Rail System Is Reasonable Idea

Re “Crowd, Conflict for Light Rail” (Jan. 23):

As a resident of Orange County, I cannot understand the opposition to a central light-rail line. Opponents would have us believe that light rail causes traffic and blight. Having lived through the construction and launch of light rail in Denver, I have found this to be absolutely false.

Denver’s light rail is clean, quiet and a huge success, as it has been in other cities such as Dallas, St. Louis and Los Angeles. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that our freeways cannot be widened any further without destroying thousands of homes and businesses. Light rail will be much less intrusive while removing cars from freeways.

I currently live less than a block from the Metrolink line. There is no blight, graffiti or added traffic in my neighborhood. I would ask light-rail opponents to visit neighborhoods in Los Angeles and San Diego where light rail has improved, not destroyed, them. I’d be happy to have light rail in my backyard. I’ll be one of the first in line to end my miserable freeway commute while relaxing all the way to work.

DAN CARVER

Orange

* It’s interesting that our Orange County government will invest millions to hire lobbyists to fight for an airport and a toll road that nobody wants but won’t invest $1.8 million to support a rail connection that would ease traffic on our freeways (“As O.C. Balks, Riverside Rail Proposal in Peril,” Jan. 13). And they are pushing to spend $900 million to build--right through our state park--a few miles of toll road that most of us won’t be able to afford to use.

LAURA COHEN

Mission Viejo