let the Coastal Corridor continue to sit unused as a ‘vacant lot’ while our community is stuck in a transportation crisis. We need the rail-trail now for alternatives to gridlock.”
Bike trails don't do anything to reduce gridlock-- they are recreation, not commuter arteries. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised if a bike trail would actually INCREASE traffic in the area, as people DRIVE to the trail with their bikes on a rack to ride the trail. You can also expect parking issues at the various trailheads and access points, particularly on weekends and holidays.
Hell, ripping out the rails and converting the right of way to a ROAD would go further toward eliminating gridlock if that is the true goal. If the commission is serious about moving passengers and reducing gridlock, bus rapid transit should be considered if rail has failed. And here's a dedicated corridor for it.
It would be pretty fun to watch Mr. Peoples shake his fist at passing buses on a dedicated corridor not open to private vehicles or pedestrians, as those passengers are briskly whisked around surrounding gridlock on what should be "his" bike trail. That my friends, is much closer to reality than the pipe dream quoted above as a gridlock solution.
Goober Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I notice that the trail people are drooling over
> the opportunity to rip up another rail line in
> order to preserve it. Story mentions how the
> trail would reduce gridlock, are there really that
> many people willing to leave their cars to ride
> the trail to work??
> I would think finding ways to get more trucks off
> the roads would be more of a help to the gridlock
> problem, but maybe in better weather thousands of
> people will ride the trail to work.?
