MORE PROTECTION SOUGHT AGAINST BUS NOISE.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer

TARZANA - Residents bracing for noise from the planned East-West Busway across the San Fernando Valley are pressing the MTA to build more soundwalls to stifle the roar of buses through their neighborhood.

Those in the small, equestrian enclave near Topham Street and Tampa Avenue are protesting their exclusion from the agency's $10 million soundwall program and worried about crime that could result in areas where walls are being erected.

``We don't want it to go through, but if it does, we want it to be something we can live with,'' said Jill Haber, a longtime opponent of the transit system, who lives just west of the Topham-Tampa intersection where the bus way will be making a stop.

``They promised mitigation, (but) they have not fulfilled their promise.''

Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's 14-mile bus way that plans to ferry riders from North Hollywood to Warner Center in 40 minutes or less.

As part of the project, the MTA plans to erect five miles of soundwalls across 450 locations along the route - any site with projected sound reading above current levels once the bus system hits full capacity in 2020.

However, the MTA says the Topham-Tampa neighborhood didn't qualify for a wall because projections show it won't become noisier once the bus way starts operating.

Topham Street itself, situated between the bus way and the homes, will help buffer the neighborhood from noise.

``If we saw any increase, we considered it an impact,'' said MTA project manager Mark Van Gessel. ``After the bus way is constructed, we're going to do continued studies to make sure our studies were accurate.''

For residents, noise is just one of the problems they expect as the MTA moves forward with plans to build the bus way.

They don't want buses running along the old train tracks in the middle of the street. They don't want traffic from ``kiss-and-ride'' spots, where commuters get dropped off to catch the bus. They just don't want buses whizzing through intersections.

The group Citizens Organized for Smart Transit is waging a legal battle to stop the bus way, claiming the environmental review failed to adequately consider safety concerns. Another court hearing is set for Dec. 20.

Haber, who has long fought the project, is also worried about the potential for increased crime along the route. The soundwalls will be erected five feet from residents' backyard fences - leaving a gap that Haber says has already been nicknamed ``crime alley.''

Van Gessel said the gap was deliberately created because some residents didn't want the soundwall right next to their property.

And to prevent crime in the alley, the walls will be closed off at either end with galvanized metal gates that are not as easy to climb and hop over as chain link fences and the empty strip will be landscaped with drought-resistant, low-lying plants to discourage homeless people or criminals from seeking shelter, he said.

``What we're looking at is something that doesn't create a haven for people. We don't want to put big bushes where people can hide and sleep,'' he said.

To deter graffiti, the soundwalls will be covered with vines, and landscaping will be planted early on so it can grow during construction, he said.

``We were very concerned with graffiti. The walls will be built with the bus way so when we start operating, the walls will be in place.''

Still, Haber protests that the MTA is not doing enough for the neighbors.

She said that with the state Department of Transportation building a Ventura Freeway soundwall under a separate program, her neighborhood's homes will get sandwiched between and caught in a noise tunnel.

Van Gessel said while that problem - called reflection - can occur, the MTA is covering its walls with a special coating to limit the effect.

The only area where soundwalls may not be effective is at a handful of upper-story properties. For those, the MTA will consider soundproofing the buildings, much the way noise reduction is done for homes near Van Nuys Airport.

``We're not sure if those are going to occur or not. We could go up with our soundwall and mitigate, but the visual impacts are probably worse than the noise,'' he said.

The bus way is the result of 20 years of attempts to create an east-west transit line in the San Fernando Valley. Residents have seen a parade of shelved ideas - from extending the Metro subway under Ventura Boulevard to building light rail on the street.

This year, with $300 million in use-it-or-lose-it funding from the state, the MTA board of directors approved the bus way that will run mainly in its own lane along the old rail line. A bikeway will parallel the route.

``Our project will look really gorgeous in the end, in my mind, compared to what's out there now, with its landscaping and bike path,'' said Van Gessel.

``It will create a great, great thing for our neighbors. They can run or jog, and if they work downtown, they can literally step out their doors and be downtown in 40 minutes.''

Residents remain skeptical.

Haber, who keeps horses on her property, fears the bus way is the beginning of the end of their way of life.

She says there are better ways to provide transit, adding, ``No one's going to use this bus line.''

``The pictures look beautiful. What it really will be, I don't believe that will happen. I don't believe anything they say. I don't trust them. They don't give a damn about us over here.''

CAPTION(S):

map

Map:

MAKING WAY FOR THE BUS WAY

SOURCE: Los Angeles County Assessor's Office, 2000; MTA, 2000

Daily News