Long time Mtn View residents should be the only ones allowed to use the trail.

The value of the Stevens Creek Trail is that it is a continuous trail. You don't have to worry about cars pulling out of driveways or running you down from behind. You don't have to worry about getting lost at poorly marked or poorly lit intersections. Sunnyvale, Los Altos, and Cupterino need to do whatever it takes to build the same type of trail in their cities. Making the trail more dangerous will ruin the experience and prevent many families from using the trail.

Gas prices are never going back to $3. Highways are getting more and more expensive to build and maintain. Bicycling is a much cheaper alternative for cities and citizens, if safe and convenient bicycle routes can be built. Do the right thing now. You may never get another chance.

Mr DePortum, why do you feel that only long-time MV residents should be allowed to use the trail?

Trails = great place for homeless encampments

Trails = great place to get robbed

The CREEK is what attracts the homeless. The TRAIL chases them away...up stream has been the trend.

I've been tracking a few of these spots since the Sleeper Ave connection, and invariably when the trail moves in, the homeless move out, or at least to a new area of the creek where the trail does not run right by. Take the trail away and you'll see real encampments like on the trail-less sections of the Guadalupe River in SJ.

I rarely use the Stevens Creek Trail, but I'm glad it's there and hope a way can be found to run it all the way from the Bay to the mountains, preferable along the creek but, if and where necessary, on city streets.

I am very grateful to the city of Mountain View for the millions of dollars they have sunk into the trail, in good times and bad.

I feel that long time MV residents pay the taxes that funded the trail and they are better citizens and should be protected from outsider scum, in reply to Greg.

We have two extremes here with the typical professional camps to make things interesting.

The new yuppies on bikes will demand a 25+ or NO speed limit on the SCT. The other extreme is the OLDER SET that want to fish. They would prefer that ( along with others that use the trail ) that no more than 10~15 MPH is the proper compromise. Note that I said COMPROMISE. People would rather have these cyclists turn into PEDESTRIANS who don't use a trail as their exclusive FREEWAY to get to work!

Up in Evergreen,CO REAL compromise is an unspoken agreement the cyclists with bikes worth more thin their car stay clear of the trail around Evergreen Lake. Many fishermen sit ON the trail and the other SLOWER users of the trail work together and make the Lake Trail a fun place to be. You want your adrenaline fix? Take it to the other trails, some of which have some very strict rules because of the 'tude of these Spandex freaks and the damage they do at an environmental and behavioral level. The regular taxpayer has to pay these bills. Unless you shove your walking stick thru the spokes, you will not be able to identify who has done the damage when that bicycle speed freak runs you down.

I think it's best that the " bicyclist commuter lifestyle " compromise with the lower speed limit. SCT was NOT created for arrogant commuter cyclists any more than our modern Interstate ( some areas excluded ) for cyclists and their ilk.

I'm not going on about the professional homeless camps.

Oh punisher, you are so absolutely adorable when you get all riled up about people on bikes. See you on the trails, 5 days a week. Happy Thanksgiving!

It is great that we have made so much progress on The Stevens Creek trail. It is a shame that we are turning our backs and short stopping the Permanente Creek Trail Project and allowing it to be lost for generations to come. Mountain View is in the process of approving new construction blocking the reclaiming of Permanente Creek where it has been interred in a Mountain View culvert as it crosses El Camino near Mariposa. If one traces this creek trail that goes from Middle field to the bay, with a little forward thinking it could easily be extended from El Camino, past Castro School, behind the Mountain View Teen Center (old Rock Creek Church, behind the Day workers center, all easily connected with the Hetch Hetchy right of way trail network just north of Central Express Way.

The people planning this trail should consult with the group who put together the Los Gatos Creek trail in San Jose/Los Gatos.

I used to live at the Meridian end of that trail. Great trail. 10 miles from Meridian all the way to the Lexington Dam. I rode that many times.

I'm sure they had to deal with all the same issues as we see now. No need to reinvent the wheel. Bring in the people with the experience.