ORANGE LINE BACKERS HOPE STALL ENDS TODAY.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer

Successful so far in court on a narrow legal point, members of the residents group fighting the Orange Line have waged a broad attack on the busway, which they say will be unsafe, cause traffic tie-ups and provide little transit punch for the $330 million investment.

The state Court of Appeal agreed on one key issue, halting construction because the Metropolitan Transportation Authority failed to fully study an alternative system of Rapid buses that would operate throughout the San Fernando Valley. The court could decide as early as today to end the temporary shutdown while the MTA conducts a new study.

Even so, the Citizens Organized for Smart Transit or COST group has found little support among political and civic leaders or in the court of public opinion, where there has been mostly outrage over the work stoppage after years of debate.

``All I've said from the beginning is do an honest analysis of the system of Rapid buses as compared to the busway. Make it honest and true, and we'll see where we stand,'' said Diana Lipari, chairwoman of COST, whose lawsuit led to the construction shutdown.

``If the MTA had listened to the public 3 1/2 years ago, we wouldn't be in this position. ... They will never sit down and talk to us. All they can do is stand up there and say, NIMBY, NIMBY, NIMBY.''

Scheduled to open next summer, the 14-mile, buses-only route runs along an old rail corridor between North Hollywood and Warner Center.

On Tuesday, the City Council and the county Board of Supervisors joined in what has been a drumbeat from business and civic leaders urging the Orange Line's quick completion.

``The Valley has waited long enough for this project,'' Mayor James Hahn's transportation deputy, Bryan Williams, said.

The temporary shutdown is costing taxpayers an estimated $70,000 a day, and a permanent shutdown until the study is completed could cost up to $100 million and set the opening back two years. So far, 120 jobs have been lost.

``It's been a long haul, but we've all bought into (the busway),'' said Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, whose district includes the core of the opposition group. ``We need this transportation link. It's critically important.

MTA officials said they never considered the Rapid bus alternative because the new, red buses had only been launched as a pilot program in 2000 when the busway's environmental review was under way. Besides, they say, Rapid buses, no matter how speedy, will never be as fast as the Orange Line buses in bus-only lanes where they don't have to fight traffic.

COST maintains that running Rapid buses along streets such as Victory Boulevard would be just as fast as the Orange Line and serve more people at a cost of $195,000 per mile less.

The MTA initially estimated that a 28-minute cross-Valley trip would lead to 24,700 average weekday boardings by 2020. But now, in estimates for a slower, 40-minute trip, that figure has been revised down to 18,700.

The court agreed that the MTA didn't look at the time savings that could come from multiple east-west routes across the Valley.

``Rather than putting all of your eggs in one basket - having one higher- speed guideway on one side of the Valley - a better investment, a better transportation system, is to have two, three, four - we don't know the number - lines evenly spaced,'' said Tom Rubin, the former transit official who now works as a paid consultant for the MTA's labor unions and the Bus Riders Union. He is advising COST for free.

Safety is another concern. Opponents say Orange Line buses zipping through intersections at 45 mph and motorists turning into the path of oncoming buses would lead to crashes.

For safety, officials redesigned 31 intersections, adding turn arrows, flashing lights and other features.

``If everyone follows the rules and stops at the red lights, there shouldn't be a problem with buses zipping through,'' said Sean Skehan, the project manager for the city's Department of Transportation.

COST also worries about north-south traffic tie-ups as Orange Line buses get the priority through signals, but city transportation officials say buses get priority only every other time to keep traffic flowing.

Bus riders have said that unless the MTA beefs up service on connecting bus lines, riders could wind up waiting for buses that in some cases now run only every hour.

``This is the transfer problem,'' Genevieve Giuliano, a University of Southern California professor and transportation expert, wrote in an e-mail. ``Connectors running at much slower (frequencies) slow everyone down.''

Still, public transit advocates - even those who initially opposed it - now welcome the Orange Line with a system of feeder connections.

``On streets like Victory, you're subject to all sorts of traffic delays,'' said Bart Reed, executive director of The Transit Coalition. ``That's what makes rail attractive, what makes the busway attractive: consistency of service.''

Still, Lipari, who refuses to disclose where COST gets its money, insists that the MTA could change course: ``Just because a decision has been made doesn't mean you just live with the decision and swallow hard.''

Staff Writers Troy Anderson and Rick Orlov contributed to this report.

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