Foothill Toll Road Has No Place Here

Thank you for your valuable article covering the attempt to silence public discussion about the need and purpose of the southern extension of the Foothill South toll road. (“Bill Could Limit EPA’s Review of Foothill Toll Road,” Oct. 21.)

The citizens in our community must be careful who they trust with their valuable natural resources. This is a county that uses our tax dollars to push legislation through in Washington to do what is forbidden elsewhere in America--putting roads through public parks and gagging our protective public agencies.

Now the county plans to put a private toll road through two public state parks and one of the last free-flowing watersheds in Southern California. The southern extension of the Foothill toll road is not necessary. It runs parallel to the new and free Antonio Parkway, which is large enough to handle all the traffic in this part of southern Orange County well into the year 2020.

PAUL CARLTON, Sierra Sage, S.O.C., Angeles Chapter, Sierra Club

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Rep. Ron Packard’s (R-Oceanside) support of the Foothill South toll road is inane!

How can he promote development in a pristine area home to several endangered native species? Obviously he cares very little about endangered species and the environment.

How can he be in favor of something that is opposed by the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Surfrider Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers? Obviously he also cares very little about votes.

He has lost my vote and--more important--the respect of his constituency. His support of big business rather than the people he serves is disgraceful!

JULIA DEWEES, San Clemente

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That the American taxpayers should spend $644 million for a tollway extension that, by the proponents’ own figures, would increase traffic flow by 3% to 5% is ludicrous.

Of course, the backers of this plan expect that it will help a whole lot more after they convert the beautiful and ever more rare open space to hillsides covered with houses and a network of major and minor highways at whose every junction one can find a strip mall. Then the tollway may improve traffic flow into and out of Packard’s district by 5% to 7%!

That the congressman needs a gag rule to eliminate the opinions of those agencies with a dispassionate view of this foolishness is not surprising.

ROBERT SIEBERT, Chair, Conservation Committee, Sierra Club of N. Orange County