‘I won’t go there at night.’ Cal Poly students seek to make SLO’s ‘rape tunnel’ safer
Cal Poly students are concerned about safety at a dark, “dangerous” tunnel near campus nicknamed “the rape tunnel” — and they want to do something about it.
But they might be facing a bureaucratic battle to add reflective tape and a stable, removable, bridge over Stenner Creek at the tunnel, which is located at the back end of the Cedar Creek Village apartment complex off Stenner Street in San Luis Obispo.
The tunnel, owned by Union Pacific and located directly under railroad tracks, offers access to the intersection of California and Foothill boulevards.
Although technically off limits to pedestrians, it’s a convenient pedestrian access point from the neighborhood adjacent to Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center, where thousands of students live off campus, project organizers say.
However, the tunnel tends to be dark. A small flow of water currently funnels through it — though in rainy times, the amount increases.
Representatives from Cal Poly Democrats and the Cal Poly chapter of fraternity Alpha Gamma Rho are in the early stages of collaborating on an effort to try to gain permitting to install safety measures in the tunnel.
“We’d like to make it easier to traverse,” said Tanner Hedrick of Alpha Gamma Rho. “We’d like to add reflective tape to the sides to illuminate more of the tunnel. And currently there are wooden planks that get washed out with rain. We’d like to add something more stable and safe, maybe wood with metal, that wouldn’t have to be permanent but it would add better footing when it’s placed there.”
Students seek safety in tunnel near Cal Poly
No sexual assaults or other crimes are known to have taken place at the so-called “rape tunnel,” but it still invokes fear in some.
“I pass through pretty often, and I’ll go there during the day or early evening, but I won’t go there at night, when it’s dark,” said Taylor Sanders, a fourth-year Cal Poly student studying civil engineering. “I think some maintenance is needed.”
The organizers have a budget of $300 to $500, available through the Associated Students, Inc., student government, Hedrick said.
But they’ll be faced with trying to work through permitting hurdles on a property that’s not open to the public.
“The structure in question is a culvert designed to allow for the free flow of water beneath the railroad tracks,” Union Pacific’s spokesman Tim McMahan said. “This area is private property owned by Union Pacific, and is marked with ‘No Trespassing’ signs. This culvert should not be used as a pedestrian tunnel. Doing so is both dangerous and trespassing.”
Matt Horn, San Luis Obispo deputy director of public works, said the city and Cal Poly officials plan to meet with the students in early December to explain the issues involved with the work they’re proposing.
Horn said that the students also would face permitting requirements from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Regional Water Quality Control Board because they’re talking about installing structures over water.
“Any time there’s construction over a waterway, there are a slew of regulatory permits needed,” Horn said. “Additionally, if Union Pacific were to allow pedestrian access, then they’re saying they’d allow public access where there’s a waterway. What happens when it’s raining really hard and someone makes the choice to use it?”
SLO officials want safer access above ground
San Luis Obispo city manager Derek Johnson wrote in an email that the city has tried to work around the issue by placing walkways at street level along California Boulevard, as well as wrought iron fencing.
“However,” Johnson wrote, “with the mass number of students that pass back and forth from their residences to campus this remains a daunting task.”
“Over the last couple of years we have had students hit by trains (walking over the tracks and wearing earbuds) and this activity is likely a greater concern than what the tunnel has produced,” Johnson wrote. “The city is currently working with Union Pacific on upgrading the at-grade crossing at Foothill and California to add safety measures for pedestrians and bikes — and this crossing should be used — as informal and unauthorized crossings throughout California provide great risk to the general public.”
Ian Levy, of the Cal Poly Democrats, said the student coordinators are looking into the best ways to tackle the issue, but it’s too early to say the path they’d take.
“For the time being, we’re working hard getting started, and are doing research on the best ways to move forward to create a safer environment for all,” Levy said.
This story was originally published December 2, 2019 at 5:10 AM.
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