In an action that
should infuriate any 91 freeway commuter, the Orange
County Transportation Authority has decided not to
bother joining together with the Riverside County
Transportation Commission to study a new highway
between the two counties. Citing testimony from
the usual suspects, the Sierra Club and the NIMBYs (Silverado
Canyon and Rancho Santa Margarita), the agency wants
to hold off on a new road and would rather make minor
improvements to the 91 corridor. I hesitate to
say improvements, because the proposed new Lakeview
onramp and extra lane will not magically increase the
capacity of the 91 to handle the 450,000 vehicles per
day expected in the next 20 years. OCTA also
wants expand Metrolink service and run buses down the
express lanes. As it stands now, the daily
Metrolink ridership combined from both the Riverside
to Los Angeles and Inland to Orange County lines only
amounts to just 7,776 people. Simple math
indicates that an increase in Metrolink ridership in
proportion to the expected increase in freeway usage,
Metrolink would only average 15,213 daily riders.
Running buses is pointless, because that would just
duplicate the existing rail function and add more
vehicles to an already overburdened freeway.
These mass transit options also do not run on the
weekend. As everyone knows, sometimes the 91
clogs up on Saturday and Sunday just as badly as the
rest of the week. Furthermore, the 91 is an
inconvenient and roundabout route for people coming
from the growing areas of Lake Elsinore, Murrieta,
and Temecula.
As a 21-year Orange
County resident, I am ashamed of how arrogant we are
acting. Orange County has a short memory.
Not too long ago, Orange County was where Riverside
County is today. People moved to Orange County
because of its affordable housing and the lifestyle
it offered. As Orange County matured, it
actually became a job destination. This will
eventually happen to Riverside County. Orange
County residents will be kicking themselves when the
commute becomes bi-directional and they try to get to
their jobs in Riverside County. Sadly, the most
appalling and shameless display of arrogance comes
from Rancho Santa Margarita’s opposition to a
new highway. That fairly young community has
exploded with growth and brought more housing to
Orange County. A lot of that development is due
in large part to a shiny new highway known as the 241.
The 241 was punched through previously untouched land
and was built in an environmentally responsible
manner. Any new highway would be built the same
way. In fact, a tunnel underneath the forest
has even been proposed, which would barely affect the
land. Plus, any proposed route would connect to
the 241 miles away from any homes or businesses.
None of these facts matter to OC residents.
Obviously Rancho Santa Margarita, as well as the rest
of Orange County, has decided, “We’ve got
ours and that’s all that matters, so the rest of
you can suffer.”
It is time for
Riverside County to flex its economic muscle and make
Orange County suffer. What Orange County
forgets is Riverside County’s contribution to
the economy. Those 91 freeway commuters
patronize Orange County businesses when they buy
gasoline, eat at restaurants during lunch, and stop
for groceries on the way home.
Those commuters also
take themselves and their families to Orange County
beaches and other entertainment destinations.
Wait until you get in to Riverside County until you
fill up. Take a sack lunch to work, with food
you bought at Inland Empire grocery stores.
When your non-Riverside County co-workers ask you why
you will not go out to lunch with them, stand up and
explain the situation. Visit Los Angeles
or San Diego beaches and keep your entertainment
dollars in the Inland Empire. Boycott Orange
County until it decides to stop being a selfish
neighbor and gets serious about fixing the traffic
problems—which means building a new highway.
Chris Hughes
Director, Friends of Southern California’s
Highways
