The Sunnyvale Sun

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Deadly path? Locals don't want to take the long way

City, Caltrain looking for options to convenient hole in the fence

By JASON GOLDMAN-HALL

More than 100 anxious Sunnyvale residents turned out at the Sunnyvale Community Center on April 20 to discuss the need for a new access point to the Sunnyvale Caltrain station from their neighborhood to the north.

For years, area residents--especially those living on and around Hendy Street--have used a hole in a fence to get to the train station from the north side of the tracks. The hole also served as a shortcut to the downtown area.

The fence is not a legal access point. Using the hole as a quick access point is a hazard, officials say, because of trains roaring through. Off and on over the years, Caltrain has fixed the fence, forcing residents to find other, less direct routes to the station and downtown.

Sunnyvale transportation and traffic manager Jack Witthaus said the city and Caltrain are ready to create a permanent access point, compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act rules, inviting community input on what it should look like and include.

Until the council and Caltrain take formal action on the hole, Caltrain chief operating officer Chuck Harvey said the opening must stay closed. In response to the threatened ADA lawsuit, Harvey said he cannot legally reopen the hole until the matter is formally resolved.

Without the hole, residents have to walk a block to Sunnyvale Avenue and cross at the intersection or walk a block to the Mathilda Overcrossing and cross over the top.

Some believe the overcrossing is dangerous because the walkway on top is about five feet wide with no railing separating pedestrians and oncoming traffic. The walkway is also elevated. If someone slipped, he or she could fall into traffic. "It's actually less safe to go around," said Fred Wiesinger, former bicycle and pedestrian advisory committee member. Taafe Street resident Megan Dyer and others say easy access to the station and downtown was one reason they moved to the area.

Not all residents like the access point, though. Gerry and Melinda Cook said the closed fence has meant their neighborhood is cleaner, quieter and safer, and, because people no longer park in front of their house to use the access point, finding parking has been easier.

"I think the adverse effects (of keeping the hole open) far outweigh any benefits," Gerry Cook said.

All the information gathered at the meeting will be given to the city council. The council will make a formal request to Caltrain and the VTA about what it wants done with the access point. Assistant city manager Robert Walker said that could happen sometime in June.

For information on upcoming city council meetings, visit sunnyvale.ca.gov/City+Council/Council+Meetings/.

For more on the neighborhood efforts regarding the fence, visit www.hendyaccess.info.