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Letters
Train-station meeting missed the locals
Why was a meeting regarding an issue which affects Sunnyvale residents held in Palo Alto? We live in the neighborhood directly behind the Sunnyvale Train Station. I do not recall a notice about any such meeting expected to take place.
After reading the article in The Sun, [" Citizens say more trains should come before the fancy stuff"], I noticed that no one mentioned the noise levels. The people who will be most affected by all the noise which will be generated by more trains are those who live directly behind the existing train station, including the neighborhood kitty-corner to the train station. The noise level will also increase with the rebuilding and expansion of the station.
What additional impact is the new and improved station going to have on the already intruded-upon surrounding neighborhoods? I agree that alternative transportation is necessary. I also agree that it needs to become more available and accessible.
However, our neighborhood already has a high rate of foot and bicycle traffic. Pedestrians and bicyclists use our neighborhood to cut through in order to access California Avenue and Mathilda Avenue, where their jobs are located.
Our neighborhood has to put up with the trash from the foot and bicycle traffic and property damage caused by people passing through the neighborhoods. They kick your landscaping lights down the street, or you find their coffee cups and garbage in your yard. The bicyclists zoom so fast down your street and around the corners that it is a hazard when backing out of your driveway. One moment, no one is there and the next thing you know, a bicyclist has just whizzed behind you, and you cannot figure out where they came from or how you missed hitting them with your car.
When you do have a chance to say something to one of them, they become belligerent and curse at you when scolded about their recklessness.
Before you all go building and expanding, take a moment and explain to my neighbors and I how you plan on improving the quality of our lives with all these great ideas. What are you (Caltrain officials, Sunnyvale City Council and Planning Commission members) planning to do? Have you even considered the impact to the surrounding neighborhoods?
We own our house and so do many of our neighbors. We plan to be here a very long time. The rebuilding plans will affect not only the quality of our lives (peace and quiet, such as it is), additionally what about the value of our properties? More foot traffic in our neighborhood means more trash in our yards and on our streets, and possibly increased vandalism, and vehicle traffic hazards. We require answers and not in some other town council's meeting chambers, but in our own.
Mrs. Saldivar
Sunnyvale
Guys themselves can fix the Valley's 'guy glut'
Regarding the column in The Sun on the guy glut, ["Silicon Valley and trhe Single Guy,," Sept. 1] There are several factors which cause the current glut of men here in the Silicon Valley. There are remedies and they are...
Employers: Hire more women into the, so-called male dominated fields.
Employers: Pay women the same rate of salary as their male counterparts, thus providing a better standard of living for single women and single women with children.
Guys: Get your acts together and get away from in front of the TV where you sit most of the time watching football games. The only women you see around TV screens for Monday night football are the women who are already taken, or the cheerleaders who you cannot even touch.
Guys: Do not drive so fast, you can't see who's in the car next to you. She might have been cute!
Guys: Do not drive so fast that it causes women to run across the street, so as not to be run over by you. She could have been a future soul- mate. (You might scare the life out of her, then there's one less prospect for you.)
Guys: Do not be so arrogant and easy to dismiss women who do not happen to look like the hottest runway model of the year.
In the end, you will meet the right person when it is your time too, most likely when you have decided not to look anymore. Usually that is when it hits you smack in the face. It is up to you to recognize the jewel in the rough.
T. Robles
Sunnyvale
City must take steps to avoid tragedies
I just heard about the tragic hit-and-run death of a Sunnyvale cycliston on Fremont Avenue, which I hope that The Sun will follow closely as the police investigation proceeds.
Ironically, this sad event came on the heels of a discussion with Lt. Ron D'Alba of the Public Safety Department at a Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting on the need for improved safety for cyclists. I want to know about BAC's ongoing efforts to enlist the help of the Sunnyvale City Council, Public Safety, and Traffic Engineering in making the city's streets safer for cyclists.
The most persistent obstacle to improvement is motorists' general lack of awareness on how to safely share the roadway with cyclists. I think your paper could perform a valuable public service by providing information that may lessen the likelihood of it being repeated. It could also encourage more cyclists to get involved instead of feeling like helpless victims when they read about incidents such as this.
Kevin Jackson
Sunnyvale
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
