I was surprised and distressed by the Community Voices op-ed by Jamie Barsimantov titled “Riding my bike on the Santa Cruz levee bike path is making me change my politics,” and want to express a different view.
I have been happily biking and walking on the riverwalk (aka San Lorenzo River levee) paths a number of times each week for the past 12 years and have never been “pissed on” or “nearly pushed over,” nor have I ever seen “someone brandishing a gun.” I also disagree that “biking on the levee path is worse now than it’s ever been” and that the path is “just full of troublemakers.”
Yes, I have seen people “shooting up heroin, selling drugs, fighting with each other,” and probably prostitution. Sure, I would love to see less of all of those activities. But are those things “dangerous”? No.
I’m now 73 years old, and I’ve never been afraid to use the riverwalk. I’ve never had an encounter that made me feel unsafe. I understand parents’ concerns for their children’s safety, which can cause them to overreact to potential threats. The riverwalk is one of the crown jewels of Santa Cruz’s attempts to allow people to get out of their cars, and I’m thankful for it every time I travel that way.
W. C. Casey
Santa Cruz