Opinion/Letters: Rip up Falmouth Secondary rail line to make way for Bourne rail trail
The town of Bourne has an opportunity to receive $20 million in federal funding through the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority for the construction of a rail-to-trailmulti-use path connecting the Shining Sea Bikeway with the Cape Cod Canal Pathway. The result would, in fact, be a “sea to shining sea” path. Funding is contingent on the removal of the existing Falmouth Secondary rail line.
A bike/pedestrian/multi-use path is a commitment to the future of Cape Cod. It will both attract and keep younger people and their families here on the Cape. It will also provide a transportation alternative for commuters. The Falmouth Secondary is currently used only by a private, for-profit company that leases the track from its operator, Mass Coastal Railroad. Recent track maintenance has been subsidized by the commonwealth.
The challenge of trash removal, including construction debris, is real, but hauling it away and out of sight is no answer. We need to deal with it more intelligently, reduce it as we can, and then, if we still need to move goods or trash onto or off of Cape Cod by rail, it should be by a new, energy-efficient, multi-use or multi-purpose railway on the east side of the highway, away from village centers, and coordinated with the new bridges.
A completed pathway connecting village centers would provide an environmentally sound future for Cape Cod. This is a gift for tomorrow.
Kathleen Regan, Pocasset
Student loan lenders were bailed out in 2008, now it's time to help student debt holders
In 2008 Congress voted for $700 billion of taxpayer dollars seeking relief under TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) to stabilize the financial institutions and help them recover from a problem brought on by greed and lack of oversight.
In 2023 we see a repeat of 2008 with a few banks collapsing! Deregulation! Oversight!
In 2008 Congress bailed out student loan lenders for over $100 billion.
In 2023 it’s time to scrutinize and restructure the financial institutions involved in student loans. Students deserve the same opportunities as the financial giants!
Nancy Garofalo, Sandwich
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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Opinion: Bourne rail trail will connect Falmouth and Sandwich bikeways
