Runaway runway expansion

Re “Getting too close to home,” Aug. 26

Thanks for sharing the concerns of the Westchester/Playa del Rey community by bringing attention to the sad story that is Los Angeles International Airport. But nowhere in the article did I see that moving the runway to the north was the resolution to the near-misses. What about poor pilot judgment? What about control tower error? Are we just moving the runway to the north, at great expense, to compensate for poor human judgment? What next -- will we start widening lanes on the freeway because people have trouble staying within the designated space? Should we start abolishing compact parking spaces? The Federal Aviation Administration’s request defies any human logic and is yet another attempt to enlarge an already out-of-control airport. When will the city step up and insist that regional airports take more traffic? Wouldn’t that reduce the number of near-misses too?

Bill Farnum

Los Angeles

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A vast majority of the runway safety problems at LAX have occurred on the south runways. This problem is already in the process of being rectified. It is, at least, disingenuous to use historical data from all LAX runways to scare and mislead the general population that the north runways are unsafe. Why won’t the forces that are so determined to move the north runways further into the surrounding communities allow an independent review? Because it will show unequivocally that the issue of the north runways is not one of safety.

Karen Kanter

Playa del Rey