A Busway for All

Leaders of the east San Fernando Valley Orthodox Jewish community are strongly opposed to a long-sought and much-needed busway going through their neighborhood, and key political leaders are on the verge of bowing to the demands. But the group’s objections have already been largely answered by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The dedicated lanes should be built as originally planned for the good of the community as a whole.

Opponents claim that the busway will bring noise, pollution, accidents, crime and depressed property values. This version of the not-in-my-backyard rhetoric that’s so familiar across Southern California is complicated by religion. Each Sabbath, the 6,000 Orthodox Jews who live along a 11/2-mile stretch of Chandler Boulevard become a community of pedestrians because of their religious prohibition against operating machinery, including cars and even traffic signal buttons, on that day. Opponents of the proposed busway say they would not be able to safely cross on the Sabbath.

But the MTA proposal doesn’t call for adding a “freeway for buses,” as opponents call it, to a now roadless area. The dedicated bus lanes would run down busy Chandler Boulevard’s broad median, a railroad right of way that the MTA acquired (with taxpayer money) in 1991. Pedestrians already cross traffic--including bus traffic--on either side of the now unused median.

Adding the busway wouldn’t eliminate any pedestrian crossings. Instead, the MTA plans to improve safety by adding midblock crosswalks and putting “Walk-Don’t Walk” signs on timers for the Sabbath and other holy days. The plan also calls for landscaped pedestrian and bike paths alongside the busway.

Buses in the dedicated lanes would drive at the same speed limit, 35 mph, as traffic on Chandler. What would make the busway fast and keep the trip across the Valley to 30 minutes is not the speed of the buses but the lack of congestion in the dedicated lanes.

The Orthodox community’s vehement opposition and its considerable clout have prompted Mayor James K. Hahn and Los Angeles 5th District Councilman-elect Jack Weiss to say the busway should be rerouted around that stretch of Chandler. The alternative is Oxnard Street, a narrow artery that does not have room for a dedicated bus lane.

The Chandler route addresses the Orthodox community’s concerns and meets the need for efficient cross-Valley public transportation. Build the busway there.