Uproar Over Light Rail

Lyn Hayes’ letter (July 29) regarding the Citizen’s Advisory Panel on Solutions to Valley Transportation begs for retort.

She moans about the long hours spent by the City Council-appointed panel on this “thankless task” and her personal suffering in particular. She complains about having had to listen to the growing public outcry as more and more residents along the proposed rail routes became aware of the plan to destroy their neighborhoods. We’re sure sorry she’s had such a rough time. She could easily have resigned (or at least stopped wasting time bombarding local homeowners with her frequent newsletters promoting light rail through the south Valley, postage paid by the real estate company with which she is affiliated).

Six times in her letter Ms. Hayes complains about the “few” protesters opposed to rapid transit. We are not opposed to rapid transit; we are opposed to transit that would blight an 18-mile stretch of the southern San Fernando Valley and cost billions in the process, should either one of the two proposed rail routes be approved. Ms. Hayes should wake up to the reality that we are not just a “few” disgruntled folks.

Ms. Hayes is apparently of the opinion that “complete mitigation” can be accomplished. Even if the most “high-tech, state-of-the-art equipment” could be utilized, what about the grim reality of the years and years of construction that promise nothing but a train between Universal City and Warner Center? The noise, pollution and increased traffic nightmares that would result from building in an already overcrowded corridor cannot be acceptably mitigated.

We, the homeowners, residents and voters living anywhere near either of the proposed routes simply won’t sit idly by and be victimized by the big developers of Warner Center and Universal City (both of whom enjoyed strong representation on the Council-appointed panel).

We will closely monitor the upcoming actions of the City Council and the LACTC, and we will react accordingly!

JOAN C. THOMPSON

Encino