We Need New Ideas On Transportation

By Joe Shaw

We need smart growth in Huntington Beach. That term encompasses both higher density development in some places, and preservation of open space and wetlands in other places. It also requires long term planning to bring a new level of technology to transportation so we don't strangle on our traffic.

And just this week, Anaheim signed an agreement with the OCTA and county supervisors to buy land to create the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center, which the LA Times reports will "include the county's largest bus terminal, a parking structure, platforms for Amtrak and Metrolink trains and room to add tracks for high-speed rail."

As our highway infrastructure gets older, as gridlock increases and as gas prices rise, it's time for Huntington Beach leaders to look to the future.

In the short term, shuttle buses up and down PCH and around downtown might add some modest relief, but we also need to be looking at new technologies. One such solution is a Personal Rapid Transit system. It would be highly energy efficient, would add capacity without taking away current lanes from our roadways, and would be so effi cient and convenient that sixty per cent of our residents would prefer riding it to driving in individual cars.

As we speak, the third largest steel company in the world is building a Personal Rapid Transit test track in Sweden's fourth largest city.

A PRT system would avert the impending crisis in senior transportation, and connect our beaches, resorts, and downtown with Anaheim's attractions, the airport and South Coast Metro areas, large employers, and other major attractions.

Right now, grant money is available to cities in Orange County to apply for grants to study transit systems. Our staff seems to be focusing on a train that goes on old railroad tracks through industrial areas from Ellis to Stanton and then to Anaheim. That's a start, but I'd rather see us work with neighboring cities on 21st century solutions.

We need smart growth in Huntington Beach. That term encompasses both higher density development in some places, and preservation of open space and wetlands in other places. It also requires long term planning to bring a new level of technology to transportation so we don't strangle on our traffic.