TRANSIT FIXES IN PERIL MOTORISTS LIKELY TO WAIT AT LEAST ANOTHER YEAR.Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer California's state budget crisis will slash about $2 billion from transportation spending this new fiscal year, jeopardizing many long-promised 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. area projects, from bike lanes to the 101-405 interchange improvements, officials and state auditors said Monday. Several Valley area projects were shelved during the fiscal year that ended June 30, and funds for others in 2003-04 are on hold, delaying gridlock-easing improvements possibly for years. ``You're going to see a lot of things happen - or not happen, as the case will be,'' said Stephen Finnegan Stephen Finnegan is a footballer for Monaghan United. He has previously played for Home Farm F.C. and Glenavon F.C.. , manager of transportation and policy for the Automobile Club of Southern California The Automobile Club of Southern California was founded December 13, 1900 in Los Angeles as one of the nation's first motor clubs dedicated to improving roads, proposing traffic laws and improvement of overall driving conditions. . ``These are not fantasy projects. These are projects, large and small, to keep California moving. There will be impacts on safety, there will be impacts on air quality, there will be impacts on our ability to attract federal funds Federal Funds Funds deposited to regional Federal Reserve Banks by commercial banks, including funds in excess of reserve requirements. Notes: These non-interest bearing deposits are lent out at the Fed funds rate to other banks unable to meet overnight reserve . It all combines to harm our quality of life and our economic competitiveness.'' State auditors released a report late last week that points to the mounting inability of Caltrans to carry out road and highway improvements because of the state's $38 billion shortfall. In all, nearly $3 billion has been cut from this fiscal year and last year, the audit said, including $2 billion in planned spending for 2003-04 now on hold until new fund estimates are released in October. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the audit, the problem largely began in recent years with the Legislature's taking $1.5 billion from transportation funds to shore up the budget in a series of loans. Now Gov. Gray Davis' proposed 2003-04 budget, still not approved by the Legislature this first week into the fiscal year, calls for cutting $970 million more from transportation, according to the audit. Additionally, the audit says, Caltrans overestimated its 2003-04 budget by $154 million with ``optimistic'' expectations for fuel taxes and truck fees. ``Lacking sufficient cash in its major transportation funds and accounts, the California Department of Transportation The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is a government agency in the U.S. state of California. Its mission is to improve mobility across the state. It manages the state highway system and is actively involved with public transportation systems in California. and regional transportation planning Transportation planning is the field involved with the siting of transportation facilities (generally streets, highways, sidewalks, bike lanes and public transport lines). agencies are unable to deliver many of their planned transportation projects,'' the audit said. ``These substantial reductions in transportation projects will leave the state's aging transportation system congested con·gest·ed adj. Affected with or characterized by congestion. congested ENT adjective Referring to a boggy blood-filled tissue. See Nasal congestion. and in poor condition. Costs to Californians will include spending more time on the road and more money for fuel, as well as higher indirect costs Indirect costs are costs that are not directly accountable to a particular function or product; these are fixed costs. Indirect costs include taxes, administration, personnel and security costs. See also
For 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, the projects range from smaller street improvements, on hold since last year's budget closed, to bigger projects such as 101-405 interchange improvements planned for this fiscal year, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said. Caltrans essentially agreed with the dismal report, saying transportation spending, which has totaled a record $7 billion during Davis' tenure, will now be scaled back. ``That's why this administration had so aggressively pushed for transportation investment with the resources we had available,'' said Caltrans spokesman Dennis Trujillo. ``We don't have as much money as we once had and won't be able to do as much.'' Caltrans points to $207 million, from the more than $1 billion originally called for in the governor's landmark Transportation 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. Relief Fund, that would be retained under Davis' proposed budget, allowing as many as 100 projects to continue to be funded during the upcoming fiscal year. The rest would be repaid in later years. But others say that money is just a small portion of what was promised California motorists. Sen. Tom McClintock Thomas Miller "Tom" McClintock (born July 10, 1956 in White Plains, New York) is a California State Senator. He ran for Governor of California in the 2003 California recall election of Gray Davis and finished third out of 135 candidates with 13.5% of the overall vote. , R-Thousand Oaks, said Davis' repeated raiding of transportation funds has left the state's highways in jeopardy. ``Governor Davis has ripped off $1.5 billion from our highway funds. ... Why is anyone surprised the fund is running on empty?'' said the senator, who wants all transportation fund borrowing to be paid back and all car-pool lanes to be opened to all during rush hours. ``If they are intent on ripping off another nearly $1 billion of highway funds to cover the governor's spending, the collateral needs to be to remove the diamond lane restriction.'' The audit was called for by Joint Legislative Audit Committee member Assemblyman Ray Haynes Raymond Neal Haynes, Jr. is a Republican politician from the state of California. After Haynes graduated from University of Southern California Law School, he moved to Moreno Valley and practiced law in Riverside. He stated a solo law practice in 1988. , R-Temecula, who serves with McClintock on the panel, with hopes of getting more transportation funds for his Riverside and San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. counties district to improve traffic flow. But he said the state's budget problems have grown so enormous, he knows he won't be able to get money to combat 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. . ``The minute things got tough, the Legislature went in and started taking those funds,'' Haynes said. ``This year the bill has come due, and we don't have the money to pay it off.'' The audit clearly spells out the costs of ignoring the state's aging transportation system, pointing to the price for taxpayers in lost productivity, accidents and smog. ``Delays in making improvements to congested highways mean that California residents will pay higher direct costs for wasted fuel and lost productivity,'' the audit said. The Auto Club says despite the state's record shortfall, transportation is taking an undue hit, with taxpayers paying more - with the proposal to triple the vehicle license fees - and getting less gridlock relief. ``In the good times, or the apparent good times of just a few years ago, many promises were made to transportation, and since that time most of those promises are being swept away,'' Finnegan said. ``The bottom line is, Sacramento needs to understand that you can't get there from here - cutting transportation funds won't help the state.'' UNFUNDED PROJECTS The following Los Angeles County and San Fernando Valley projects are among those that did not receive funding from Caltrans: Los Angeles traffic signal synchronization projects, $4.7 million San Fernando Road San Fernando Road is a major street in the city and county of Los Angeles. It starts off in Castaic as The Old Road, passing through Santa Clarita and the Newhall Pass, where upon its intersection with Sierra Highway near the junction of the Golden State (I-5) and the bike path, $2.3 million Riverside Drive bridge improvements, $1.4 million Widen Sepulveda-Burbank boulevards intersection, $1.1 million Agoura Hills signal synchronization, $725,000 Gold Line improvements and bicycle parking facilities, $485,000 Mason Avenue area bridge improvements, $339,000 Widen Valley Circle Boulevard, $301,000 Santa Clarita Highway 126 ramp improvements, $252,000 Tampa Avenue bridge improvements, $243,000 Winnetka Avenue bridge improvements, $223,000 Santa Clarita Metrolink Station parking spaces, $100,000 Laurel Canyon bridge improvements, $49,000 CAPTION(S): box Photo: UNFUNDED PROJECTS (see text) |
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