Toll Roads
Mike Ward’s September 1999 Viewpoint on the toll roads boasted that OC would now “enjoy the benefits of an innovative and successful transportation system.”
In a Viewpoint in April of this year, Robert Poole wrote that the “Toll Roads make sense.” In the Oct. 30 edition, Peter Brennan did several pages on the toll roads, detailing the funding, investment, ownership, expansion, and bond support.
In each of these three articles, less than one paragraph gave attention to the most important aspect of the issue: public interest. While studies were mentioned in all three, the respective inferences were that the research on public acceptance was cursory at best. Should they take the time to investigate, and relinquish their “captive audience” arrogance (we all know OC is growing, thank you), it would become painfully evident that Orange Countians don’t want to turn the Southland into New Jersey. We should not have to pay taxes and shell out several dollars to take a five to 10-minute drive down the road. Hopefully, this Eastern-based scam will fail sufficiently to be halted from expanding further.
Dave Mulnard
Director, Human Resources
Tustin
I am getting tired of the constant articles in various newspapers about the failure of the Orange County toll roads.
Don’t any of the critics realize that for once we are ahead of the cycle? The toll roads are not for today, but tomorrow. As Orange County continues to grow, and as Los Angeles, San Diego and Riverside counties continue to grow, traffic in and through Orange County will become increasingly heavy during the next 20 years and more. I truly doubt that the toll roads will be under-capacity in the year 2020. What if we waited for the traffic pressures of 2020 before starting the toll roads? Would environmental pressures be lighter? Would costs be less?
Rather than chastising ourselves for the toll roads currently being under capacity, we should be congratulating ourselves for having these magnificent roads in and completed and ready for the traffic pressures ahead. When the San Diego Freeway (405) was completed, I rode up and down the 405 at 65 miles an hour at any time of the day,the freeway was wide open, even as I commuted from Los Angeles to Orange County in 1973. Would anyone do away with the 405 today? Let us cheer the San Joaquin Hills, Foothill and Eastern toll roads, and let us pray that the short-sighted, slow-growth/no-growth forces allow us to complete the Foothill toll road and permit the building of future toll roads.
Martin A. Brower
Publisher
Orange County Report
Corona del Mar
Re the Oct. 30 story on Grant Holland’s “vision” of a toll road in the Santa Ana River: Where did this fellow get the bright idea to run a road through a river bed? Maybe he had in mind creating another Atlantis! Sure hope he never runs for the planning commission. His next project will be planning an airport in a no-fly zone.
S.E. Nathan
Irvine
