Here at Steel Wül Headquarters (aka Hess House, aka Grey Cat Farm) we are located near the RR tracks where they cross 30th avenue. Almost daily for 7 years we have crossed the tracks when running, walking and riding our way into the big wide world. Most locals know that the tracks are not just tracks but the future site of the Rail Trail. This follows suit with what other communities have done around the country- transforming the ill kept, little used, ideally located rail lines into user-friendly, multi-use transportation corridors for urban communities.
Knowing that this transformation takes lots of time (and patience, see below) we thought that we would take it upon ourselves to sponsor our little stretch of tracks and pick up trash from time to time. Our latest clean up took place on Memorial Day. Olive and I hit it hard for about an hour and cleaned up 4 bags full of garbage. If you are ever interested in helping us with trash collecting, let us know (we sport SW jersey). In the meantime we will be keeping you updated on Rail Trail info as it becomes available thanks to Steel Wüleur Cory Caletti.
Jess... aka Mama Wüleur
The folks at the Regional Transportation Commission are planning a big
celebration to commemorate the purchase of the 32 mile rail line from
Union Pacific on Saturday, September 10th. This community wide
celebration will see a historic train make its way from Watsonville to
Wilder Ranch with numerous stops along the way for neighborhood parties,
bands, presentations from public officials and other festivities. The
family oriented event will provide train rides from the West side to
Wilder Ranch with a bike car available to haul bikes for those wishing
to ride back.
The purchase of the rail line has huge implications for our county
because we'll start seeing some recreational rail service next year from
the West side to Wilder Ranch and beyond. The big news for cyclists is
that the RTC has long planned for a bicycle and pedestrian path adjacent
to the rail line. Dubbed the "rail trail" by the community, the official
title for the project is the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail
Network. While the title is a mouthful, it points to the fact that the
project is much broader in its scope. A Master Plan will look at rail
right of way as the spine of a bicycle/pedestrian multi-use trail but
also to the street network for spur trails to connect the main artery
trail to other destinations like schools, commercial areas, transit
stops, parks and the like. You can read more about the trail project
here:
http://www.sccrtc.org/pdf/2011/04/trail-fact-sheet-April2011-Color.pdf
Stay tuned for community meetings scheduled for later this summer where
public input will be solicited. If you have any questions, Steel Wuler
Cory Caletti is the project manager of this fantastic project and she'd
love to talk to you about what's in the works or about anything bike
related.
Cory Caletti
Senior Transportation Planner/Bicycle Coordinator
Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission
phone: (831) 460-3201 / fax: (831) 460-3215
Jess and Olive: you two are awesome. If only every community had folks like you we'd be doing GREAT! just to clarify for all you enthusiastic readers, the rail tracks will be kept in place and we may even have passenger service down the line. What we're looking at is a bike path that will be constructed next to the tracks so we'll have a "multi-modal" corridor, as the bureaucrats call it. Ciao for now, Cory
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