People Power gives the Rail Trail some love this Sunday with a cleanup effort.
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission is in the final stages of purchasing the Santa Cruz Branch rail line—also known as the Rail Trail—from Union Pacific. Even though all they need now is an agreement in ink (well, that and $14.5 million), Santa Cruz County organization People Power is determined to speed up that agreement as much as possible.
People Power, an advocate of human-powered transportation, plans to rally Rail Trail supporters to join them on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 1pm to clean the rail line from Seabright to Aptos. The organization plans to show the Regional Transport Commission (RTC) how important the Rail Trail plan is to county residents, ensuring a speedy agreement. “Whoever officially owns it,” says Matt Michaelis of People Power, “the rail line is already a public transportation route. We use it and we intend to take care of it as a community, starting now.”
Although many are excited for the prospect of rail—which supporters call a new, safe, and easy mode of transport—some are not. Aptos neighborhood group SCARRED would reportedly like to derail the project, and some politicians have stated a preference for raising taxes locally to pay for it. Currently $11 million would come from voter-approved Proposition 16.
The 31-mile coastal rail stretches from Watsonville to Davenport, passing through Santa Cruz. There are also future plans to make the Rail Trail the Santa Cruz Green Line—a clean and environmentally friendly mode of transportation for county residents.
Members of People Power ask for rail cleanup attendees to wear closed-toed shoes and gloves, as well as bring a few trash bags. They’ll meet at 1pm on the east side of the San Lorenzo River trestle (across from the Boardwalk, near Seabright) and at the Bike Station in Aptos Village.
