Toll Roads Have Risks That Aren’t Being Told

Re “Toll Board Sees a Merger as Cure for Its Ills,” April 26:

Can any of our elected officials explain what is going on with Orange County’s toll roads?

The 91 Express Lanes are purchased in order to retire the noncompetition agreements that blocked improvements to the public freeway. Orange County Supervisor Todd Spitzer approves the purchase because the toll road “relied on congestion and a lack of mobility to get people to pay. It’s bad public policy.” But apparently it’s OK for Orange County’s other toll roads, which continue to have similar noncompete agreements.

Even with such agreements, the San Joaquin Hills toll road is drowning in red ink. Panicked board members, fearing bankruptcy, want the road merged with the Foothill/Eastern toll roads. But officials of the Foothill/Eastern roads are reworking traffic and revenue projections in the wake of the El Toro airport defeat. That’s why Foothill/Eastern board members are saying they have a lot of “research” to do.

Despite ominous financial indications, those same board members are spending millions to design the unneeded Foothill South toll road, which would add nearly a billion in debt to the toll roads’ current $4-billion debt.

When will Orange County leaders tell taxpayers the whole story about the toll roads and come clean on the financial risks these public agencies are taking?

Bill Corcoran

Regional director, Sierra Club

Los Angeles

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Re “Opening Up the 91 Freeway,” Editorial, April 28:

You write that “a strategy that benefited only those motorists who can buy their way out of traffic jams is flawed.” Why not try rephrasing that: A strategy that benefits only some politically favored motorists is unwise, unfair and corrupt. Unfortunately, the latter strategy is still in place and carries your continued support.

The 91 toll lanes will continue to levy a toll so only those who can buy their way into the lanes will get the maximum benefit. Yes, some carpools may get a free ride, but those politically favored motorists also are paying a price, which many cannot afford. At the same time, needed freeways are not being built because politically favored motorists who live in the area resist them. The result is not only severe congestion but also increased pollution from vehicles operating at inefficient speeds.

Alternatives to the Riverside Freeway have been suggested for years, and some were included in state planning 40 years ago. Alternatives to the San Diego Freeway were also once planned and would have alleviated traffic problems in Encino, which you also described.

Ironically, a more-complete freeway network in urbanized areas might actually reduce the incentive for people to move to outlying areas with smoother traffic patterns.

Dave Close

Costa Mesa

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I agree with your observation that the decision by the Orange County Transportation Authority to buy the 91 toll lanes was a good one for regional transportation. Supervisor Todd Spitzer, Irvine Councilman Mike Ward and OCTA Chief Executive Art Leahy ought to be commended for their vision and leadership in coming to grips with this serious problem.

I disagree, however, with your analysis of the public policy issues involved, particularly your characterization of the toll lanes as a “misguided chapter in the county’s toll road experiment.” You correctly observe that when the toll lanes were built, there was no other solution to the problem of needed additional capacity in the corridor. California Private Transportation Co. stepped up and invested over $135 million to build the lanes and provide that relief. Wall Street demanded the noncompetition clause as a way to make sure the bonds would be repaid to investors as they would for any business.

We see those same noncompetition clauses in our public sector toll roads built and operated by the Transportation Corridor Agencies. The only problem was that growth in the region, particularly in Riverside County, outpaced California Private Transportation Co.’s ability to pay off the bonds. So it was appropriate that OCTA stepped up to assume the remaining debt, reward the company with a reasonable profit and assume responsibility for improving the corridor.

It is still a “win-win” for the public, and there are no bad guys in this story. The entrepreneurs of the company deserve credit for rolling the dice and providing relief for the corridor. OCTA deserves credit for accepting the challenge of providing for the next stage of improvements. The process has evolved to meet the needs of a rapidly changing region. Thank goodness for leaders such as Spitzer, Ward, Leahy and California Private Transportation Co.

Randy Smith

Yorba Linda