Rail Riders Need More Parking

The 1990s have been a time of evolution in the concept of commuter rail in Orange County. It wasn’t so long ago that this method of commutation, so familiar to the older urban centers of the East and Midwest, actually was a novel one in this region.

Gradually, the intercity service supplied by Amtrak--which served some commuters only incidentally--was supplemented by a special commuter rail service promoted by the Orange County Transportation Authority. This was necessary as freeways became more crowded. The state of gridlock required transportation planners to find alternatives to simply building more roads.

As the decade approaches a close, we have gone now from having a traffic jam on the freeway to having one, ironically, in the station parking lot.

This month, Irvine is inaugurating its latest attempt to address a congestion problem at the Irvine Transportation Center. It’s being called “assisted parking.”

The plan follows an earlier short trial run of having commuters pay $2 to have authentic valet parking. This new plan, which is presented as a short-term program, is basically valet parking for free. It will make room for another 100 cars.

When the proposal was announced, concerns were expressed about moving cars quickly enough when many motorists arrive at the same time to get a train.

No doubt, it would be desirable as an alternative if more parking could be found. However, to date, the city reports difficulty finding land to lease for shuttling passengers to the station.

While promoters and critics alike ponder the latest experiment, there are larger forces at work that may prove more significant and beneficial for the long term. Metrolink plans to open stations in Tustin and Mission Viejo, which are expected to drain off some of the pressure.

The advantage the train has had until now is that it presents an alternative to the grind. People could avoid sitting in traffic, and getting frazzled nerves. But Irvine has been the most popular stop along the route from Oceanside to downtown Los Angeles. With about 900 people using it daily, it alone constitutes about 18% of the entire ridership.

This alternative must avoid the pitfall of becoming yet another source of frustration for commuters. That’s why any real relief should come not simply from having an attendant park cars, but from expanding the system itself.

That, one way or another, probably will mean finding more parking capacity and perhaps even a few more stations.