Lack of coherence hinders rail projects

By Llewellyn "Lew" Miller

Efforts by the San Gabriel Valley cities to extend the Los Angeles-South Pasadena-Pasadena Gold Line light railroad to Montclair at the San Bernardino County border have produced a reaction from some members of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority that highlights why managing our region's transportation is so troubled.

Lack of coherence hinders rail projects By Llewllyn Miller Guest Columnist

Saturday, June 26, 2004 -

Efforts by the San Gabriel Valley cities to extend the Los Angeles-South Pasadena-Pasadena Gold Line light railroad to Montclair at the San Bernardino County border have produced a reaction from some members of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority that highlights why managing our region's transportation is so troubled.

At a recent (June 16) meeting of the MTA's Executive Management and Audit Committee, board members expressed their frustration with the San Gabriel Valley cities not waiting their turn to get their railroad. Those representing those cities tried to make a case of a middle ground.

Both sides have valid points and have a hard time explaining the other's behavior. Whether we agree with the exact words or sentiments of our opposites, all parties genuinely think they are right

I won't try to make the case for the Gold Line extension here. Instead, let's explore why the transportation conversation in the county in general is so dysfunctional using the extension as an example.

To begin, it should be acknowledged up front that the problems the city of Los Angeles faces as it tries to solve its nationally infamous congestion issues are probably unique in Southern California.

It is always going to be harder to acquire right-of way, satisfy environmental and safety concerns and overcome plain old "resistance to change" whenever you try to build something big like a new light rail system in a relatively densely populated city. It's also natural for Los Angeles to focus on the most obvious and vexing, long-standing problems like freeway congestion and bus service.

Solving those problems are regionally important, even if most residents of the county and the region don't think Los Angeles' problems are theirs. A healthy business-cultural-residential Los Angeles that's easily accessible to anyone within 50 miles of downtown is important to both that city and the region. Putting off solutions would be irresponsible.

But it's just as big a mistake to hold all other county transportation projects hostage until Los Angeles gets fixed. The assertion that any progress made on the Gold Line extension is automatically at the expense of the Expo Line assumes that the share of federal and state transportation money can not be expanded.

Even if you buy the anti-California mood in Washington, that doesn't explain why we get so much less per capita than either the Bay Area or San Diego. It's mostly due to our notorious lack of coherence when we go to Washington and Sacramento. Forcing unity by trying to place all projects in single line behind the most challenging ones located in the Los Angeles won't work.

First, it is not necessary. We are so big and so congested that even Washington knows we need help. Postponing the Gold Line extension will not speed up the Exposition Line unless you plan it that way.

Second, the longer we wait to deal with the eastern end of the county, the more the solutions will take on the difficulties of big city projects.

The Gold Line extension is planned to terminate in Montclair, just over the Los Angeles County line near the epicenter of the most explosive housing boom in the country. Regardless of our feelings about this kind of growth, we all know it leads to more freeway congestion and pollution.

Third, the two reasons I just mentioned combine to encourage end runs around the MTA because its timetable is out of kilter with the rest of the county -- and the region, for that matter.

I'm sure we all could spend a lot more time rehashing past justifications for mistrust and lining up the people we hold responsible for creating such an uncooperative environment, but that familiar exercise is exactly what helps Washington think we are all nuts. As a relative newcomer to this drama, I don't have any personal grudges yet, but I don't want to spend much time getting all the history straight. I'll wait for the mini-series.

We are seriously overdue for a meeting of minds -- not a symbolic summit -- among the MTA, Los Angeles County, the cities, our state legislative and U.S. congressional delegations -- or at least a memorandum of understanding so we stop shooting each other.

-- Llewellyn Miller is mayor pro tem of Claremont.