FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | November 12
Media contact: Mikey Cohen, Chair | mikeycohen@gmail.com| [831.419.2517]
Bike Santa Cruz County Raises the Alarm Over Rail Trail Future
$120 million is at risk as a new report calls for workable solutions to get the Mid-County trail built
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — While many of us have been happily walking, jogging and cycling from the Santa Cruz wharf towards Davenport on a wonderful Rail Trail, the plans to move the trail south have been hitting a series of roadblocks to the point where the Trail may not be built at all according to a 23 page report from Bike Santa Cruz County (BSCC).
At stake are 7 miles of planned walking and biking improvements from Santa Cruz through Live Oak and Capitola toward Aptos. Rising costs, unresolved railroad and property questions, political disagreements, and legal petitions threaten the future of this rail trail project. RTC, County, and city staff warn that losing the grants could set construction back at least a decade or more.
“We began with a simple question: How do we get the trail built faster? What we found is that the opportunity to build it is in danger. Advocates need to support a wide range of options, even ones that are not their first choice,” said Mikey Cohen, BSCC chair and report’s principal investigator.” Cohen continued, “$120 million has already been awarded to build this trail. Losing it could mean perhaps a decade or more of searching for funding while residents and families keep navigating unsafe, disconnected routes in Mid County. Kids could grow up before the connection is built. That consequence should be at the forefront of every discussion about the trail’s future.”
Written by BSCC Chair Cohen and founder of both BSCC and FORT Micah Posner, Rails, Trails and Fails-How Do We Move Forward draws on public records, technical studies and interviews with project staff, elected officials, and advocates across the rail-and-trail debate. Its central findings include:
The community could lose the trail funding without securing a future train. Approximately $120 million in awarded grants and an uncertain future of a rail trail are at risk; at the same time passenger rail faces long environmental, bureaucratic, design, and engineering hurdles before even considering the major construction and operating funding challenges. The report discusses how greatly increasing costs, red tape, and bureaucracy, described in Ezra Klein’s book, “Abundance” helps explain why it is so challenging and costly to develop large scale public good projects, especially on rail corridors, which are subject to additional federal regulations.
Keeping today’s tracks does not guarantee tomorrow’s train. Engineering plans anticipate replacing the existing track infrastructure for passenger service. The report could not substantiate claims that removing those tracks forecloses future rail, though it does recognize the potential sociological effects of removal on the movement for rail transport.
“Rail and trail” requires compromise. The report supports an Interim Trail plan if credible protections for future rail are established and no track-preserving alternatives demonstrate that they can meet the funding and schedule requirements. It urges RTC and local agencies to publish a clear delivery schedule, state leaders to pursue available funding flexibility, and rail and trail advocates to help reach workable agreements.
The report also examines the Capitola Trestle, the meaning of Measure D’s defeat, and opportunities for community participation. It places the local dilemma in the wider challenge of delivering public infrastructure amid rising costs and complex approval processes.
“This is a project with broad public consensus and a huge potential funding source. All the concerns about the specific plans are valid. But we have to find a way to say yes. Failure is not an option,” said Posner.
About Bike Santa Cruz County: Bike Santa Cruz County promotes bicycling through advocacy, education and community building. We strive for Santa Cruz County to be a place where cycling is a safe, respected, and enjoyable mode of transportation and recreation for people of all ages and abilities. We advocate for a comprehensive bike network that provides access to all open space and urban destinations throughout the County, as well as for connections to other regional transportation systems. We believe bicycling is fundamental to building an active community, a strong economy, and a respected natural environment. At Bike Santa Cruz County we continue this work to transform our streets into vibrant public spaces that accommodate all users.