Santa Cruz Co. trying to improve transportation woes

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission Board Members reviewed and approved ways to move forward, with improving getting around in Santa Cruz County, which isn’t always easy.

“What do we do about resolving all of this traffic congestion, and what alternatives do we have for relieving this traffic congestion,” said Oscar Rios, Commissioner representative for City of Watsonville.

They’re focusing on Hwy 1, Soquel and Freedom and the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line, that stretches from Davenport to Watsonville. The goal is to find ways to reduce traffic, green gas emissions and create safer spaces for bicyclists and pedestrians.

“We don’t want to look at one route in isolation because they all depend on each other,” said Ginger Dykaar, Transportation Planner for Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission. “What we put on one route is going to affect what happens on the other routes.”

The commissioners listened to six different scenarios, which included recommendations for transportation improvements on those three routes.

“The decision makers have information so that they can make a better, informed decision,” said Dykaar.

The scenarios include adding metering on ramps, self-driving cars, bike shares and multi-modal transportation hubs amongst other things.

“Their existing modeling does not account for induced demand,” said Jack Nelson of Santa Cruz. “I didn’t see action today to reverse that so unfortunately I’m not satisfied today.”

Some community members also disagreed with potential transportation uses for the 32 mile Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line, which includes building a local rail and bus rapid transit.

“A railway would require a lot of fencing, removing a lot of earth to create enough space for a rail line and a trail,” said Dr. Casey KirkHart, Medical Director at Santa Cruz Community Health Centers. “We think that would be a terrible trail.”

About 150 physicians and healthcare professionals in Santa Cruz County are instead advocating for the Greenway Project, converting the rail line into a path that could be used by pedestrians, bicyclists and people with disabilities.

“We feel that it’s a great step toward improving the health of our community,” said KirkHart. “We know that when our patients can get outside exercise, enjoy the sunshine, be mobile, they’ll be more healthy, they’ll be more active.”

One of the mandates for Measure D is to take a look at how best to use the rail corridor. While some think the money is not being used in the best way, others are all aboard with rail transit.

“We really need an alternative to Hwy 1, and that rail corridor is an underutilized resource,” said Nelson.

Officials said they hope to have plans more defined this fall.