Editor:

Bravo to Rees Hughes ("Walk on the Wild Side of 101," Jan 19), for returning to the stalled issue, for walking it and writing it, and to NCJ for printing it.
So, there's a safer route that exists for the public not driving gas-powered vehicles along "The Corridor." So, the Railroad Authority and parties involved in making that route accessible to the public are in a rut. How much does the local walking/un-motorized wheeling/horseback riding population want access to this route?

Consider, too, that "one line of rail moves as much freight as eight lanes of freeway." (Richard Register, Ecocities -- Rebuilding Cities in Balance with Nature, 2006). Peak Oil and climate warming upon us, and energy efficient rail makes plenty of sense, too.

Can we make it work with both options-- preserve the rail, while building the trail?

People-made stalls can become people-made solutions.

Stacy Becker, McKinleyville

Editor:

Trail around the bay. What a wonderful use of vacant land. Yes let's do it!!

Marie Kelleher-Roy, Trinidad

Editor:

I enjoyed Rees Hughes' piece on walking the railroad bed between Eureka and Arcata. Some years back, my husband and I were part of an informal work party aimed at clearing the tracks for walkers, and I was struck then by corridor's natural beauty. There is a sense of quiet there, despite the fact that the highway is so close.
How do we mobilize the political will to finally give up on the dream of the railroad returning and to work on converting the bed to a path for bicyclists and walkers?

Michele McKeegan, Eureka