Stop Railing at Rulings and Buy More Buses

Condemnation of the MTA board of directors for its consistent demonstration of defiance of court-ordered rulings and its ongoing lack of good faith in honest attempts to improve the present inferior bus service should be forthcoming from the civic and business leadership of Los Angeles, including The Times (“Final MTA Appeal of Bus Accord Fails,” March 19).

It is criminal that $1 million of taxpayer funds were wasted on continuous appeals that most legal experts agreed had no merit. Although Roger Snoble, the recently hired CEO of the MTA, was not on board when the original decree to purchase additional new buses was ordered, by continuing the costly legal appeals he quickly demonstrated no intention of altering the concrete mind-set of his predecessor.

Snoble’s statement that the public transportation needs of the people will not be met by relying on “40-foot buses to do the job” is a cynical excuse for not providing for the present lack of buses, which causes many long waits and overcrowding. However, as the highest-paid department chief in L.A. County, it’s not likely that Snoble, or the other members of the MTA board, are dependent on buses for their regular transportation.

Sid Skolnik

West Hollywood

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So the Bus Riders Union wants the MTA to provide more buses and delay new light rail projects? All this because people have to stand up during rush hours? This sounds quite ridiculous.

So what if people have to stand up? Don’t they realize that the new rail lines will benefit everyone? I’m all for the NAACP and most of its actions, but it seems way off base here. These groups’ actions will delay (or even squash) long-awaited rail lines for Angelenos because they want buses that are a waste of our tax money.

John Formento

Isla Vista