Dunes danger claim is really about dust 

Regarding Mr. Cuddy's "Long overdue" commentary (May 23): I suspect that Mr. Cuddy has a personal agenda regarding dust at a home he moved into in an area close to the beach. I also suspect he believes that if all the recreational vehicle traffic on the dunes went away, so would the dust. Did Mr. Cuddy not realize that moving into a house near the beach would have dust issues, ignoring of course all of the agricultural activity in fields along the coast?

The sand dunes along the Central Coast have long been characterized as "living" dunes as the winds cause the sand to shift and continually change their size and orientation. Eliminating all vehicular traffic will do nothing to stop the dunes from moving and generating dust. Mr. Cuddy's concern for safety is unsupported by any personal involvement.

I didn't hear him claiming that Lopez Lake should be closed due to drownings or injuries there. Or what about the inherent dangers in riding the zip lines at the Vista Lago Adventure Park? Oh yeah, that's right, those activities don't cause dust.

If it is only safety that Mr. Cuddy is concerned with, let's focus on the fact that California requires you to take and pass a training course to get a license to operate a motorcycle on the freeway. There are no licensing requirements for an individual to operate an off-road vehicle.

That said, California Vehicle Code does stipulate in sections 38503 and 38504 that safety training is required for any person under the age of 18 and that all persons under 14 shall be under the direct supervision of an adult. If both of these sections were rigorously enforced, the dunes would see less traffic, and less traffic would lead to fewer accidents.

But alas, Mr. Cuddy, the winds will continue to blow, and the dunes will continue to live and move.

Fred White

Santa Maria