Mayor offers a silver bullet

A regional transportation hub in Anaheim could solve Newport-Mesa residents’ concerns about noisy airplanes flying into John Wayne Airport, Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle told a group of airport-expansion opponents Friday.

Pringle, who serves on the California High Speed Rail Authority, told activists that a mass-transit center hosting high-speed trains and buses would help reduce the demand on John Wayne Airport.

He said that thanks to a recent infusion of government funds, the process of studying the feasibility of trains connecting Anaheim to Ontario and Las Vegas, and also connecting it to Los Angeles and San Francisco, is soon to be underway.

“I think today we’re in a much stronger place than we ever were before,” Pringle said.

Voters will decide Nov. 4 whether the state should sell $9.95 billion in bonds to begin constructing a bullet-train network connecting Northern and Southern California.

Supporters say high-speed trains would be greener and would be a less costly way to travel up and down the state. Also, it would be cheaper than expanding highways and airports, they say.

Critics, such as the California Chamber of Commerce, oppose Proposition 1A. Skeptics argue that the state cannot afford high-speed rail right now. Some say it’s questionable that California’s car culture would accept high-speed trains.

But high gas prices and strict limits on the capacity of John Wayne Airport imposed by an agreement with Newport Beach make it the ideal time to push hard for alternative methods of transportation because demand is growing fast, according to Pringle.

“I’ve wanted to hear this presentation for a long time. I think Curt is one of the most forward-looking mayors in the area and the state,” said Nancy Alston, a member of the board of directors of AirFair, the anti-expansion group that invited Pringle to speak at the Santa Ana Heights Fire Station in Newport Beach.

The group’s leadership believes that some sort of high-speed transit system that carries passengers east to west and north to south in California could limit the demand for John Wayne’s services not only by eliminating the need for in-state flights, but also by transporting passengers to airports like Ontario quickly and cheaply.

This year, John Wayne has experienced a noticeable drop in passengers from last year, but airport anti-expansion groups are wary that when the economy returns to full strength, passengers will return to the Orange County airport unless something is done.

ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at alan.blank@latimes.com.