Car Pools and Business Firms

Your editorial (March 1) about Orange County Transportation Commission Chairman and Supervisor Harriett Wieder challenging county business executives to get more involved in resolving our traffic problems is right on target. Car pools are good business, and every effort should be made by all Orange County companies to urge their employees to car-, van- or bus-pool when at all possible.

Employees that join these pools certainly should be given special benefits if at all possible. After all, if an employer of 300 people could encourage 20% of the employees to ride to and from work by other sources, this would take 60 cars, not only off the streets and freeways, but also relieve congestion in employee parking areas.

Wieder’s idea of urging a staggered work hour and delivery schedules to alleviate rush-hour traffic along with pooling rides is also a must if Orange County citizens are to expect gridlock relief. If Wieder’s proposal does become a reality, badly designed car-pool lanes like the one on the Costa Mesa Freeway could also become a thing of the past.

Traffic congestion has become just as bad on our cities’ main thoroughfares as it has on our freeways, and we certainly cannot give every congested thoroughfare in our county a car-pool lane. I was very happy to read that someone in our county transportation system realizes that freeway congestion is only part of the overall traffic problems that must be solved. Gridlock is gridlock whether it be on Beach Boulevard, Tustin Avenue, Pacific Coast Highway or the San Diego Freeway.

JOE CATRON

Irvine