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The recent opinion piece “One-way traffic on West Cliff won’t help anything” is an attempt to maintain the status quo at the expense of progress and sustainability in Santa Cruz. The piece paints a distorted picture of the proposed changes. The reality is that investing in cycling infrastructure and prioritizing pedestrian safety will benefit everybody. Elderly and mobility-impaired persons would still have car access to West Cliff Drive; it would simply be via a one-way, rather than two-way, road.
The piece provides “proof of resounding vehicle usage over bike usage,” which is a direct result of the lack of safe and accessible bike lanes. Dedicated bike lanes can improve bike ridership by 50%-200%. By investing in cycling infrastructure, we can encourage more people to choose this healthy and eco-friendly mode of transportation.
As a homeowner in the neighborhood, I welcome dedicated bike lanes and restricted car traffic on West Cliff. When my children were young, I would limit their bike riding on West Cliff due to safety concerns of traffic moving quickly next to the congested pedestrian walkway. My family would be helped by a more bike- and pedestrian-centric West Cliff Drive.
Philip Hendrix
Lower Westside