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Report dismisses problems with building a Santa Cruz rail-trail

By Kurtis Alexander
Santa Cruz Sentinel
Posted: 12/23/2009 10:26:56 AM PST
Updated: 12/23/2009 10:26:57 AM PST

A new report by the nation's foremost rail-trail advocacy rejects many of the fears associated with the construction of trails alongside active railroads.

Collisions between trains and pedestrians, the spread of homeless encampments and lawsuits against local governments were uncommon for managers of 21 California rail-trails surveyed in the report. The report bills rail-trails as a smart and increasingly popular venture nationwide.
"We wanted to get this information out to assist those considering projects," said Steve Schweigerdt, western region trail development manager for the Washington, D.C-based Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

In Santa Cruz County, the transportation agency is on the verge of purchasing the 32-mile, Union Pacific rail line. In addition to continuing freight service on the coastal route, county planners are looking at constructing a trail here, a proposition that thrills many in the community but also raises questions.

County planners have not addressed these questions, opting to focus first on the $14.2 million acquisition, scheduled for January, and later on the trail.

Tuesday's report, though, aims to fill some gaps.

 On safety, the report finds that on trails with active trains, issues for bicyclists and pedestrians are no different than on other trails. No accident has ever been reported between trail users and trains.

 Liability is not a big deal, either, according to the report. Most agencies with rail-trails get insurance under an existing policy at little or no cost, and only one of the agencies surveyed had a claim against it. The complaint was over the noise of a train horn.
Transient encampments along the trails can be prevented, according to the report. A number of suggestions are made in the report including planting trees instead of bushes on the corridor; Schweigerdt noted that a homeless group was reported to be living along one trail with dense shrubbery.

The report, which estimates 60 miles of trail along active rail lines in California, says little about the cost of building and maintaining trails. Schweigerdt acknowledged, however, that expense was contributing to delays with some of the efforts.

"(Agencies) kind of pick the low-hanging fruit to build, and wait for fairly expensive bridges and trestles that need to be constructed," he said. "A lot of the trails we surveyed were only a mile or so long. That's some benefit for walking or exercise, but it would be better if they were longer." In Santa Cruz County, the future costs of a trail remain unknown. While the Regional Transportation Commission has identified state and federal funds to buy the railroad, how to pay for trail construction and maintenance is unclear.

Unofficial estimates for building the trail here have ranged from $32 million to upwards of $100 million, depending on the design.

Critics worry the project will suck public funds needed for other, more important transportation measures, like pothole fixes.

"If good economic thinking were being done, they wouldn't do anything with (the railroad). They'd just let it sit there," said Santa Cruz resident Bill Selvidge.

Ron Marquez, onetime director of the Transportation Commission, says one of the problems he foresees with a county trail is the width of the railroad corridor. He says that in many spots, the property just isn't big enough for a trail and a train.

"Realistically, chances are the only thing that could go on there is either freight or the pedestrian path," he said.

Others insist a trail could be squeezed along most of the line, but a serious evaluation and definitive answer remains elusive.