Against Rail Transit in the Valley

The Valley has failed to reach a consensus on rail transit for reasons that should be obvious. Rail is simply not suitable for the San Fernando Valley.

Trains are practical only for cities such as London and Tokyo where population densities are very high. Rail is capital intensive and inflexible. It costs millions of dollars to lay out a rail route, and once in place it cannot be changed or modified easily. This doesn’t attract riders.

Studies show that it costs between $6 and $17 to board one passenger on a rail system versus $3 per person on a bus. There has not been a rail system built in the United States in the last 40 years that has paid for itself out of the fare box. Since actual ridership generally falls 50% short of predictions, public subsidies are essential. Further, when passengers reach the end of the line there is no way to get to get to their destination, short of transferring to another form of transit. Because of the limited routes that are served by rail, people tend to avoid it.

Many Valley residents oppose rail because it will drain off millions of dollars that would better be spent on buses, ride-sharing and road improvements.

Is it any wonder that the public opposes a system that will be mismanaged from the start? Look at Metro Rail. Fifty percent of the money allocated has been spent on a system that reaches only 25% of the expected distance. They are spending millions of dollars filling up holes in the ground that are the wrong size or in the wrong place. Can these managers really build us a decent train system?

Let’s not overlook the real culprit--overdevelopment. We would not have to look for billion-dollar solutions to transportation problems if the City Council had not let the problem grow out of hand. No transit solution will work in whole or in part until those in charge place strict limits on growth. Those who are planning the enormous expansion of Porter Ranch, Warner Ridge and Ventura Boulevard are creating a transit nightmare that will haunt us for generations.

GERALD A. SILVER

Encino

Silver is president of Homeowners of Encino.