Transportation Planners Are on the Wrong Road

Re “Now It’s Commuters Who Come Back to Capistrano,” Aug. 27:

South County congestion growth is a major issue to those who live, pass through or visit the area. The problem will only become worse as the population continues to expand, and the solution requires the concerted effort of not only the local cities but the county as a whole.

One would think this should be a major concern to the Orange County Transportation Authority. OCTA should be leading the effort to solve such problems instead of spending management and staff resources on items like planning 724 miles of bikeway for the county. Bikeways may be an asset to the community but better fall under the auspices of parks and recreation than as a proposed congestion relief project, a purpose to which bikeways will have no significant effect.

Dave Mootchnik

Huntington Beach

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On Aug. 29 I attended a transportation forum sponsored by the Orange County Assn. of Realtors. Representatives from the Orange County Transportation Authority, Caltrans District 12 and the Orange County Transportation Corridor Agencies were speakers. After the speakers there was a question-and-answer opportunity.

My question was: “Since it is difficult to maintain the status quo, how can transportation agencies deal with future transportation issues in Orange County?”

Basically the proposals were more of the same things: more toll roads, freeways and railways.

One definition of insanity is doing the same over and over and expecting different results. It is time to recognize that reality requires us to become more and more flexible. We are using old, limited paradigms as our models of transportation.

Geoffrey G. Layng

San Clemente