Economic Alliance Plans Summit on Valley Transit

UNIVERSAL CITY —  It’s raining, you’re 15 minutes late for an appointment and you’re trapped in a mass of unmoving traffic on the San Diego Freeway.

Nate Brogin knows most Valley commuters have experienced the frustration of rush-hour-type gridlock at all hours of the day and he is trying to use those feelings to help alleviate congestion in the Valley for good.

On Monday, Brogin and fellow members of the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley will host Valley Transit Summit II, an event aimed at reducing traffic and promoting affordable public transportation plans.

“People realize it’s an important issue,” said Brogin, a member of the alliance’s board of directors.

Brogin said the event will take the suggestions and ideas from the organization’s first summit, held in September, polish them and deliver them to local legislators.

In September, the alliance distributed a survey in the East Valley asking residents what they wanted in a public transportation system, how much they would be willing to pay for it and what it would take for them to use the system and leave their cars at home, Brogin said.

The results of the study will be released at the summit, he said.

“We take the results and show them to the officials and say, ‘What do you have planned that will fit these goals?’ ” Brogin said.

Several options for public transportation systems were discussed at the first summit, including adopting a high-tech diesel bus system used in Brazil and Ottawa, Canada, and a few other cities across the globe. The buses, which can carry as many as 100 passengers, are constructed like train cars.

Other ideas are to increase the use of carpool lanes and perhaps construct a rail line through a public-private partnership, along the Ventura and Foothill freeways.

“We want to see if we can build an affordable system in the Valley, east of the 405 and eliminate the traffic that commuters face every day,” Brogin said.

Brogin said the alliance’s goal is to eventually create a system that will decrease traffic headaches across the Valley.

The summit, to be held in the Universal City Hilton and Towers, will run from 8 a.m. to noon. Seating is limited. To reserve a seat, call the alliance at (818) 947-0721.