EDITORIAL SUBWAY TO NOWHERE II WILSHIRE BOULEVARD PLAN OFFERS TOO LITTLE BANG FOR THE BUCK.THE excitement among Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. political leaders about building a "subway to the sea" suggests that our politicos have lost touch with two concepts that should underlie all public works public works pl.n. Construction projects, such as highways or dams, financed by public funds and constructed by a government for the benefit or use of the general public. Noun 1. : priorities and value. In the abstract, a train beneath Wilshire Boulevard Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was named for H. Gaylord Wilshire (1861-1927), an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining. sounds great. It would relieve some of the Westside's wretched traffic congestion The condition of a network when there is not enough bandwidth to support the current traffic load. congestion - When the offered load of a data communication path exceeds the capacity. while causing minimal blight blight, general term for any sudden and severe plant disease or for the agent that causes it. The term is now applied chiefly to diseases caused by bacteria (e.g., bean blights and fire blight of fruit trees), viruses (e.g., soybean bud blight), fungi (e.g. and pollution. But in reality, it would take decades to complete, while costing untold billions of dollars, thus tying up funds for countless other desperately needed transportation projects. Is this really the best way to spend the public's limited funds now? That takes us to the matter of priorities. Subways, especially in earthquake-prone Los Angeles, are outrageously expensive. And putting a subway under some of the region's most expensive real estate -- land that is laden below the surface with explosive natural gas -- would no doubt be especially so. It will take every ounce of L.A.'s political clout to get the necessary funds out of Sacramento and Washington to complete this project. But if all our revenue streams are channeled into the Westside, what becomes of other crucial projects throughout L.A.? What becomes of our crippled freeways? What becomes of our inadequate bus lines, which are being cut even as L.A.'s leadership fantasizes about a subway to the sea? And that takes us to the matter of value. The Orange Line busway, which has done wonders to relieve traffic in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , cost just $300 million -- a fraction of what the subway to the sea would cost -- and was completed in just a couple of years. Similarly, other much-needed improvements, such as a diamond lane on the northbound north·bound adj. Going toward the north. northbound Adjective going towards the north Adj. 1. 405 Freeway, would cost far less while offering greater, more immediate relief. The subway to the sea simply doesn't offer enough bang for the buck. And given L.A.'s limited resources and severe traffic problems, we need to get the most out of every dollar. That means more small projects that accomplish much good quickly, not grandiose schemes that demand more time or money than we have. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion