High-Speed Busway Connection to Subway

Re “High-Speed Busway the Best Way,” Valley Perspective, March 26.

I’ve just read Zev Yaroslavsky’s op-ed piece and I must admit I find myself agreeing with my Los Angeles County supervisor.

The two high-speed busways have a lot of merit, when we consider not only cost but also construction time. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority projects that a light rail line for the San Fernando Valley would take six or more years to build. The supervisor claims that these two high-speed busways, as drawn on the map, can be completed well within two years.

Well, Supervisor Yaroslavsky, the clock is ticking. Build it! I will bet you that on March 26, 2002, I will not be able to ride a bus from Chatsworth to North Hollywood. The busway will not be close to completion; in fact, construction will not even be started. The high-speed busway is just another one of those transportation fads that L.A. latches onto and in which L.A. quickly loses interest.

Oh, by the way, how did Salt Lake City build an equivalent light rail line in less than three years and [for far less per mile than the MTA estimates]? Could it be that the Utah Transit Authority is a much more efficient organization than our own MTA?

In addition to your study of Curitiba, Brazil, shouldn’t you also take a week to travel to Salt Lake City to find out how they did it? You might have found out that it is possible to economically build a light rail line.

KEVIN FESTNER

Valley Glen

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First off, 38 mph is not high-speed, unless you are comparing it to the 101 at most times of the day.

Second, you are a county supervisor now, so let’s try to think past the borders of the city of Los Angeles. North Hollywood is not where the tracks along Chandler Boulevard end. They run all the way to beautiful Burbank.

Third, two of the biggest companies in the world, let alone Southern California, are in Burbank. So why extend the scope of the subway to nowhere? Are there really that many people in the Valley who work in Hollywood? Don’t they really work in Burbank? And if they work downtown, aren’t they already riding the Metrolink train?

Finally, if the idea is to get people out of their cars and onto the train, then the train has to go when and where the people want to go. I would ride the Metrolink every day except that I can’t get home if I work past 6:30 p.m. And a lot of your potential riders work the same kind of hours.

TIM BENNETT

Winnetka