Month: June 2018

“Rail banking” is the absolute worst thing we could do to the rail line. With the tracks in place, we can always start passenger service with a minimum cost at the front end. Without rails in place, passenger service options are severely limited, with heavy upfront costs, either to replace the tracks or pave the right-of-way. The next worst thing is to turn Santa Cruz County into an LPG storage yard. Greg Becker is wrong. It is not rail or trail, one or the other. If the RTC could only adopt a decision to use self-propelled trolley cars on the tracks, with small shuttle buses collecting riders in the neighborhoods, we would have both rail and trail much sooner, and at practically no public taxpayer outlay.
Howard F. Sosbee 1400 Weston Ridge Road Scotts Valley CA, 95066 831, 335, 8401 hfs@sosbee.com <mailto:hfs@sosbee.com>

Please tell the world that you are not seriously considering a deal with a freight – oriented rail road company to operate freight and eventually passenger service on the U P line. As I have explained many times before, a TRAIN with locomotives pulling freight or passenger cars simply wouldn’t work: there is hardly enough freight volume to bother with; and a TRAIN cannot make enough stops and starts in the heavily populated area to pick up or discharge enough riders to make it pay. There is, however, an alternative that can be put into operation sooner, and at far less startup cost, with none, repeat none, of these safety problems, and with the ability to put public transit within reach of practically the entire population of the county. So, do this. Tell the people of Santa Cruz two things: 1. A TRAIN is out and 2. The trail people can proceed with their plans without factoring in fences and walls for safety purposes. If the RTC decides to start passenger service with self powered trolley cars, the safety factor is eliminated.
Howard F. Sosbee 1400 Weston Ridge Road Scotts Valley CA, 95066 831, 335, 8401 hfs@sosbee.com <mailto:hfs@sosbee.com>

Of all the labels that could be applied to the Trump administration so far, and considering their policy of breaking up families at the border, the best way you can describe the Trump administration now is with the word “CRUEL“‘!

Howard F. Sosbee 1400 Weston Ridge Road Scotts Valley CA, 95066 831, 335, 8401 hfs@sosbee.com <mailto:hfs@sosbee.com>