Wilshire vs. Santa Monica

Re “Subway planners take sharp turn,” Nov. 3

Transit officials considering Santa Monica Boulevard instead of Wilshire Boulevard for a subway route reminded me of the old saw about the boy searching for his lost quarter under a streetlight. When asked if that was where he lost it, he replied: “No, but the light is better here.” Similarly, transit officials are considering a transit line on Santa Monica not because that’s where the highest transit demand is but because it’s politically easier. They ought to remember that Angelenos will have to live with the consequences of this decision for many decades and perhaps even centuries. They need to pick the route that best serves commuters regardless of the politics.

Daniel J. Stone

Los Angeles

Routing the subway along both Wilshire and Santa Monica and having them meet in Beverly Hills and then continue on Santa Monica would be brilliant. Routing the subway only along Wilshire would still be great. Routing the subway only along Santa Monica would be a huge mistake because it would force anyone wanting to travel directly east or west between downtown and the Westside to take a 20-minute detour. This route option would discourage a great number of potential riders and for that reason should be rejected.

Jim Shafer

Los Angeles

Just build it already. This subway route is long overdue. It’s too late for me, but when I worked in Los Angeles, I would have gladly ridden an overcrowded -- but fast -- subway, even if it detoured through Hollywood, instead of driving or riding the miserably slow buses along Wilshire (which I did for a year). Sure, Wilshire is the ideal route, but if the residents of Hollywood and West Hollywood are welcoming it, and those of Hancock Park and the Wilshire Corridor are not, build it along Santa Monica. Let the former reap the long-term benefits.

Carl Almer

Rochester, N.Y.

I hope Mike Genewick, president of the Windsor Square Homeowners Assn., realizes that the old saw about the subway bringing crime and blight rings false. Cars, buses, bicycles and self-locomotion allow anyone, law-abiding or not, to enter all the streets around Windsor Square. If he is that concerned, I suggest that he move to the gated Fremont Place nearby.

Andrew P. Crane

Los Angeles

The Green Line to the airport doesn’t actually go to the airport, and now the Wilshire subway won’t actually go on Wilshire. Different politicians, same old stupidity.

Gerald A. Caterina

Huntington Beach

The MTA is legally required to study all reasonable transit alternatives to serve the Westside, not just a “subway to the sea” or a Wilshire Boulevard alignment. All potential transit projects are required to follow a well-established alternatives analysis process mandated by state and federal environmental regulations to ensure that the project meets the public’s needs and qualifies it to compete for future state and federal matching funds.

In addition to analyzing these possible alignments, Metro is evaluating different transit modes, including subway, above-ground rail, Bus Rapid Transit and a “no-build” scenario to ensure that we meet requirements for grant funding and recommend the most cost-effective, locally preferred alternative to our board next year.

The public process is the necessary first step in developing a project that can compete for funding and, ultimately, bring better transit service to the Westside.

Roger Snoble

Chief executive officer

Metropolitan

Transportation Authority

Los Angeles