A citywide trails system is good for the community. We urge city
leaders to continue to work to make Morgan Hill a
pedestrian-friendly and bike-friendly community
Quite frankly, we’re stunned by the opposition of some Jackson Oaks residents to plans to include a wonderful amenity – hiking trails – near their neighborhood. Instead of welcoming the trails, envisioned to be a part of a citywide system of pedestrian and bike trails, they’re raising bogeyman-like fears.
One resident quote in reporter Tony Burchyn’s recent story said that “there could conceivably be some danger” as a result of the trails.
There’s some danger in breathing, in living. Let’s put aside hysteria and look at this proposal calmly and reasonably.
First, the trails are proposed for public land. While the concerns of the Jackson Oaks residents are one factor, they are not the only factor to be considered. The needs of the entire community must be considered when evaluating this proposal.
A citywide system of trails is good for the community, and we urge city leaders to continue to work to make Morgan Hill a pedestrian-friendly and bike-friendly community where residents can access publicly owned open spaces.
Second, the concerns of some Jackson Oaks residents about privacy are simply beside the point. Like anyone, their right to privacy ends at their property lines. They have no right to control land they do not own to ensure that their back yards aren’t viewed by “strangers.”
Third, we suspect the trails will improve safety in the Jackson Oaks neighborhood. By creating a safe place to walk, residents who want to ride a bike or walk the dog won’t be forced, due to the lack of sidewalks in Jackson Oaks, to walk or ride in the road. The presence of people on the trail, furthermore, will likely reduce the frequency of criminal acts, not increase it.
Finally, of course the city must address traffic access and fire safety issues, as it must with any project. Sufficient ingress and egress, parking, and fire prevention practices must be in place. But these issues are eminently addressable.
The trails proposed for Jackson Oaks are not the first public trails to be constructed in the state, the region, the county, or even in South County. Let’s study how these issues have been addressed at other public trails and adapt the methods that work best for the Jackson Oaks trails.
But above all, as Morgan Hill engineer David Gittleson said let’s “provide safe walking routes, get people out of their cars and promote healthy living.”
The citywide trails system, including trails through public open space near Jackson Oaks, is an important part of providing that for all Morgan Hill residents.
