On Friday, Equity Transit held a march and rally with nearly 100 attendees calling for increased and accessible transit options throughout Santa Cruz County. “Transit inequities affect lots of people in different camps, and we’re all affected by it,” organizer Michael Wool said. “It’s a very multifaceted problem, we have to come at it from many different angles.”
Coastal Rail Trail
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Freight abandonment discussion on Felton line stirs passions at RTC; kibosh put on pro-rail ballot measure
The Regional Transportation Commission on Thursday heard hours of staff reports and public comments regarding the possible closure of the Felton line to freight in order to save up to $65 million in repair costs. No action was taken, but RTC staff said they would continue working with the line’s owner, Roaring Camp, on a solution to the issue.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Supervisors to study Greenway initiative before adopting it or placing it on the June ballot
The board of supervisors on Tuesday voted to study an initiative that, if passed, would change the county’s general plan away from using the Santa Cruz Branch Line for rail and toward a bike-and-pedestrian path. The measure, which county officials certified Monday, must either be placed on the June ballot or adopted without a countywide vote when the report is completed next month.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
How Santa Cruz’s rail-trail debate created a standoff with Roaring Camp
A Feb. 3 meeting of the Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission is likely to be heated. Why? Commissioners are slated to discuss foreclosing the Felton line for freight trains — which the line hasn’t been used for in years — as a way of moving a rail-trail plan forward. But the owners of the line, Roaring Camp Railroads, are against this idea and are rallying supporters to stop it.
Posted inLatest News
What’s railbanking, and why are Santa Cruz transit experts discussing it?
The Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission’s meeting Feb. 3 will include an informational agenda item dealing with “railbanking” and “adverse abandonment” of the Felton Line. What do these terms mean and how will they affect the future of transit and trails in the county?
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Greenway submits signatures for proposed initiative on use of rail line
The proposal, which still must have its signatures verified before qualifying for the June 2022 ballot, would potentially force county leaders to use the Santa Cruz Branch Line for a parklike bicycle and pedestrian path. This is in opposition to those who want a commuter rail line and trail combo.
Posted inHousing & Development
The third rail of Santa Cruz County politics: Electric streetcar steps into the political transit fray
A demonstration of an electric streetcar in Watsonville on Saturday was decried by Supervisor Manu Koenig, who said the idea was not a viable transit option. Coast Futura representatives, who are running the multi-week event, said it is just a demonstration to gauge community interest, and not connected to proposals TIG/m, the manufacturer of the streetcar, has with the regional transit authority.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Future transit preview or limited engagement? Coast Futura will demo Santa Cruz rail option
The battery-powered, zero-emission Coast Futura is offering free rides along the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line on its clean-energy streetcar. The rides, which must be reserved, will be in Watsonville on Oct. 16-17 and between the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and Capitola the following weekend.
Posted inCoast Life
Greenway announces plans to gather signatures, put interim trail-only game plan to vote on next June’s ballot
To be considered in the June 2022 election, the committee will have to receive at minimum 12,000 signatures. But the group has been touting support in recent months from a diverse group of environment- and health-conscious community members.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
RTC greenlights studying ‘interim trail’ options along 2 rail corridor segments
The 12-member Regional Transportation Commission board voted on two items that effectively will allow officials to study the new alternative along at least two stretches of the corridor, evaluating a potential interim trail that would create a path for bikers and pedestrians while more permanent options continue to be weighed.