Published Wednesday, August 13, 2008, by the Menlo Park Almanac
Editorial
Can cities stop a juggernaut?
It was a no-brainer for the Menlo Park and Atherton city councils to
join a cost-free lawsuit challenging the route chosen for the high-
speed rail project that will be on this November's state ballot.
What local resident wants the impact of 220-mph-trains in his or
her backyard? [BATN notes: the HSRA has never proposed trains
anywhere near those speeds on the Peninsula.]
The two cities have made no secret of their strong opposition to the
project, which would require grade separations that would rip up
Menlo Park's downtown and create gigantic intrusions into several
Atherton neighborhoods. Menlo Park council member Kelly Fergusson
backed taking a strong stance for the city's interests, saying the
city has seen no indications that the high-speed rail authority has
even considered the concerns of Peninsula communities. "We've been
shown no respect," she said.
But whether either community or the ad hoc group formed by Menlo Park
residents can stop approval of the $9.95 billion bond issue is open
to question, given that recent polling test suggests the bond measure
will pass. Opponents say that result was a fluke, but given the
smooth green sales pitch for high-speed rail, which is playing
especially well among young Californians, we wonder if this
juggernaut can be stopped.
Joining the lawsuit by a group of nonprofits may not cost anything
for Menlo Park and Atherton, but it also won't remove the measure
from the November ballot. If successful, the suit's only impact would
be to force the state to conduct more extensive environmental studies
if voters approve the project on Nov. 4. Such studies could be a
nuisance, but if high-speed rail is approved statewide, we doubt
that additional environmental studies would knock it off the rails.
Even more problematic is the thinking in some Peninsula communities
that an Altamont Pass route, as advocated by the lawsuit, would
alleviate any impact from the high-speed trains. Possibly, but most
maps show that either route would provide San Jose-to-San Francisco
service, which would create the same impact as trains coming over
Pacheco Pass through Gilroy and San Jose. [BATN notes the Altamont
route would split near Fremont with branches to San Jose and San
Francisco. The SF branch would follow the Dumbarton Bridge rail
corridor skirting eastern Menlo Park and bypassing Atherton
to join the Caltrain line in Redwood City.]
There is no doubt that conversion of Caltrain's Peninsula rail
corridor to carry high-speed trains would create a tremendous
disruption of downtown and residential areas in Menlo Park and
Atherton, as well as many other cities up and down the line. The
grade separations required at Ravenswood, Oak Grove, Glenwood and
Encinal avenues in Menlo Park and, Watkins Avenue and Fair Oaks
Lane in Atherton would cut huge gashes in these areas.
Unfortunately, unless voters learn more about this costly project
and act responsibly in a year when the state is facing huge deficits,
the $9.95 billion start for the project could win acceptance based on
the popular green sales pitch that electric trains could lower the
state's carbon footprint. These are powerful arguments when airlines
are sinking under tremendous increases in fuel costs, and prices at
the gas pump exceed $4 a gallon.
Last week it appeared that legislation to update the high-speed rail
measure on the ballot was headed for the governor's desk, but it was
unclear if he would sign it, given his pledge not to sign any bills
until the Legislature passed a budget. Proponents of the rail plan
said Gov. Schwarzenegger would come through, since his own staff
helped with the revision of the old bond measure, which was written
in 2002.
But regardless of whether the rail bond measure is updated, it now
appears that opponents are fighting an uphill battle against a well-
financed group of high-speed rail advocates, who see thousands of
construction jobs, millions of dollars worth of increased business
and a lower carbon footprint from the project. Such a supportive
coalition could run over Menlo Park and Atherton opponents without
even blinking.
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