Traffic Congestion Tops Concerns at Candidates’ Forum

At a museum dedicated to the days of the horse and buggy, candidates for the Los Angeles City Council outlined plans Monday for getting automobiles moving at a faster pace on the city’s congested streets.

The forum at the Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage was one of the last scheduled before the Sept. 11 election to fill the 4th District council seat vacated by the death in April of Councilman John Ferraro.

Leaders of homeowner groups who sponsored the forum complained that the district, which extends from North Hollywood to Hancock Park, Hollywood and Koreatown, suffers continual traffic congestion,

At the forum and in interviews, the 10 candidates for the council seat proposed a variety of solutions, ranging from monorails along local freeways to reversible one-way streets for commutes.

“We have outrageous traffic problems on a number of our streets,” said attorney David Roberti, a former state Senate president pro tem. He called for new development to include traffic mitigation measures, and said traffic and parking improvements should be demanded before the city awards a new contract for operation of the Greek Theatre.

More than 250 people packed the auditorium at the museum to hear the candidates.

Beth Garfield, a trustee of the Los Angeles Community College Board, told the audience she supports “common sense” solutions, including more one-way streets, synchronized traffic lights and a ban on street construction during rush hour. She also proposed expanding shuttle buses to bring people to major transit corridors, such as those served by the city’s subway lines.

Tom LaBonge, a former aide to Ferraro and former Mayor Richard Riordan, said Monday that he supports the proposed high-speed, east-west busway across the Valley, with reduced negative impact on the communities it would pass through, as a “step in the right direction.”

Putting monorails atop freeways is not practical, he said, but the city can reduce traffic congestion by building more parking at subway stations and by pushing for the re-engineering of freeways to remove bottlenecks. He also called for reassignment of parking officers to help direct traffic through clogged intersections during peak hours.

Denise Munro Robb, an environmental activist, proposed a monorail along the San Diego Freeway from the West Side to the Valley, and the Ventura Freeway across the Valley floor.

“We can’t put rail underground anymore, so we have to look at other alternatives,” she said.

She also proposed to revive the Red Car trolley system that served many city neighborhoods, including a rail right of way across the Valley that is proposed for a high-speed bus system.

Susan Fong, a teacher, said she thinks traffic would be reduced if the city did more to combine the construction of housing and shops near transit stations, such as the NoHo Commons project next to the Red Line station in North Hollywood.

“We’ve built the subway. Now it is time to use it,” Fong said. “Now it’s time to encourage growth around the transit stations.”

Fares “Ferris” Wehbe, who owns a private school in Hollywood, proposed light-rail along freeways, expanding the number of park-and-ride lots, and installing reversible lanes for morning and evening commutes.

Tax accountant Larry Green said he is the only candidate who uses a monthly bus pass. He proposed more incentives to induce car pooling.

Linda Lockwood, a Hollywood Hills community activist, proposed shuttles from new parking garages to Hollywood, longer hours of operation for the subway, and monorails along freeways.