Location for Dedicated Busway

“Weiss Swears Off Lobbyist Donations,” March 23.

When I read in [Patrick] McGreevy’s article that [Ken Gerston] and [Jill] Barad said one solution is to move the dedicated busway to a more industrial area along Oxnard Street I first questioned whether I was losing my mind. Having lived in this area for over 26 years, I could not recall any industrial property along Oxnard from Lankershim Boulevard to Woodman Avenue. So I drove down Oxnard to test my recall. I found no industrial uses, but I did find two body shops, one at Lankershim, the other at Laurel Canyon Boulevard. Everything else was residential, small offices or retail. Chandler, on the other hand, has commercial and industrial properties near Lankershim.

Of more importance were the other things I found: Grant High School, Valley College, Erwin Street Elementary School and Laurel Hall School. These schools have heavy foot and vehicle traffic each weekday during the morning rush hour and mid-afternoon. During these times it is very difficult for any traffic to get through. Two years ago a student was struck and killed in front of Grant High School.

The objective of the proposed Metropolitan Transportation Authority busway is to move people east and west across the Valley. We know our surface streets are choked with traffic and will only get worse as we continue to add people. Everyone agrees that a subway would be the least obtrusive solution and would move the most people, the fastest. Unfortunately, all of the politicians from Washington to Los Angeles tell us there simply is not any money for a subway.

The solution we are left with is some form of surface transportation. The routing that best achieves the objective is the one proposed by the MTA along the old Southern Pacific right of way. Rather than be a problem, this solution presents a great opportunity to develop a greenway with bicycle and walking trails from North Hollywood to Warner Center.

The voices that are so loud in opposition should recall that less than 10 years ago, when most of them already owned their property, a train came by once a day. I live over three blocks from the right of way and could hear and feel the train go by. We already have buses on Chandler. I doubt that any homeowner along Chandler will notice the new buses unless they happen to be looking in their direction as they pass by.

PEER GHENT

Valley Glen

Community Council Chairman