Roadblock to Transit Planning

In response to “A Powerful Tool to Shape Growth,” Commentary, Nov. 27:

UCLA Urban Planning Dean Richard Weinstein postulates that the billions of dollars voters have approved for transportation and transit improvements in Los Angeles and adjacent counties will have a powerful effect on growth and development of the region. On this, everyone can agree.

He goes on to argue the need for coordinated policy-making. He calls for “constructive engagement” of single-purpose transportation and air quality planning agencies with the Southern California Assn. of Governments (SCAG). To the extent coordination is not now happening, he calls for legislation directing that it will.

Already, the federal Surface Transportation Act calls for metropolitan planning organizations such as SCAG to include on their governing boards representatives of “administrators and operators of major modes of transportation.” The fact is, SCAG has acted in a manner directly opposed to what this law says and Weinstein proposes about coordination.

Last year, shortly after adoption of the federal act, SCAG expanded its governing board from 23 to 70 members. The new board specifically excludes representatives of county transportation commissions and transit operators--the very persons who, as the federal act intends, can speak of transportation needs, plans and voter mandates. Our agencies have asked for but been denied SCAG governing board membership.

SCAG has lobbied against the U.S. Department of Transportation interpreting the language of the Surface Transportation Act to make the membership requirement applicable to its situation. SCAG stretches the point that its board was reorganized without being “redesignated.”

This legislation to coordinate regionally the activities of transportation policy-making agencies exists. But, on SCAG’s part, the vision and will to carry it out apparently does not. SCAG’s present policy is not to give a voice and vote to county-level transportation agencies even though voters have entrusted those very agencies with spending billions of dollars from transportation sales taxes.

DANA W. REED

Member at Large and Vice Chairman

Orange County Transportation Authority