Transit Solution Is Regional

As the push to break up big government gathers momentum in the San Fernando Valley, few agencies would seem as prime a target as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Indeed, efforts to dismantle the dysfunctional transit agency--or at least to make it more responsive to local needs--are moving simultaneously through the Los Angeles City Council and the state Legislature. Tempting as it may sound to break the MTA into smaller, regional agencies, advocates should proceed cautiously when tinkering with the regional network of buses and rail lines.

Of all the current efforts to establish a so-called Valley transit zone, the one working through the state Senate seems to make the most sense--and best balances local and regional needs. Sen. Tom Hayden’s (D-Los Angeles) bill (SB 1886) would create a 15-member board to plan bus and rail projects for the Valley. Whether to fund the projects would be up to the MTA. The bill has been diluted from an earlier version that sought to create a stand-alone transit agency for the Valley. Competing plans call for the creation of a semi-autonomous agency--similar to Foothill Transit in the San Gabriel Valley--that would take over Valley bus operation.

Despite the countless problems at the MTA, it’s still not certain that Los Angeles County cannot successfully operate a regional transportation authority. Other regions do it. It demands discipline on the part of the elected officials who allegedly run the MTA.

Clearly, more input from residents can help align local bus routes more closely to actual travel patterns and keep the MTA’s priorities where they belong: with the people who use public transit. To that end, Hayden’s revised bill makes good sense. But transportation is a regional problem that requires a regional solution.