Valley Business Group Backs Busway Plan

A San Fernando Valley business group Tuesday endorsed the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s plan to build a 14-mile east-west busway that would cut through Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods.

The Valley Industry and Commerce Assn. said in a statement that the route “should maximize ridership and minimize travel times” along the corridor of Burbank and Chandler boulevards.

The busway would link the Metro Red Line station in Universal City to Warner Center in Woodland Hills. A public comment period ends Tuesday, and the MTA board could vote on the route as early as July 26.

Jewish leaders in North Hollywood and Valley Village object to the Chandler Boulevard part of the route, contending it would endanger people walking to synagogue on the Sabbath, erode property values and increase noise and pollution.

Residents of Van Nuys and Encino also have complained about the potential effect on their neighborhoods.

About 400 people attended a public hearing on the busway Tuesday at Valley College.

But Mel Wilson, co-chairman of VICA’s transportation committee, said the problems can be mitigated. He said the Valley has repeatedly lost transit funding and projects because residents and public officials could not agree on routes and technology.

“In the grand scheme of things, it’s unfair for a smaller segment of the community to require that the majority forfeit its rights to transportation solutions,” Wilson said.

MTA officials estimate the Burbank-Chandler line would cost $285 million. Buses would average 29 mph and a cross-Valley trip would take 28.8 minutes.

An alternative route would bypass Chandler Boulevard and take buses north on Lankershim Boulevard and west on Oxnard Street before reconnecting with the busway at Woodman Avenue. That line would cost $245 million and buses would average 24 mph. A cross-Valley trip would take about 34 minutes, according to the MTA.