End of Line for Subway Fuels Bus, Car Debate

At the last Valley Transit Summit, the realization that the money-gobbling subway system would probably never extend past North Hollywood was starting to sink in.

Now, 16 months later, Los Angeles has effectively halted new subway construction, passing a law in November banning the use of transit sales taxes to build more underground rail lines.

So, what’s next? Just how might the masses--some wedded to cars, others dependent on public transportation--move around this far-flung region in the 21st century?

A potent collection of politicians and transportation officials will be looking for answers this week at Transit Summit III.

“The good news in the post-subway era is there will be more money available for comprehensive solutions to the variety of transportation challenges we face across the Valley,” said Bill Allen, president of the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley, which is sponsoring Friday’s conference.

One of the main topics of discussion will be the proposed Valley Transit Zone, which supporters say would provide cheaper and better bus service than the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The zone would give seven cities and the Valley portion of Los Angeles greater control over local transportation decisions. A plan to widen the interchange of the San Diego and Ventura freeways will also be discussed. Allen and other organizers described two transit hurdles requiring different approaches: a population of residents who do not own cars, concentrated mainly in the northeast Valley; and freeways clogged with drivers.

The meeting comes a week after the MTA was ordered to buy hundreds of buses to ease overcrowding on the nation’s second-largest bus system.

As for the freeway jams, some suggestions to ease traffic include high-speed buses on designated thoroughfares and carpool or toll lanes on the Ventura Freeway. Motorists without passengers could pay a fee to use these lanes, which would be off-limits to other commuters.

Another transit model comes from Curitiba, Brazil, a city serving most of its commuters with buses. Mayor Richard Riordan and other officials took a fact-finding trip to Curitiba in January to check out its “subway on tires,” as Riordan dubbed it.

“We are approaching the beginnings of a rapid bus system that will serve all the people of Los Angeles,” said David Fleming, chairman of the Economic Alliance, who was part of the Curitiba delegation.

“Whatever’s done should be done quickly, and it should be done simultaneously in all the areas of the city,” Fleming said.

The mayors of Los Angeles, Glendale, Burbank, San Fernando and Calabasas have been invited to the summit, as have some members of the Los Angeles City Council, the state Assembly and Congress. California Department of Transportation and MTA officials will also be there.

The summit will be held from 7 to 11:30 a.m. at the Universal Sheraton Hotel in Universal City.

The event is free, but reservations must be made in advance. For more information, call the Economic Alliance at (818) 782-7738.