Bob Jones Trail expansion is a ‘feel good’ project. There are better ways to use that money

It was recently announced that the Bob Jones Trail will be expanded 4.5 miles from the Octagon Barn on Lower Higuera Street to the trail head on Ontario Road — at a cost of $18.25 million, or $4,055,548 a mile, or $768 per linear foot.

This is a “nice-to-do” project, particularly if you are among the relatively few hikers and recreational cyclists in the area, or the tourists who will use the trail.

But I believe — and I’m not alone on this — that a “nice-to-do” project like this one should be paid for by the ultimate users, not by farmers swerving to avoid the potholes on our rural roads, or commuters forced to wait in long lines of traffic on our highways because we haven’t gotten around to fixing bottlenecks.

I can hear it now. “What’s he complaining about? It’s grant money. It’s free. It didn’t cost the San Luis Obispo taxpayers a cent.”

Actually, it’s not free.

The funding comes from the state’s Active Transportation Program, which is financed by a combination of federal and state funds, including state highway funds and state gas tax (of which Californians pay about the highest in the nation).

I guess if one is completely happy with the condition of our roads in the county, then spending highway money and gas tax for a trail is a worthwhile project.

I’m certainly not happy with our roads.

For instance, we were told that Madonna Road lanes were narrowed to “slow traffic” for safety. In reality, the lanes were narrowed to make wider bicycle lanes.

Thousands of cars and trucks use that road for shopping, to get to work and to deliver goods — but not many bicyclists use it. And most of those cyclists use it for recreational or fitness purposes, not to get to work, despite what we are told by bike enthusiasts.

Before you get out the tar and feathers, I’m not opposed to bicycle riding. I enjoyed it immensely when I was younger. And I agree the trail expansion will be nice, but $18.25 million is a lot of money for the “experience.”

It’s money that could be better spent.

The country and this county have been through a tough year emotionally, physically and financially, and by all indications, funding will continue to be a real problem for the next three or four years.

Businesses are not fully reopened and won’t be for some time. Sadly, many will never reopen.

Unemployment, while improving, is still high.

The homeless problem is still with us, and the county will have to find funds to deal with that.

School enrollment is down. According to The Tribune, school districts lose about $10,000 for each student who leaves local public schools, and if students don’t re-enroll, local districts face losing millions of dollars.

To make matters worse, President Joe Biden is proposing significant tax increases for corporations. As we know, consumers pay corporate taxes because they are passed down in the form of higher costs.

Money will be tight, and that $18.25 million could go a long way toward fixing our roads.

Amenities like these should be paid for by the people who want them.

In this case, during the many years the Bob Jones project was being discussed, most of that money could have been raised through user fees and contributions from hikers, cyclists and local businesses.

If enough people weren’t willing to step forward with the funding, it wasn’t worth it to them and therefore, wasn’t worth having in the first place.

As a final note, when the Pismo Preserve property was being acquired by the Land Conservancy in 2014, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors unanimously authorized $1.5 million of taxpayer money to purchase the property. Several other local government agencies also contributed.

I hope that doesn’t happen again.

The Pismo Preserve acquisition, like the Bob Jones trail, was a “nice-to-do” project, but certainly not a must-do project.

Once again, that money could have been put to better use.

Joseph Rouleau is a retired supervisory special agent with the U.S. Treasury Department and a retired U.S. Naval Reserve captain. Contact him in care of letters@thetribunenews.com.

This story was originally published April 8, 2021 at 12:00 AM.