Hi everyone — I’m Patrice Boyle, owner of La Posta and the person who started this petition.
Today is a sad day for Santa Cruz. We’ve heard today, that despite the urgent pleas from businesses and residents, the City and the RTC — which owns the rail corridor — have declined to move forward with temporary pedestrian and bicycle access on the Murray Street rail bridge.
In practice, they have yielded to the rail operators — Progressive Rail (an out-of-state company) and Roaring Camp (a beloved but, in this case, misguided local business). We are especially puzzled by the RTC’s reluctance to use its authority.
Progressive Rail holds the freight agreement, and Roaring Camp runs the small freight operation in Watsonville, but the RTC owns the corridor and has far more power and resources than either of them. Yet the RTC has stepped back, refusing to assert the authority it clearly holds.
We don’t know exactly what the next steps will bring, but we do know this: your voices have already changed the conversation. Please keep speaking up.
If you can, send polite, direct emails today:
- City of Santa Cruz (Mayor & Council)
- Santa Cruz County RTC (Commissioners & Executive Director)
- Roaring Camp / Progressive Rail
- All of the above
Tell them why reopening this crossing is urgent, how the closure is harming our community, and that you support a simple, temporary solution on the rail bridge during construction.
Thank you for standing with Seabright and Harbor-area businesses. We’re not giving up.
With gratitude,
Patrice Boyle
Owner, La Posta
Organizer, Murray Street Rail Bridge Petition
https://change.org/open-the-rail-bridge