PUBLIC FORUM : MTA SETBACKS FAIL TO DETER RAIL BACKERS.For today's Public Forum, readers were asked to comment on the decision by the financially troubled Metropolitan Transportation Authority to suspend work on three rail lines for at least six months and offer their views on the future of public transit in 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. County. In spite of the major foul-ups at the MTA (1) (Message Transfer Agent or Mail Transfer Agent) The store and forward part of a messaging system. See messaging system. (2) See M Technology Association. 1. (messaging) MTA - Message Transfer Agent. , we should not cut funding for rail projects in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . I can't see adding more buses on our already-crowded streets and freeways. Besides, they stink. Rail is the best alternative but the MTA has really fouled it up. Why not have an overall transit system, one that you can get on anywhere and go anywhere it goes without changing cars. As it is now, they can't even run on the same tracks. As far as the Valley goes, an at-grade or ground-level electric trolley, just like the Blue Line, should be built along the ex-Southern Pacific Burbank Branch, commonly known as the Burbank Chandler alignment. This new corridor would relieve some of the pressure on the Ventura Freeway The Ventura Freeway is a freeway in southern California running from Ventura to Pasadena. It is the principal east-west route through Ventura County and in the southern San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. , and provide economic growth to the surrounding area. The NIMBYs (not-in-my-back-yard folks) have killed this idea before, but the rail line was there before, and they knew it when they brought their homes. - Mark Smith Westlake Village I am not the least bit surprised that the MTA is having its share of financial troubles. Like other oversize o·ver·size n. 1. A size that is larger than usual. 2. An oversize article or object. adj. o·ver·size also o·ver·sized Larger in size than usual or necessary. Adj. 1. organizations, it is simply too big and mismanaged. However, I don't believe we should scrap the idea of a fixed-rail system and go back to thinking of buses as a form of mass transportation. Fixed-rail systems can and do work. What must be done to achieve success of a fixed-rail system is to make it as convenient and attractive to the customer as possible. It needs promotion to the point of making the use of the automobile uninviting for daily use. Make the connections realistic and plentiful. I would use Metrolink every day if I could find a quick and efficient way to get from the Burbank station to my work site in Sherman Oaks. The Chandler rail corridor comes to mind. Buses are not the answer. They are noisy polluters. Neither is the subway system. In an area prone to earthquake activity, it doesn't seem right to be constructing potential death traps death trap Noun a place or vehicle considered very unsafe . Our ground simply isn't stable enough. By looking at the Metrolink parking lots, it appears to me that the system does work. Let's expand it and serve everyone, not just those going downtown. - Carolyn Whitehead whitehead /white·head/ (hwit´hed) 1. milium. 2. closed comedo. white·head n. 1. Canyon Country I am an unabashed rail advocate. Rail provides the least expensive transportation for the greatest number of individuals in the long run. Rail systems, generally, have a higher initial cost than most alternatives. The break-even cost is arrived at after 10 to 15 years. After that, rail becomes the least-cost option very quickly. All rail systems seem to have a higher usage rate than bus-based systems. Where rail systems are in place, more individuals seem to use the rail system than use the competing municipal bus system. The MTA is a public boondoggle boon·dog·gle Informal n. 1. An unnecessary or wasteful project or activity. 2. a. A braided leather cord worn as a decoration especially by Boy Scouts. b. meant to prove that L.A. cannot have a real rail-based public transportation system. It is meant to show that rail serves too few at too high a cost. It is designed to be inefficient and abused. That is the history of public agencies. A few creative minds and significant private sector involvement could give Los Angeles a world-class, self-funding rail-based public transportation system. That is what Los Angeles and the Valley really need. - John Reynolds There are several men named John Reynolds:
Woodland Hills Although the Southland's mass transit mass transit, public transportation systems designed to move large numbers of passengers. Types and Advantages Mass transit refers to municipal or regional public shared transportation, such as buses, streetcars, and ferries, open to all on a controversy has now reached an impasse, it is to be hoped that the current six-month period of consultation and review will be productive with some positive results. I feel that militant pro-bus demands, if acted upon, will injure To interfere with the legally protected interest of another or to inflict harm on someone, for which an action may be brought. To damage or impair. The term injure is comprehensive and can apply to an injury to a person or property. Cross-references Tort Law. the overall, long-term benefits that rail transit will bring to the area. The MTA should be encouraged to go ahead with those projects that are on the drawing board, especially the Pasadena leg of the Blue Line, on which work already has begun. Buses will continue to remain the major portion of the MTA system, but these vital rail projects should not be put on hold indefinitely, especially inasmuch as in·as·much as conj. 1. Because of the fact that; since. 2. To the extent that; insofar as. inasmuch as conj 1. since; because 2. surface rail costs only a small fraction of an underground system. - Paul Meeuwenberg Woodland Hills Fixed-rail trains are utterly obsolete and we are fortunate to have this nonsense brought to a halt. In a very short time the whole of this area could be served by privately operated minibuses. On the fast lane of every freeway, 10-passenger jitneys could give the roadway a capacity of 10,000 people per hour. This rivals anything trains can do at one-tenth of the cost. - Ray Begley Pasadena I'm getting a little tired of all the rail transportation complaints appearing in the L.A. newspapers. Do these writers use public transportation or do they just have opinions? Do they ride the Red Line subway, as I do, and find it 60 percent occupied? Watch the use increase as it extends to Hollywood. Do they ride the Blue Line to Long Beach at 11 a.m., as I have, and find that there are no seats available after the fourth stop out of L.A.? Have they noticed the popular acceptance of Metrolink for Valley and downtown workers? More buses would be appreciated, but is this the only answer to a growing city that already is taxing its streets and freeways? I wonder if any of these writers have ever tried to catch Line 180-181 to Pasadena and have an overloaded bus pass them at the stop. The rail extension probably would alleviate this problem. - Joe Danford Glendale I truly believe that there is potential for rail lines in Los Angeles, as they can take passengers longer distances with ease and comfort. However, I also believe that by improving all bus systems, these rail lines can truly achieve that potential. How? Purchase more comfortable buses in all jurisdictions, not just the MTA, and equip them with bicycle locks A bicycle lock is a physical security device used on bicycles to prevent theft. They are generally used to fasten the bicycle to a bicycle rack or any immovable object. and improved wheelchair elevators. And have lighting at all bus stops. This is no pipe dream. If we are able to integrate bus and rail, we all can be able to use public transportation with peace and sanity in the near future. - Numan B. Parada Tujunga The MTA should go forward with rail lines for the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Let's not Let's Not is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in Boston University Graduate Journal in December 1954. It was written for no payment as a favour to the journal, and later appeared in the collection Buy Jupiter. let past bad management keep us from eventually having a good light-rail system. I agree with the six-month suspension so that the new management can get finances in order. Then each year we can build what we can finance for that year. Let's remember that we have been building freeways for about 50 years and we still have more freeways to build. A rail system needs to be a 50- or 75-year project. Rail, either subway or elevated or surface, will carry many people very quickly across the entire area. Buses will be tied up for hours in traffic. More buses will help in the short term but for the long term we need rail for distance and buses to feed the rail system and provide neighborhood transportation. - R.L. Langford Sherman Oaks It looks like the subway from Hollywood to Universal City and North Hollywood will be completed. There will be those shortsighted short·sight·ed adj. 1. Nearsighted; myopic. 2. Lacking foresight. short  sight ones who will try anything to stop it, but it's gone too far to be stopped. The money is there, federal and state, to see it through. The bus system is in a mess and the MTA is under court order to upgrade the system. The success of the Foothill Transit Zone is the best example to follow in establishing a Valley transit Valley Transit is a city bus and paratransit commission operated by the city government of Appleton, Wisconsin. The system operates across the Fox Cities and serves the cities of Appleton, Kaukauna, Menasha and Neenah, as well as the towns of Buchanan, Grand Chute and agency. However, we must be aware that buses are very expensive, with high labor and maintenance costs. These Third World systems are not the long-tern answers. By accepting the compromise of light rail and upgrading our bus system, we will have the best rail-bus system for the dollars. - Guy Weddington McCreary North Hollywood While the MTA appears to have bungled bun·gle v. bun·gled, bun·gling, bun·gles v.intr. To work or act ineptly or inefficiently. v.tr. To handle badly; botch. See Synonyms at botch. n. the current rail projects, we need to keep our focus on the effects of future growth and expected gridlock Gridlock A government, business or institution's inability to function at a normal level due either to complex or conflicting procedures within the administrative framework or to impending change in the business. in the greater L.A. region. Rail travel is much more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly Environmentally friendly, also referred to as nature friendly, is a term used to refer to goods and services considered to inflict minimal harm on the environment.[1] than building more freeways, especially when existing rail lines are utilized. The ``not in my neighborhood'' mentality needs to be dropped for the better of the overall community lifestyle. Perhaps a local community management group should be formed to have a better control for each of the rail projects affecting their communities. To abandon rail now will give us the same detrimental effect as the abandonment of the old Red Line streetcar streetcar, small, self-propelled railroad car, similar to the type used in rapid-transit systems, that operates on tracks running through city streets and is used to carry passengers. system had years ago. Let's not make the same mistakes again. - Tim Moody Sunland The MTA has lost sight of its job to provide mass transportation. I work as a mechanic at the MTA's West Valley Division. Our job is to put the best bus on the street and we do just that. I'll bet I'll Bet was an NBC game show that aired from March 29 1965 to September 24 1965, that was created by Ralph Andrews. The host of this program was Jack Narz. It was a precursor of It's Your Bet, which aired with four different hosts during its four year run: Hal March, Tom you didn't know the best buses in the MTA system are in the Valley. - T. Helliwell Palmdale We have several problems associated with traffic in L.A. Two of these problems, pollution and 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. , can be alleviated with increased use of mass transit. Unfortunately, buses are among the dirtiest vehicles on the road. A subway seems like a good idea at first glance. It has been successful in many other cities. But we have a unique problem here. The ground moves. Only time will tell but my guess is that after the next big earthquake no one will want to ride the subway, damaged or not. - Mike Sirkin North Hollywood When we voters approved all those measures for transportation, wasn't the money supposed to be for seeing through the whole project? I think we deserve better public transportation in the Valley than what we've been fed by the downtown bureaucracy. - Ketaki Patel Winnetka I'm shocked to find the MTA has mothballed the three rail lines, but has yet to delete $1.4 billion for the 40-year-old, highly damaging and controversial Long Beach Freeway extension from the MTA's beleaguered be·lea·guer tr.v. be·lea·guered, be·lea·guer·ing, be·lea·guers 1. To harass; beset: We are beleaguered by problems. 2. To surround with troops; besiege. 20-year regional plan. There is a cloud over cloud over Verb 1. (of the sky or weather) to become cloudy: it was clouding over and we thought it would rain 2. the funding of this project also. The 4-1/2-mile extension of this freeway will cost the taxpayers of Los Angeles at least $280 million a mile, almost the equivalent of $300 million a mile for the subways. Caltrans officials freely admit that they cannot build their way out of congestion in the 21st century. Indeed, it appears that they are building their way into congestion if they extend the 710 Freeway. Scarce transportation dollars should be better spent decongesting the 101/405 interchange 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. and decongesting the freeway system by building the three rail lines to move people, not cars. - Marian Perrata Los Angeles CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO A Metro Rail train arrives at the Westlake/MacArthur Park station in Los Angeles. The future of such projects is in doubt. John McCoy/Daily News |
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