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Re: Will This be Be the Future of the Santa Cruz Branch?
Author: Sid Richardson
Date: 12-28-2009 - 12:45
Are you speaking generally about the US or just the Santa Cruz/Monterey area? The bikers and hikers co-exist with the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad out of Cumberland, MD. In Pittsburgh, a trail is located next to a busy CSX line (although a fence separates the trail from the tracks for much [but not all] of the trail's length).
The attitude of a lot of NIMBYS and BANANAs (Build Absolutley Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone) is that they don't want ANYTHING built near there home. Except maybe a widened road that they figure they'll use. Hiking and biking trails? No way. Light rail? No way. Double tracking of an existing single track railroad? No way. That last one is happening in San Clemente right now.
Uh huh. And how do you think commuter rail service was restored to Santa Fe, NM? SOME of the public must have accepted the notion that trains on formerly underused tracks within the City of Santa Fe must be OK.
The news media probably hasn't interviewed the "right" people. I would imagine there are some people in Santa Fe who are upset with all the additional noise and vibrations. The questions is, have they been tracked down and interviewed?
It's unfortunate when homowners stereotype bicyclists and hikers as "low-lifes and undesireables." It's also disappointing when posters on Internet rail forums stereotype bicycles and hikers as anti-rail.
The NIMBYs and BANANAs just rationalize that, if a bike or hiking train is established near their home, it will make things that much easier for "lowlifes and undesireables" to make their way into their neighborhoods. They are not necessarily categorizing bicylists and hikers as such. I spoke to a guy in Balitmore once who referred to the light rail system as the "Crime Line." Like a lot of other people, he felt that the system just offered and easy and convenient way for low life, inner-city, at risk youth to commute out into the affluent suburbs to conduct their crime sprees. I'm not saying that his thought process was CORRECT. I'm merely passing along his opinion to you -- whether it's right or wrong. A lot of these people are the same ones who traditionally vote down school bond propositions because they don't have school-age children, and they feel that light rail systems are a waste of their taxpayer dollars because they can't be pried out of their SUVs long enough to ever consider using the service themselves.
The attitude of a lot of NIMBYS and BANANAs (Build Absolutley Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone) is that they don't want ANYTHING built near there home. Except maybe a widened road that they figure they'll use. Hiking and biking trails? No way. Light rail? No way. Double tracking of an existing single track railroad? No way. That last one is happening in San Clemente right now.
Uh huh. And how do you think commuter rail service was restored to Santa Fe, NM? SOME of the public must have accepted the notion that trains on formerly underused tracks within the City of Santa Fe must be OK.
The news media probably hasn't interviewed the "right" people. I would imagine there are some people in Santa Fe who are upset with all the additional noise and vibrations. The questions is, have they been tracked down and interviewed?
It's unfortunate when homowners stereotype bicyclists and hikers as "low-lifes and undesireables." It's also disappointing when posters on Internet rail forums stereotype bicycles and hikers as anti-rail.
The NIMBYs and BANANAs just rationalize that, if a bike or hiking train is established near their home, it will make things that much easier for "lowlifes and undesireables" to make their way into their neighborhoods. They are not necessarily categorizing bicylists and hikers as such. I spoke to a guy in Balitmore once who referred to the light rail system as the "Crime Line." Like a lot of other people, he felt that the system just offered and easy and convenient way for low life, inner-city, at risk youth to commute out into the affluent suburbs to conduct their crime sprees. I'm not saying that his thought process was CORRECT. I'm merely passing along his opinion to you -- whether it's right or wrong. A lot of these people are the same ones who traditionally vote down school bond propositions because they don't have school-age children, and they feel that light rail systems are a waste of their taxpayer dollars because they can't be pried out of their SUVs long enough to ever consider using the service themselves.
