‘Reshuffling RTD Won’t Move Us’

Martin Wachs and Edgardo Contini (“Reshuffling the RTD Won’t Move Us,” Opinion, April 12) have placed an appalling cart before the horse.

Building roads and encouraging development in outlying areas will create even more traffic congestion on streets and freeways that are already verging on gridlock. It would sprawl Southern California all over the map--increasing automobile dependency and the demand for yet more transportation. The developers already know how to exploit our open space and agricultural lands; we don’t have to rush to encourage them.

We must recognize the traffic problem for what it is. It is the result of an economic competition for patronage between a heavily subsidized automobile/freeway system vs. a less heavily subsidized public transit system.

Wachs and Contini have accurately pointed to the tiny proportion of commuters who use the buses. But they have failed to look for the reasons--those who can drive to work get the benefit of roughly $2,000 worth of free parking and $500 worth of municipal services annually. Those who must use the bus don’t get those benefits--they just help pay for them.

Those who know better cite the Olympic Miracle to prove that traffic system management (TSM)--car pooling, ramp metering, synchronized signals--will work. While TSM is probably cost-effective, the effects are notably marginal and limited. And these methods are already in effect. Look around you.

The lesson of the Olympic experience is that if we can scare our commuters, remove the trucks from the freeways, seat 100,000 drivers in stadiums all day, place another several hundred thousand in front of their television sets, our freeways may become free-flowing--for about two weeks or until they fill up once more.

The Metro Rail system is absolutely essential for the future economic and transportation health of Los Angeles. We must build such projects to serve all the sectors of our great metropolitan area--we must double the rate of investment in this effort.

There is really only one credible solution to traffic congestion. Remove the automobile/truck/freeway cost-burden from the shoppers, the property and sales tax payers and place it on the motorists and the truckers where it belongs.

STANLEY HART, Chairman

Transportation Committee

Sierra Club

Los Angeles