There’s No Single Answer

The Times Orange County Edition published an eight-page special report on transportation last Sunday. It was a comprehensive look at the problems caused by Orange County’s growing traffic congestion and at some possible solutions.

One of the most surprising facts the report documented was that commuter traffic in Orange County is now actually worse than in Los Angeles, which has a reputation as the traffic congestion capital of the country.

Orange County, which leads the state in the number of registered vehicles per freeway mile, also leads in freeway tie-ups, with motorists here running into more delays in their daily commute than motorists do in Los Angeles.

In fact, according to federal transportation officials, traffic in Orange County is among the worst in the nation. Statistics rank the county 17th among the nation’s 20 largest metropolitan areas in the number of freeway miles per million residents.

And the congestion is worse each year because the county is among the nation’s leaders in the growth of the number of vehicles being driven to work each day.

Motorists who fight the traffic each day, spending more time driving at slower speeds, can see the tie-ups getting worse each year. Traffic officials at the regional Southern California Assn. of Governments warn that if nothing is done about congestion, current trends will turn today’s 1-hour commute into a more than 3-hour journey by 2010.

But something can be done. Not just one something, but a lot of somethings. The county cannot build its way out of the traffic problem, but more freeway lanes are needed.

Just throwing money at the problem won’t solve it. But more dollars must be raised, locally through an increase in the sales tax, to help overcome the $8-billion shortfall in the county’s $19.5-billion 20-year master plan of highway and transit improvements.

Van- or car-pooling is another option that employers must strongly encourage. The vehicle pools do not work for everyone but can be a time- and cost-saving alternative for workers with long commutes. For others, bus or rail service might be better, or staggered work hours, 4-day weeks or working at home on computers tied to their offices.

Public officials must plan better and encourage projects that put housing and jobs closer together. Offices, stores, recreational facilities and apartments can be put into the same high-rise building. Smarter roads and cars that operate electronically, like the ones being tested in Europe and Japan, and already proven people-movers, monorails, super streets and transitways are other solutions.

The one dominant reality that emerged from the transportation report is that there is no one solution to the county’s traffic problems. There are different approaches for different people in different situations. Motorists and employers must seek the alternatives that work best for them.

But alternatives must be pursued. Vigorously. Improvements must be made--just to keep traffic no worse than it is. Discouraging as it may seem, that in itself will be progress.