Ticket to Our Transit Future

Despite the many major changes in the county’s transportation network in the last decade, such as freeway widenings, improved interchanges and more commuter trains, traffic congestion still remains high on residents’ radar as one of the county’s most critical problems.

And deservedly so.

Yes, there have been significant improvements, such as the widening of the Santa Ana Freeway and the easing of major roadblocks at freeway interchanges at the El Toro Y in South County and the Orange Crush in the central area. There are more commuter trains to move some motorists off the roads.

But given the county’s continued growth in jobs and residents, and its population density (second only to San Francisco in the state), it has been like treading water for local and state transportation officials trying to keep up with the crush of more cars and trucks clogging county roads. And there doesn’t appear to be a red light to growth in the coming decades, not with the projections of a continued influx of new residents.

That’s why three separate proposals that have been floated recently have taken on added importance. And it’s why the Orange County Transportation Authority’s “10-10 Plan,” a $4.6-billion wish list of 10 projects it would like to tackle over the next 10 years, is so timely and worthy of the serious study the authority ordered Monday. It is designed to avoid what OCTA officials fear could become “complete gridlock” from a “tidal wave” of transit demand.

Before adoption of the plan’s concepts covering road and rail improvements, OCTA board members agreed to study the possibility of buying out the privately operated 91 Express Lanes on the Riverside Freeway, or at least its ill-advised noncompetition clause that the state approved in 1991 that bars freeway improvements. Finding a solution to the traffic logjam on one of the busiest freeways in the state has been a headache for Riverside County and Orange County officials for years. It grows more urgent each year.

Another project gaining new life is the light rail CenterLine that OCTA officials put on hold in March when they failed to muster the community support needed for a proposed $2.3-billion line running 28 miles from Irvine to Fullerton. New overtures from the mayors of Irvine, Costa Mesa and Santa Ana seek to start the line with new routing through those three cities.

The southern leg of the line raises a different set of routing considerations from the controversial central and northern end, which ran into trouble in heavily populated neighborhoods. There are concerns in Irvine as well, but OCTA officials should revisit the proposal for the three cities and evaluate ridership and cost figures. The wise use of light rail can be an integral part of an overall transportation network.

A third project in the development stage is an OCTA proposal offering some of its refurbished vans to cities willing to establish local service to its senior population. OCTA would pick up 80% of the cost.

Many of the county’s large and increasing number of older residents become dependent on public transit as they age and can no longer drive or use regular bus service. It’s vital to provide them some mobility lest they become shut-ins.

The district board should approve the plan for vans when it comes up next month. Cities should be eager to look into how they can implement the opportunity to design and run their own local systems.

The Riverside Freeway, CenterLine and senior van programs are projects on the authority’s wish list. Some of the other ambitious, and critically needed, fixes include widening the Garden Grove Freeway, and rapid transit buses. District officials are considering taking over the project from the state, a good idea if, as proposed, it can shave two years off the projected 2009 completion date.

The car will always be king in Orange County, but a major urban area (Orange County is the fourth most populated in the nation) needs a balanced transportation system. That means adequate freeways supplemented with bus and rail service. Achieving that will depend in large part on how many of OCTA’s wishes come true.