Letters to the Editor: What would happen to the Sepulveda Transit Corridor in an earthquake?

To the editor: I can’t help worrying about the thousands of my fellow citizens who could be trapped underground in that very long Sepulveda tunnel during an inevitable earthquake (“Transit through the Sepulveda Pass is the first step in redesigning L.A.’s future,” Jan. 20).

My recommended alternative to Metro is to repurpose the existing 405 carpool lanes as bus lanes for electrified buses. This approach could transport as many passengers per hour for a fraction of the construction price and a fraction of the time to implement. It also keeps all of Metro’s passengers above ground through the Sepulveda Pass, addressing the earthquake concern.

I urge Metro to consider the simple, low-cost solution and avoid a potential disaster.

Mike Jamgochian, Redondo Beach

..

To the editor: Let’s see, a train tunnel through the Sepulveda Pass. I have to get to the station — of course by car, because where I live is too far away to walk, and there is no nearby bus stop. And then, I’ll have to get from the station at the other end to my job, again by car if work is not near a Metro line or bus.

Does that mean owning two cars, one for each station? Or, to be at work on time, just get up several hours early to make all the connections? Oh, and because it’s L.A., the train station will need to have parking too, with lots of electric vehicle charging stations.

L.A. is a sprawling city that was planned around a car culture of convenience. Before Metro starts boring a hole under the 405, the overloaded, congested traffic infrastructure within the city needs to be appropriately addressed.

Better yet, residents can just have the patience to drive the 405, and the city can instead take all the billions saved to address the homelessness.

Mark Shapiro, Los Angeles