Toll Road Debate Rolls Along

Re “Tollway Operators Driven to $4-Million Ad Campaign,” June 13:

What a waste. A toll charge between Bonita Canyon Drive and Laguna Canyon Road and El Toro Road of $1 would be a fair fare.

Just with Leisure World’s 25,000 captive audience and buying power, it makes more sense (and cents) and is fairer to charge $1, instead of the full tollway charge of $2, between Bonita Canyon Drive and El Toro Road for this short distance.

Many of my friends in Newport Beach and Leisure World say though they’d like to use the tollway, they do not want to spend $4 round trip for that short mileage, but would spend $2. Tollways in the Eastern United States charge exit to exit, for the actual distance traveled on their tollways. That’s a fair way of charging.

Perhaps the operators should spend their money on a poll first of the Newport-Laguna area before committing to an expensive ad campaign.

GRACE DEUTSCH

Corona del Mar

* As the anti-San Joaquin toll road activists predicted, the “concrete obscenity” is losing money.

To make matters worse, the Transportation Corridor Agencies will spend $4 million in an attempt to increase ridership by [possibly] giving free hamburger and ice cream coupons.

Not satisfied with devastating the pristine Laguna Canyon greenbelt, the TCA is now attempting to increase our cholesterol count.

The real problem is that the toll road saves zero driving miles and saves time only when the El Toro Y backs up. Now that the Y has been rebuilt it backs up much less frequently.

If car owners are not willing to spend $2 to drive 15 miles, handing out food coupons will not change their driving habits. Get smart, TCA, reduce the toll and use $4 million to help subsidize the rate decrease!

RUDOLPH MAGLIN

San Juan Capistrano

* I am a south Orange County Realtor who thinks the San Joaquin Hills toll road has provided major benefits to our area. While lowering tolls might be one approach for increasing use, sometimes cutting prices doesn’t always work. The 55-cent Big Mac promotion is a recent example. Also, in real estate, lower prices often are not the answer for our sellers.

However, thanks to the TCA’s success in building the tollway, South County real estate prices are starting to increase, and this is good news for current home owners. Thanks to the toll read, South County is now close to everything good in Orange County. As in my own family’s specific case, next fall our son will be attending the new Tarbut V’Tora Day School in Irvine, just off a toll road exit. If it were not for the San Joaquin toll road, we would not consider sending our son to that school.

STEVE DE VRE

Laguna Niguel