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By Darrel W. Cole Santa Cruz — Saying no to light-rail and trolleys, regional transportaion commissioners voted Thursday to move ahead on a plan to widen Highway 1, improve bus service and add bike routes. The 6-4 vote in favor of widening — through the addition of carpool lanes or toll lanes — amounts to a major political shift on the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, which has long resisted widening because of its growth — inducing potential. Former commissioner Mike Rotkin, a Santa Cruz City Council member who opposes widening, said Thursday's action may have been a watershed decision. "In the long term, I think the anti-highway vote in this county and on the commission is breaking up," Rotkin said, "There was a time even just up to a year ago when you would never get six votes on the commission for widening, or even auxiliary lanes. So it is significant, but it doesn't address the really hard questions they will face with how exactly to spend money." The commission staff says widening would cost at least $245 million, $37 million more than what is available, so the public could be asked to tax itself to pick up part of the tab. Supporters of the idea, though, say the numbers aren't firm and additional sales or gas taxes may not be necessary. Despite decades of support for the concept, rail service was voted down, including light-rail commuter service and a more modest proposal by Commissioner Dennis Norton to start a Capitola-to-Santa Cruz trolley run. Commissioners said the drawbacks include the high costs-an estimated $360 million for light rail-noise and other enviromental concerns. Starting with a list of 50 traffic easing options, commissioners kept a number of other ideas alive for additional discussion. They include merge lanes along the highway, metering lights at on-ramps, interchange improvements, buying railroad rights of way for eventual use, selling 10,000 electric bikes at cost, and fixing existing roads. Commissioners voting for widening were Watsonville Mayor Oscar Rios, Santa Cruz Metro Transit board member Bruce Gabriel, Scotts Valley City Councilman Bart Cavallaro, and Santa Cruz County supervisiors Walt Symons, Jeff Almquits and Jan Beautz. Opposing widening were Santa Cruz Mayor Katherine Beiers, Santa Cruz Councilman Tim Fitzmaurice, Supervisor Mardi Wormhouidt, and Norton, a Capitola City Council member. Despite their positions at City Hall, Beiers and Fitzmaurice represent the Metro Transit District, the bus system. The commission has scheduled a public hearing on its streamlined list for Aug 5. The commission then could hold more meetings before coming to a final decision. If there has been a shift in the commission's learning, it can be traced to Rotkin's departure from the board a year ago. He was replaced by Gabriel, a Metro Transit District representative, who favors widening. In many jurisdictions, the public and their elected representatives are united in support of freeway construction. In left-leaning Santa Cruz however, opposition has been strong, based largely on the arguments that it would promote unwanted growth and encourage even more people to drive rather than use alternative transportation. Surviving the cut thursday were some $500 million in projects. After widening, the next most expensive projects still on the list are an $80 million upgrade in bus service, $55 million worth of local road rehabilitation and a $33 million plan to extend merge lanes between some off and on-ramps along Highway 1. Also on the list: more bike paths and bike-related facilities costing up to $20 million. A gas tax or sales tax increase could raise enough money to pay for widening or a combination of projects. But commissioners also believe it would be a hard sell because it would need approval from two-third of couty voters in the face of opposition from enviromental groups and slow growth advocates. "There are six people who now voted to spend money on widening, and we still don't have enough money to do that," Wormhoudt said. Beautz, also a county supervisor, offered, "I'm not sure if a tax measure has a whole lot of chane of passing, but I don't think most here want to do just widening and nothing else." Cavallaro, commission chairman, seemed to be gearing up for a tax measure. He said the Santa Cruz Couty Business Council and Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce have agreed to help the commission gain support for a tax. But he also said even if voters say no, some of the traffic measures could be financed. Several commissioners suggested toll lanes would be the best option because the tolls would help pay for the construction.
Article copyright© Santa Cruz Sentinel, July 2 1999 |