CV Link Golf Cart Highway: Significant Issues

Palm Springs, California.  The proposed CV Link Electric Vehicle Highway (EV Highway or Golf Cart Highway) will span a 52 mile series of interconnected streets and Whitewater River embankment routes from Desert Hot Springs to Coachella. The design intent is to create a specialized Multimodal route for use by motorized and non-motorized users such as electric vehicles, bicyclists and others. It won't qualify as a legal Bicycle Path and is not intended as one. There will be two lanes for vehicles along with a third one for pedestrians. The motorized lanes will include sufficient roadbed width to accommodate 4-wheel vehicles (of varying size, speed capabilities or road worthiness).

Although promoted as an Electric Vehicle (EV) route, no physical barriers are planned that will prohibit use by other vehicles. In addition to Electric Vehicles the wide two-lane roadbed could see use by non-electric vehicles, dune buggies, go-carts and other types of fast moving entertainment/transportation conveyances. Bicyclists and motorized vehicles will share the roadway in the same manner as currently exists on other city streets and highways. What is missing from the design, and it's a serious omission, are the dedicated bicycle lanes required for all new streets, bridges and highways. Since CV Link will not meet Bicycle Path standards, and it will be a public vehicle route, a revised design that includes dedicated bicycle lanes should be prepared. Separation of bicycles from speeding motorized traffic is the goal of the mandatory bicycle lane requirement and CV Link should not be exempt.

After the CV Link highway is built CVAG designers may wash their hands and walk away. They are not the ones responsible for the route following completion of construction. Each valley city will be responsible for that portion of the CV Link within their city limits. Route maintenance, usage regulation, policing and safety issues will be the responsibility of the cities. Annual costs each city must bear to support their portion of the route are unknown, as is also the case with the type and frequency of maintenance, usage regulation (speed limits, signage, etc.), police access and patrol, and general safety concerns. Before walking away CVAG should prepare a series of recommendations cities would be expected to follow with respect to their support responsibilities. Without a uniform set of support standards the quality of the route may differ, and even deteriorate, from city to city.

All valley cities currently have Non-Motorized Transportation Plans (NMTP) that classifies routes. The CV Link Multimodal Route does not qualify as an NMTP route. Existing NMTP route classifications include the following:

• Class I Bikeways
• Class II Bikeways
• Class III Bikeways
• Paved Multipurpose Paths
• Sidewalk Paths
• Hiking/Equestrian Trails
• Golf Cart Paths
• Golf Cart Lanes

It would be unfortunate if bicycling supportive cities such as Palm Springs permitted Multimodal routes to replace any of their Non-Motorized Transportation Plan Bikeways. And, if a CV Link useable by fast moving vehicles is constructed without dedicated bicycle lanes, valley cities should consider whether that approach is one best for their community.

Bond Shands
Desert Political Opinion at www.DesertObserver.com
June 9, 2013

Summary:
A new 52 mile Golf Cart Highway is in the planning stages that will link all desert cities. The Coachella Valley Association of Governments has changed the focus of their proposed Whitewater River trail from a walking-running-bicycling path to one designed for motorized electric vehicles. Their new plan, essentially a Golf Cart Highway, includes a wide roadbed for electric powered vehicles together with an adjacent smaller path for individual use.

The Valley's New "CV Link" Golf Cart Highway

Palm Springs, California. Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) officials have a new name for their proposed 52 mile trail adjacent to the Whitewater River wash. The previous "Parkway 1e11" name has been replaced by "CV Link". The change was revealed during a public "dog and pony show" type presentation by trail planners in Palm Springs on Tuesday evening, June 4th.

The purpose of the public presentation was to publicize decisions made by CVAG officials. Their process appears rather autocratic and the meeting made clear past and future trail planning decisions would be made by hired outside consultants, a contracted public relations firm and CVAG staff members. Although public comment and other input will be accepted the views of the community may not greatly impact the process. Certainly the rather secretive method that resulted in the name change is indicative of the autocratic process.

There is a new aspect to the trail that had not previously been made known. CVAG staff appears to have abandoned the non-motorized trail concept and now propose to include electric motor vehicles. The change will be result in a 52 mile Golf Cart Highway along the river bed embankment. The latest design shows a 30 foot-wide swath of road bed will be required for the two-lane Golf Cart Highway along with an adjacent smaller path for runners, walkers and other non-motorized users. CVAG planners labeled the shared use concept as "multi-modal". It’s claimed the trail will be of national significance, presumably because no other public trail combines a Golf Cart Highway with a promenade designed for individual movement activities.

The original cost of the trail was estimated to be $80 million and $47 million in funding has since been obtained. What is not known is how much the addition of a double-wide trail to accommodate a Golf Cart Highway will require in additional funding costs. Another aspect yet to be documented is whether all segments of the 52 mile route will accommodate a 30 foot wide right-of-way. None of these and similar hard questions were answered during the public presentation. What is known is that the planning phase is expected to continue, at substantial cost, for several years and actual construction will not occur before the year 2016. CVAG's Trail planning has clearly embarked on a different course than that originally envisioned and it may yet evolve beyond the Golf Cart Highway into something even more grandiose.

Is funding a 52 mile Golf Cart Highway an appropriate use for trail funds? Is there sufficient funding available to guarantee its completion? Will it be possible to secure the rights to build a 30 foot wide highway and trail along the Whitewater River wash route? Answers are needed for these and other questions.

"CV Link" is a rather poor, unimaginative choice of names. Perhaps planners should consider substituting the descriptive "CV Golf Cart Highway" as the one more appropriate.

Bond Shands
Desert Political Opinion at www.DesertObserver.com
June 5, 2013

 Cathedral City's Greg Pettis Target of Desert Sun Witchhunt

 Palm Springs, California. The Witchhunt reporters over at The Desert Sun newspaper last took serious aim at Cathedral City councilmember Greg Pettis in 2008. In that year he ran for the open Assembly District seat in the Democratic Primary against Manuel Perez. The newspaper's staff showed themselves supportive of Perez. Their reporter working alongside the Pettis campaign was caught passing along confidential information to a source in the Perez campaign. The paper's political reporter was caught assisting an individual in the production of a nasty anti-Pettis website. Nothing complimentary of Pettis appeared in the newspaper's reports during that period.

Today (Sunday, April 28th) the paper's Witchhunt reporters have again turned their sights on councilmember Pettis. In a "Cathedral City councilman spent $92K on city-backed credit card" story the reporter throws in a huge package of unrelated bits of information that fail to connect and only serve to give the appearance of a credible article - it's not! It claims to be about credit card travel and lodging costs related to his unpaid service as an intra-governmental associations representative of the community. The newspaper reporter appears to believe Pettis should bear all expenses related to his unpaid public services, in addition to those as a councilmember, representing his city and the valley. Definitely another creative "public servant" definition.

Councilman Greg Pettis belongs to the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), League of California Cities (LOCC), National League of Cities (NLC), and the Riverside County Transportation Commission. His memberships require his unpaid attendance at monthly or annual meetings to which he incurs travel-related expenses on behalf of the public. Pettis is a Transportation Nut - one who seeks to improve all forms of transportation and travel modes for the benefit of valley residents! Whether it be Sunline Transit, passenger train access, bus routes, bicycle trails, pedestrian walkways or vehicle roads-streets-highways, Pettis seeks to ensure a valley voice is present in all official governmental groups working with these issues. One of his greatest joys in serving as a Cathedral City councilmember is the platform and opportunity it provides him to speak, lobby, smooze and wheedle transportation funds and support on behalf of Coachella Valley. His unpaid services participating in numerous monthly or annual meetings of SCAG, LOCC, NLC and Riverside County Transportation Commission require travel related expenses to locations outside the Coachella Valley. It is these expenses, allegedly totaling over $92,000 over a five year period that The Desert Sun uses as justification for their current Witchhunt article aimed at Pettis.

In producing the story the reporter relied on a number of issues that are clearly unrelated to five years of expenses (paid by official credit card) starting in 2008. The reporter mentions his 2008 Assembly race and how many votes his opponent won by; his 2010 personal bankruptcy filing (complete with photocopies of filing documents); his 2013 Facebook and Twitter accounts; a bounced company check for a small amount that was repaid; his upper cove residency, mortgage and home value; and map of hotel stay locations. None of these gossip-like tidbits have relevancy to Pettis' governmental-related travel expenses. They were clearly included for the purpose of defaming Pettis while making the story appear to be credible. While the reporter may have succeeded in obscuring anything of factual value it also fails to definitively state that Councilmember Pettis has done anything wrong. And, since the vast amount of personal time he has and continues to devote to transportation-related issues on behalf of the valley remains uncompensated, Pettis should be congratulated and thanks offered for his generosity and dedication to community service.

The Desert Sun is not a big city operation. It's true they recently won a number of small newspaper awards, but the realty is they were competing in a forum similar to primary school grade level. The best and brightest of their reporters leave for better opportunities at the first chance and many of the leftovers lack talent. This latest attempt to smear councilmember Pettis comes as no great surprise. It's been written by a relative newcomer with little personal knowledge of the valley, its communities and the many sins of her employer. She may not have known that obtaining quotes from former councilmember England and mayor DeRosa lack value for both are political opponents of Pettis who assail him at every opportunity.

According to a careful reading of the article, the reporter admits that "Cathedral City is reimbursed for the bulk of the councilman’s travel" and City Manager Andy Hall is quoted as saying "I don't believe Councilman Pettis has misused his credit card." These two factual statements should have guided the reporter and served as warning. It's hard to write a convincing Witchhunt story when the truth calls into question the entire premise on which so much is based.

In summary, The Desert Sun newspaper's "Cathedral City councilman spent $92K on city-backed credit card" story is a poorly researched, inaccurate, mean-spirited, almost hateful space filler. The newspaper, its editors and the reporter should all be ashamed - for this offering is more than objectionable - it's actually deceitful!

Bond Shands
Desert Political Opinion at www.DesertObserver.com
April 28, 2013