Posted by

Let’s Get Connected: Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail, Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties

Para obtener información en español, desplácese hacia abajo.

For the latest information about the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail Network:

https://twitter.com/BikeMonterey/status/1556842975056896000?s=20&t=oq6c79HFdQqS_zvjeI9Pvw

For some 2011 photo history,

community input on the

Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail network

scroll down to

Let’s Get Connected: 

Watsonville Workshop on Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail

* * * * *

This post was first published 16 December 2011, with some subsequent updates.

* * * * *

Bike Friendly Watsonville and bike-friendly spots in North Monterey County are happy about the ways our counties are becoming better connected! Learn about this progress below.

* * * * *

Update from the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission: On 10/15/14, the Watsonville City Council adopted the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail Network Master Plan. Local jurisdictions’ adoption of the plan and assistance in implementation is critical to expedited construction. Gracias, Watsonville Council!

* * * * *

A long stretch of the Santa Cruz County section of the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail Network will be off-street / Class I; that’s the portion along the rail right-of-way. This off-street portion in Santa Cruz County will span 30.3 miles.

There are 3.1 additional Class I miles too, as well as 10.6 miles of on-road (Class II or III) facilities to ensure system connectivity, and 4.8 miles of natural surface paths.

In summary, here are the numbers:

  • Coastal RAIL TRAIL (Class I) = 30. 3
  • Other Class I = 3.1
  • On-road (Class II or III) = 10.6
  • Natural Surface = 4.8
  • The balance of the 48.7 miles is bridges/crossings.

Thanks to Cory Caletti, senior transportation planner at the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, for sharing the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail Network master plan adopted 11/7/13 and revised 2/6/14. http://sccrtc.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/cover+TOC+executive+summary.pdf – It provides a great breakdown about the makeup of this network. Here’s an especially relevant page: Pages from summary of miles

Questions about the SCCRTC summary? Contact:

Cory Caletti, Senior Transportation Planner

Regional Transportation Commission

831.460.3201

* * * * *

Whoot! 12/5/13 update: “Sanctuary Scenic Trail off and rolling” in Santa Cruz County. Story by Jason Hoppin in the Sentinel. (Thanks for helping us to stay posted, Tom Cassera.)

* * * * *

Update on Watsonville: 6/21/13 Register-Pajaronian, “City [Watsonville] has potential to be the next Bike City USA,” by Roseann Hernandez.

Go for Health – Bike and Pedestrian Forum in Watsonville  1-24-13 Watsonville Bike and Pedestrian Forum Flyer

10/26/12: Santa Cruz County Workshops on Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail Network

* * * * *

Click here for a slide presentation about the Santa Cruz County portion of the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail network.

Info below previously published Nov 2011, last updated 2/21/12.

Let’s Get Connected: 

Watsonville Workshop on Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail

Youth and elders alike turned out for the first Watsonville public workshop on the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail Network.  This was the third meeting in the first series (“Route identification”) of Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) workshops about the Trail Network, as announced on this site.

The workshops–including Watsonville’s on 12/15/11–provide an opportunity for the public to hear about the trail from planners, including Cory Caletti, Senior Transportation Planner/Bicycle Coordinator for the RTC, and to give input.  Two additional series (“Route confirmation” and “Final review”)  will take place in Santa Cruz County in 2012.

Two-county bicycle and pedestrian pathway project

The Transportation Agency of Monterey County (TAMC) is responsible for the Monterey County projects, and the Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) is responsible for Santa Cruz County projects.

Monterey County has completed its planning and is in the construction stage, as celebrated August 31, 2011.  See Santa Cruz cyclists who bike to Monterey County now, and imagine how wonderful it will be when we can bike back and forth to (and around in) one another’s counties on a vastly superior trail network!

All photos in this post are from the December 15, 2011 Watsonville workshop that I attended (sans camera).
All photos in this post were provided courtesy of SCCRTC intern Ariana Green. Thank you, Ariana.
Teen advocates for physical activity

Among those in the intergenerational audience at the Watsonville workshop were more than a dozen teens from Jóvenes SANOS.  (The FB link on the United Way page wasn’t working 12/16. You can indeed like them on Facebook, and you’ll like them even more in real life!) 

One of the goals of  Jóvenes SANOS is to advocate for and implement policies that promote physical activity among youth in Watsonville.

Jóvenes SANOS teens present at the meeting reside in both South Santa Cruz County and North Monterey County. Among others attending from Monterey County were Megan Jones, Senior Planner from Rincon Consultants; and representing the Monterey County bike community’s support, Mari Lynch.

What will it be like?

As planners at the meeting explained, this is a braided system of recognized trail designations, including the Pacific Coast Bike Route—recently modified, the California Coastal Trail, the Sanctuary Scenic Trail, and the Rail Trail Corridor.  It will not be strictly Class I multi-use trail but a network that will include on-street (bike lanes/Class II), unpaved trails, paved multi-use trails (Class I), and rail trails.  And as this 12/16 Santa Cruz Sentinel story shows, it is not always an easy process!  (Santa Cruz County Friends of the Rail Trail (santacruztrail.org) posts related news.)

Support from elected officials

Santa Cruz County District 2 Supervisor Ellen Pirie attended the workshop.  Special thanks to Congressman Sam Farr, whose efforts are credited with securing $4.5 million in federal funding for Santa Cruz County and another $4.5 million for Monterey County for this Trail Network project, which he has long championed.

When will construction begin in Santa Cruz County?

The RTC’s estimated timeline of activities shows a goal of early 2013 for completion of the planning process and adoption of the plan.  Detailed design would take one to two years per segment, and start date for the construction phase is yet to be determined.

Learn more about the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail Network

Watch videos from the SCCRTC. A September 7, 2011 video is also available on their channel. 

Santa Cruz RTC provides Spanish translation at meetings

From the RTC: 

SERVICIOS DE TRADUCCIÓN/ TRANSLATION SERVICES

https://sccrtc.org/espanol/ “Si gusta estar presente o participar en esta junta de la Comisión Regional de Transporte del  ondado de Santa Cruz y necesita información o servicios de traducción al español por favor llame por lo menos con tres días laborables de anticipo al (831) 460-3200 para hacer los  rreglos necesarios.”

“Spanish language translation is available on an as needed basis. Please make advance arrangements (at least three days in advance) by calling (831) 460-3200.”

Learn more about the RTC:  en español

Watch a 12/9/11 video about the  roles and functions of the Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission. https://sccrtc.org/espanol/

And for links to more Spanish-language bicycling resources, see this site’s en español  webpage from the Resources/Los Recuros section.

* * * * *

This post was first published 16 December 2011, with some subsequent updates. It was republished 8 August 2022 with updated contact links for TAMC (whose site redesign had resulted in broken links).

This post was published on 8 August 2022.

Leave a Reply