Letters

Motorcycle article was irresponsible

We don't live in the city proper but we work, shop, go to school and support Saratoga in every way. As Saratogans we were appalled at the way the Saratoga News glorified a group of people who have created a major problem in our community, namely, motorcycle racing on Highway 9. The article, which was published in the Sept. 22 issue, was called "Curves Ahead."

In the past 30 years, the Skyline and Highway 9 area has been transformed from one of the most pristine and tranquil drives in California into a virtual nightmare.

In the last 10 years, we have had nine motorcycle wrecks right in our own driveway, two of them fatal. We and our children are in grave danger every time we enter or exit our driveway, and even when we go to check our mailbox. Those who use the road every day have all been intimidated and have had close encounters with racers.

We have learned that it is extremely dangerous to drive out there, particularly on Saturdays and Sundays. The newspaper, on the other hand, has billed it as "a playground for hardcore motorcycle enthusiasts," and glorified them in a careless and childish article.

In reality, these men and women who the newspaper lightly referred to as "sports bikers" are criminals!

In California, driving in excess of 100 mph (in this case, 55 mph over the posted speed limit), is by law reckless driving and requires mandatory jail time and loss of license. Why isn't this addressed in the article?

These individuals continue to terrorize our neighborhood and endanger our children and families while telling the reporter that they are somehow doing this safely?

Driving in excess of 100 mph is not safe on two-lane public roads loaded with wildlife, bicycles, tourists, joggers, hikers, commuters and residents!

For anyone with an ounce of common sense to say that this activity is just harmless fun, and to compare it to bungee jumping and sky diving, is ludicrous. How can they rationalize this behavior by saying that they won't hurt anyone but themselves while driving a 500-pound missile over 100 mph on a two-lane road with the above-mentioned travelers?

They share a gang mentality that allows them to do anything they please without regard for the law nor the safety and well-being of others. As your article states, " they take over the lots and completely dominate the place." They demonstrate that they are above the law and yet the article glorifies them as impressive and just fun-loving guys. They have taken our street and turned it into their own personal Laguna Seca and then have the nerve to report to you that we are out to get them.

With all due respect to Ron Ringsrud, a local resident quoted in the article: Ron, I wonder what your reaction would be if you were in our situation. What if they were endangering your family by going over 100 mph on the street that adjoins your driveway?

I cordially invite you to visit and experience this for yourself. You may be enlightened, but if you still feel it's an important dimension to your "scene" then please feel free to keep it "in your own backyard."

We moved here 30 years ago with hopes of getting away from the noise and the traffic. Now when we want to work in the garden or sit on our deck and enjoy nature and the serenity of our mountain home, we're forced to listen to 10 to 15 unmuffled 80 hp engines at a time, revving over 10,000 RPMs and backfiring so loudly that we can't even hear one another talk.

This occurs all day and into the evenings, every Saturday and Sunday! Add to this the havoc and noise of traffic jams, road closures, sirens, helicopters and loudspeakers. Consider also the impact on others involved in these accidents and of course, the carnage. Both my children witnessed fatal motorcycle accidents before they were 10 years old.

I believe Steve Enders' article is the most irresponsible I've ever read. He has insulted the firefighters, rescuers and particularly the Santa Cruz office of the CHP. They understand this issue as a serious problem and are working diligently to try to restore safe roads and save lives. Enders reports that the riders are aware of the presence of the CHP and brag about being able to avoid them. The article makes a mockery of their efforts.

In addition to writing this letter, expressing my view, I intend to distribute the article to more of the people that are impacted by it. I hope to encourage those who are intimidated to write to your paper and contact the CHP with their support.

Highway 9 is not a racetrack! It is a state highway. It is a lifeline connecting many coast-side communities with Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. It is a road through Castle Rock State Park and leads to Big Basin Redwoods State Park. It is a residential road with many adjoining driveways. It was, and hopefully some day will again be, a beautiful, quiet and safe place to visit, travel through and live in. The so-called "religious users of the road" are right. We are out to get them. We want to get them to slow down or get them locked up before more deaths occur.

Responsible riders please ignore this letter and enjoy the mountains safely. We appreciate your help, concern and support.

The Arneson, Willats, Bell, Terrell, Donaldson and Johnson families
Highway 9

School district should answer these questions

Do you think it might be time to ask the Saratoga Union School district some of the following questions about the Measure D school modernization project? Are the projects at the various campuses behind schedule?

And is the Argonaut School behind schedule because week after week the plans submitted to the site committee for review have had to be sent back to the drawing board because of errors such as the wrong number of classrooms, or for lack of feasibility such as buildings located on oak or redwood trees, both recognized as "endangered species" in Saratoga?

Is the plan continually sent back for being too costly, such as a building suspended in midair off the edge of a six-foot change in elevation which would have required massive filling and grading, or the design required something that had not been taken into account such as the need for an extensive network of retaining walls because there was not enough lateral space to accommodate an elevation change without it, or due to some other characteristic of the site that was readily apparent to the naked eye?

Is it true that the Chateau Drive neighbors have routinely had to point out these problems to the site committee based upon their own visual inspection of the site and that they have reported them to the SUSD superintendent?

Is it good practice to put pencil to paper before a visual inspection of a site has been performed?

Would it not be proper to ask the following question of a homeowner planning an addition? If you were submitted plan after plan that had to be sent back to the drawing board because it did not have the correct number of rooms or it was incompatible with the physical characteristics of your property that were readily apparent to the naked eye, how long would you tolerate this? How far off could I be if I just took a wild guess?

Wes Ferguson
Chateau Drive

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