MTA Plan Deserves a Chance

Will the San Fernando Valley’s infamous inability to agree on the best fix for transportation gridlock scuttle a reasonable plan put forth by, of all agencies, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority? That’s the fear of some transit advocates. Let’s hope Valley residents prove them wrong.

The MTA’s draft Long Range Transportation Plan for Los Angeles County has as its centerpiece expanding the MTA’s popular Metro Rapid Bus demonstration projects, adding three new routes in the Valley. The plan calls for a new bus-only east-west route along Chandler and Burbank boulevards and a north-south busway in the northeast Valley, both of which are already in the planning stages. And it would add carpool lanes to the San Diego, Golden State, Ventura, Hollywood and Ronald Reagan freeways.

The plan is not flashy but it is doable, and that’s what counts.

But some Valley residents have not given up on grand plans for a regional rail network. One Valley-based group, Concerned Citizens Transit Coalition, opposes the Chandler busway and continues to call for an extension to the Metro subway, a dream the MTA effectively killed with its delays and cost overruns.

Transportation planning has stalled before when Valley leaders couldn’t agree on routes or on whether to push light rail or buses. But lately state and local officeholders with a stake in the Valley--Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg (D-Sherman Oaks), state Sen. Richard Alarcon (D-Sylmar), Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and Los Angeles City Councilman Alex Padilla among them--have worked hard to forge consensus and to get at least partial funding for both east-west and north-south bus routes.

Still, more funding will have to be found and NIMBYs will have to be convinced of the projects’ merits. The plan also faces obstacles outside the Valley. California’s deepening energy crisis could sap available state funds. The Bush administration could be less generous than the Clinton administration.

Valley residents should give the MTA plan a chance. A public meeting will be held Feb. 21 at 8:30 a.m. in the Valley (a location has not yet been selected) and Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. in the MTA boardroom, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles. For a full schedule, check the MTA Web site (www.mta.net).