Send this story Print this story

Adjust text size

Letter: Almanac's cover on high-speed rail upsetting

The cover of the March 31 Almanac is most disturbing for the abrogation of every safety law and occupation in the railroad industry.

Caltrain subscribes to California Operation Lifesaver, which promotes rail safety. Showing three men virtually on the Caltrain tracks is contrary to those values and only encourages trespassers to occupy the area where trains operate at up to 70 miles per hour. There have been examples nationwide of teenagers and young adults walking in the track gauge with iPods or similar devices that could make it impossible for them to hear an approaching train.

I began my railroad career in 1942 while a student at Berkeley and am currently a member of the Caltrain and Samtrans boards of directors. In addition, I am a proponent of high-speed rail. Our country is way behind the rest of the world. Just look at China and their massive high-speed rail projects and the fact that Japan started in the 1960s and France in the 1970s. We are a third world nation in the high-speed rail category.

Arthur L. Lloyd

Arapahoe Court, Portola Valley

Posted by R.GORDON, a resident of another community, on Apr 17, 2010 at 3:49 pm
R.GORDON is a member (registered user) of Almanac Online

Congratulations Mr. Lloyd, and bravo for asserting the truth to all of the people with a foot in the past, and the other in stuck in a disintegrating America.

Pride in a tiny little community or part of California which they consider above and beyond reproach, is why this country stopped functioning after 9/11.

People are woosies. Those who litigate and yell are those who survived the banking crisis and now want to halt the only thing that will probably feed a half million jobless people and give the United States and California a chance to recoup some of the shame of having been conquered by complacency, fear, lack of perception and plain old stubborness. Menlo Park does NOT speak for America.