Readers React: For tech-savvy California, high-speed rail is old technology

To the editor: I have ridden bullet trains in Germany and France and loved them. I am also a certified tree hugger — and I believe that Dick Startz is right that bullet trains are not right for California now. (“‘Smart’ highways, not bullet trains, for California,” Opinion, Nov. 25)

Bullet trains work in Europe and Japan because they are already in place and fully integrated in their transportation system, but they are old technology. In California, we are on the cusp of the transportation system of the future, with cars and trucks capable of autonomous driving just around the corner.

California is the worldwide leader in this technology, and we should invest our money to bring it to maturity. Dedicated lanes along the 5 Freeway that move traffic at 100 miles per hour would not be as fast as a bullet train, but they make up for it in convenience and flexibility at a fraction of the cost.

I think Gov. Jerry Brown is the greatest, but on this issue technology has overtaken him.

Paul Rosenberger, Manhattan Beach

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To the editor: The original purpose of high-speech rail was to replace air travel between cities under 400 miles apart, similar to what other countries have done. In California, the airlines should be major stakeholders in high-speed rail because they account for about 20,000 people a day flying direct between the Bay Area and Southern California.

The recently completed widening of the 405 Freeway along 10 miles of it in West L.A. and the Sepulveda Pass cost $1.1 billion. The idea that, for about $2 billion, you could add extra lanes on the 5 Freeway between Northern and Southern California to accommodate thousands of people a day in their own cars moving safely at more than 100 miles per hour is very far-fetched.

Unfortunately, California’s bullet train has become a boondoggle that will never accomplish what the electorate supported, which was a direct ride to the Bay Area in less than three hours.

Dennis Arntz, Laguna Niguel

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To the editor: Brown should take heed of this very important piece.

For rapid transit to succeed in California, the “last mile” problem must be overcome. Getting drivers to and from the railhead and onto the track in the comfort and privacy of our own cars is the solution that will make transit popular, affordable and profitable.

Rapid transit between Anaheim and Los Angeles International Airport or between San Jose and San Francisco International Airport would serve so many more of us than a bullet train between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Plus, when it comes to smart highways, the land under our freeways is already appropriated.

Ultimately, it may be necessary to add magnetic levitation or some such technology to our smart highways. Our cars will need to be standardized to conform to the driverless system. Modular cars may also be robotically parked, stacked and returned on demand.

Maitland Alexander, Oxnard

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