MTA’s Plan

* William Fulton’s column (Opinion, April 9) compared the MTA’s recently adopted long-range transportation plan to a 1925 study, and takes the MTA to task for not considering new approaches. In fact, many of the proposals Fulton recommends are included in our plan, while the rail-first mentality he decries is not.

We have adopted a blueprint for the future that makes the most efficient uses of existing infrastructure, exploits new technology, embraces new ideas and builds rail only as a last resort. It is a plan that is economically realistic and designed to get people out of their cars and into buses, trains and vans.

We recognize that the private auto is, and will remain, the most frequently used mode of transportation. Accordingly, we’re making our freeways more efficient by building 279 miles of HOV lanes countywide. We will continue our Freeway Service Patrol, which covers 75% of L.A. County’s freeways. For every dollar we spend clearing disabled vehicles, we save $11 in reduced congestion, improved air quality, motorist safety and efficient use of Highway Patrol resources.

At the same time, we are developing strategies that encourage the use of transit. Our goal is to make public transportation a more viable alternative to the single-occupancy automobile. Without appropriate planning and strategies, some average freeway speeds during rush hour would drop below 10 miles per hour in 20 years.

JAMES CRAGIN, Director

MTA, Los Angeles