Count ‘Em: 2 Tracks; It’s Not a ‘Monorail’
We must set the record straight on the Ventura Freeway commuter rail alignment. The system proposed is not a monorail. It is a standard, two-track commuter train.
The continued use of the term “monorail” is deceptive and well chosen by its supporters, I am sure. It brings to peoples’ minds a Disneyland/Alweg type system, which is nothing like what is being proposed. The proposal calls for a Chicago-style elevated train above the freeway. The continued use of the term “monorail” is at the least misleading and at the worst unethical. You should print a correction every time you print a letter or article using the term “monorail.”
The Ventura Freeway alignment would do nothing for Ventura Boulevard, because it is so far away from it for most of its length. It is not within reasonable walking distance. The Burbank-Chandler route will serve more people, the business and civic centers of the Valley, and be more aesthetically pleasing. The “advisory vote” of 1990 is invalid because people voted for a “monorail” (thinking Disneyland style) and not what the current proposal is. New studies show the cost difference is minimal at best.
If the people of the Valley were properly informed, and the vote were taken again, I am sure the voters would not favor of the Chicago style “El” that is the current proposal for the freeway alignment.
JAMES H. STEWART
Panorama City
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