EDITORIAL ATTACK OF THE NIMBYS EFFORT TO BLOCK ORANGE LINE HARMS ALL OF LOS ANGELES.

THANKS to a handful of NIMBYs, there are now 11 intersections across the San Fernando Valley that remain torn up - for who knows how long.

Thanks to a handful of NIMBYs, there are countless businesses bleeding money, whose owners have no idea when they can expect some relief.

And thanks to a handful of NIMBYs, the Orange Line - the desperately needed East-West Valley busway - is stuck at 40 percent completion. The crews hired to work on the project sit idle, a cost to the taxpayers of $70,000 a day.

That's because the NIMBYs at Citizens Organized for Smart Transit have convinced the state appellate court that, before launching the project, the Metropolitan Transportation Agency failed to adequately study possible alternatives. The judge has ordered the MTA to suspend all work until another hearing next week, and possibly months beyond that pending the completion of a new study.

Let's concede that the NIMBYs and the judge have a point: Given the long-documented incompetence at the MTA, it's more than possible that the agency failed to do its homework. That said, nothing good can come of the attempt to exploit what's at best a technical infraction in their effort to thwart a vital mass transit system that would benefit thousands.

After all, even if the judge were to give in to all of COST's demands, and delay all construction until the MTA produces a new report in six months - so what? Just because the MTA ``studies'' alternatives doesn't mean it's bound to its findings.

At the end of all the research and analysis, the MTA would be free to go back and continue its work on the busway exactly where it left off - which only makes sense, given the time and money already invested in the project. The NIMBYs would still be stuck with the busway they dread, only it would then cost the public much more in terms of price and aggravation.

Is that really what COST wants?

Apparently. NIMBYs have waged war on progress and development in the Valley for decades. That's why we're forced to settle on a busway in the first place - NIMBYism thwarted earlier promises of a subway and light rail.

People can and do have valid concerns about any public project that affects their lives and communities, especially in a city like Los Angeles, where local government has a long history of trampling neighborhood concerns. But the time to voice those concerns and seek mitigation is in the planning stages. Once the plan is set and construction is under way, fighting the inevitable isn't only futile, it's destructive.

For the best interest of all Valley residents, it's time for the NIMBYs to get out of the way of progress and decent mass transit. After all, no one benefits from a perpetual mess or wasting taxpayer money - not even NIMBYs.