State of Transportation in Los Angeles Area

Your series, “Caught in Traffic,” was full of good information and ideas. We appreciate The Times’ effort to focus public attention on this critical issue. Until we all realize how serious the problem is, we can’t begin to find solutions. We need more and better ramp metering and more rapid clearance of freeway accidents. Ride sharing, staggered hours and all of the other Olympic legacies are vital as well.

However, the “can’t-build” theme of the last article was misleading. Traffic management plans--as important as they are--can do only part of the job. Freeways carry half of today’s travel, and the need to expand the freeway system cannot be ignored. The travel needs of 5 million more people in Southern California are not going to be met without significant increases in highway system capacity. Others share this view. There are more than 300 miles of new freeways already included in Southern California’s transportation plans, and these projects would be moving towards construction if adequate funding were available.

The answers to today’s intensifying congestion and the demands of future economic growth lie in a combination of new facilities and sound management of the existing highways. To implement such a program two decades of constrained thinking must be set aside. Methods of raising the needed dollars and of solving the problems of community acceptance are in sight. Public resolve and leadership within our community are what is needed to move ahead.

A. KEITH GILBERT

Manager

Automobile Club of Southern California

Los Angeles