Orange County Toll Roads

* Eight letters regarding our toll roads on Sept. 19 missed the most important point.

In our supposedly civilized and affluent society, it’s ridiculous for us to tolerate our present never-ending traffic jams. We urgently need many new roads right now, but toll roads are a really expensive and inefficient way to do that.

By far the best and fairest way would be to use gasoline tax money to build enough new roads and to convert our toll roads to freeways.

Our gasoline tax has apparently generated plenty of money to do so, but that hasn’t happened apparently because Sacramento has stolen three-quarters of the money, and should return it to the highway fund.

The letters complaining that new roads would bring other development have a good point but the wrong target. If we want to stop development we must first reduce our human population.

JOHN HAMAKER

Laguna Niguel

* I oppose the Transportation Corridor Agencies’ plans to extend the toll road through south Orange County.

We are sometimes led to believe we cannot stop progress. Although some of that may be true, we certainly should be selective in what and where we choose to develop. Just as a Kmart in the middle of Yellowstone park would be a bad idea, so is a toll road through San Onofre.

We must not be led like sheep in believing that this is a good idea and we need the toll roads. Are the toll roads financially successful? No. Do the toll roads permanently damage the environment? Yes. Do we need a toll road through South County? I don’t think so.

JEFF PAGE

San Clemente