Bike Trail Opposition

Re “Bike Trail Plan Gets Rolling With Meetings,” July 20.

Your story on the proposed 32-mile Santa Paula Branch Line Recreation Trail really got me fuming.

Especially annoying was the quote by one Ed Terry that the trail would be no different than if you built a bike trail through a Procter & Gamble factory floor. I beg to differ. Mr. Terry overlooks the fact that Procter & Gamble plants are private property. While the farmers may like to treat the land as if it were their own, in fact it is public land.

There are numerous precedents for successful “rails to trails” conversions across the U.S., and their successful development is almost always preceded by a “not in my backyard” rallying cry from those whose lands abut these projects. Despite the smoke screens, these individuals are primarily motivated by their desire to preserve the benefits of being adjacent to undeveloped public land.

Those of us who support the responsible development of recreational uses for public land have our own rallying cry: “Deal with it!”

LARRY DUTRA, Westlake Village