The Case for a Broadway-Brommer Path
The Director and the 10-Year Plan Committee of People Power have come out in favor of the latest plan for a path through Arana Gulch. Arana Gulch is the city-owned greenbelt property which, at its southern end, consists of two north-south running gulches, with a plateau between. The scaled-down version of a previous plan calls for one bridge (instead of two that were initially proposed) and retains a paved path across the central meadow. As there are thoughtful and articulate people against the plan, we want to share the reasoning behind our support.
The Plan
The proposed connection would start with a single span bridge from the Bible Church parking lot at the end of Broadway, across Hagemann Gulch. This would get cyclists and other park visitors onto the central plateau. Construction would leave most of the riparian zone below intact, however, several trees, including one sizeable oak, would be cut down. A paved path would go from the Hagemann Gulch for several hundred feet, then join an existing path (also to be paved) that runs north to Agnes Street and south into the upper dry dock parking lot.
The Benefits
The reason this bridge and path are so important is that many would-be cyclists are intimidated when it comes to riding beyond the harbor. It is well known that ridership falls dramatically past Frederick Street. Bike lanes on Soquel are not going to do it for these cautious cyclists. Data from Bike to Work as well as bike counts on other separated path facilities suggest that hundreds of NEW cyclists would ride given a Broadway-Brommer connection. Increasing bike ridership is the impetus for the path, not the creation of a luxury for those of us who already ride. These new cyclists are crucial for changing societal norms around transportation choices. Once they get used to riding several times a week on better routes, they will gradually do more trips by bicycle. These new riders will then have a stake in seeing better conditions for cyclists in Live Oak. This pattern has been evident on the west side of Santa Cruz over the last few decades. The major obstacle to the spread of bicycle culture from Santa Cruz to Live Oak is the scary and unpleasant roads between them, thus, a simple bike path can be a medium for lessening human-induced environmental destruction.
Another impact of the bridge and path is that they will open up this beautiful greenbelt space to the people of Santa Cruz who paid for its acquisition. Unless you own property adjacent it, the park is difficult to access. This is something that the neighbors of the park are very much attached to, as it essentially creates a private preserve for them. This is contrary to part of the City Parks and Recreation Department's mandate, which is to provide access for recreational opportunities for all residents. It is well known that creating positive ways for people to interact with nature creates a stronger feeling of connection and respect. Building this sense of connection with the natural world is one way to begin to change human culture that is the root cause of environmental damage.
The Damage
In addition to the tree removal already mentioned, paving a path across the plateau would have a small negative impact on the habitat of the endangered Santa Cruz tarplant. Threatened by the impact of non-native grasses, the tarplant has continued to survive in a few specific locations including Arana Gulch. If the path were built, it could disturb 1.5-2.5% of potential tarplant habitat at Arana Gulch. Until the late 1980's, cattle that grazed on the plateau controlled unchecked growth of non-native grasses and spread the sticky tarplant seeds. For the tarplant to survive in this location, grazing and/or specific mitigation measures (i.e. fire, mowing, or scraping) must be implemented. People Power supports these measures, even if they have an impact on bicycle traffic. The future of the tarplant in this location clearly rests on the success or failure of the city to implement such measures, not on whether or not a bike path is built.
Bicyclists and the Environment
Most bicyclists care deeply about our environment. To frame this debate as environmentalists vs. bicyclists is to dismiss the larger issues of destructive human culture. It also misses the reasoning behind choices bicyclists make on a daily basis. While it behooves us all to think carefully before we support any new asphalt, we believe that, in this particular case, the benefits to the environment outweigh the disadvantages. Nonetheless, as on any issue, we urge our members to draw their own conclusions after doing as much research as they can. View the Arana Gulch Master Plan and EIR on the web. We also have copies of both documents at our office.