COUNTYWIDE : ‘Mouseorail’ Backs Monorail Proposal

A giant red-and-silver, bullet-shaped car, sporting Mickey Mouse ears, sped past parts of Orange County Friday, carrying four mayors who say that a proposal for an 18-mile monorail line may be ready by summer.

“We want the people of Orange County to envision a transit system that’s not only a Mickey Mouse dream,” said county Supervisor Don R. Roth, who declined to take a ride on the bullet. “This monorail is going to be a reality.”

Flanked by Mickey Mouse and serenaded with a jazzed-up version of the Mickey Mouse Club theme in Disneyland’s parking lot, the mayors from Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Orange and Santa Ana were smiling widely before boarding the “Mouseorail,” a 40-foot-long revamped car that was once part of the amusement park’s monorail system. For an hour, the mayors played conductors for the media by giving a tour of the proposed route as well as an update on how the plan is faring.

Santa Ana Mayor Daniel H. Young, who is pushing for the regional plan, said a proposal for the monorail line would be ready as early as the summer. The mayors of Santa Ana, Anaheim, Orange, Costa Mesa and Irvine also plan to meet in February to organize a joint powers authority committee to spearhead the plan, Young said.

“I’m getting mail from all over the county and people are saying, ‘Do it now.’ People want the monorail built because they are tired of traffic,” Young said.

And if as on cue, traffic along the 18-mile route frequently halted the odd-looking vehicle, leaving commuters gawking at the “Mouseorail.”

“Look how bad the traffic is here,” said Anaheim Mayor Fred Hunter as the 16-seat vehicle rolled past the Anaheim Convention Center. “It’s a mess and this is nothing compared to really busy days.”

Disneyland spokesman Bob Roth said amusement park officials support the concept of the monorail system, which would link Disneyland and Anaheim Stadium to the MainPlace shopping mall and the Civic Center in Santa Ana and then continue south to the John Wayne Airport and the Irvine Spectrum office complex. The line would also connect to a high-speed super-train that is planned to link the county and other Southland points to Las Vegas.

Officials say the monorail will cost almost $1 billion and they hope that it will be financed mostly by private firms.