Menlo Park City Council Members,
Our family has lived in Menlo Park for the past 18 years. As I sit typing
you this letter, from the desk in my home office, I am just 15 yards from the
Dumbarton railway line. In other words, I care deeply about the proposed
Dumbarton commuter train and appreciate the opportunity to briefly share a few of
my concerns with you.
I am a supporter of mass transit when it is properly conceived and
efficiently administered. One of our primary concerns with this proposed commuter rail
is that we have NEVER seen any substantial ridership demand documented in the
numerous studies conducted over the years we have lived in Menlo Park. The
cost and impact of this project is enormous, yet we still don’t have reliable
studies that indicate more than a handful of people will benefit by the new
commuter line and proposed service. To many of us, it looks as though those who
are “pushing” this project are perfectly content to ignore the realities of a
true cost benefit analysis.
Currently our home shakes and vibrates when a train passes. We are extremely
concerned about the impact and safety issues associated with increased
weight, speed, and usage. We enjoy using our backyard, and don’t look forward to
the loss of privacy we will soon experience as commuters peer over our fence
from train windows and join us as we garden, play, entertain and dine outside.
We urge you to take all possible action to insist upon proper noise, impact
and visual mitigation so that those of us who live by the train are also
considered and protected as we spend these enormous amounts of taxpayer dollars to
serve a handful of commuters coming from the East Bay communities.
In closing I also ask your help in setting up regulations which prohibit
freight trains from using the new railway. Those pushing this project have
received tax payer support because this project was bundled with other mass transit
projects. As a taxpayer and Menlo Park resident, it might lead me to question
the ethics and integrity of those overseeing our mass transit operations if
they now decide this project needs additional income from freight trains in
order to financially support the project.
Thanks for considering these concerns as you work to make Menlo Park a better
community for all of us.
Cindy Marty
151 Hedge Road
Menlo Park, CA 94025

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Received on Tue May 22 11:40:14 2007