ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Serving the Most

Orange County’s freeway tie-ups and crawling commutes produce a transportation crisis to rival any in California. Short of miracles, improvements inevitably must lie within the realm of the possible. And with money tight, progress will come through the day-to-day decisions of political leaders, either to back meritorious projects or to dump losers, and by allocating scarce dollars wisely on a project-by-project basis.

Because Sacramento and Washington control the purse strings, individual calls they make are crucial in the larger scheme of things. Two decisions made last week--one by Gov. Pete Wilson and another by members of the House Committee on Public Works and Transportation in Washington--were correct. They won’t resolve the crisis, but the sum total of such decisions shape local transportation policy for better or worse.

The governor’s veto of a bill that would extend the authority of the financially strapped California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission for another year may not put this star-crossed $5-billion project out of its misery entirely; it is shelved for now. However, the Bechtel Corp., awarded a conditional franchise to build the high-speed train by the commission, has said the project is on hold because of the slow economy. In his veto message, the governor correctly noted that the train would serve only a small percentage of the population.

In Washington, Anaheim came away from the summer debate over highway improvements with $17.5 million earmarked for special on- and off-ramps linking up with car-pool lanes on the Santa Ana Freeway. Also taking the appropriate larger view, committee members included money for Anaheim only after being certain that it would benefit the public at large. Officials of the Walt Disney Co. had asked for $395 million for similar projects near Disneyland, which would serve ambitious expansion plans.

All projects for easing congestion are competing for scarce state or federal dollars. Public officials should back those projects that will serve the most people.