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Tracking the Centerline It was very disheartening to read Mike Mott's letter to the editor ["We Need to Change Lanes," Oct 30, 2001]. Light rail fans confuse the cause and effect of congestion. Contrary to Mott's claim, the reason for congestion is not that we built too many roads; it is that we have not built enough. Even with our vast network, Southern California endures the lowest per capita mileage in the nation. Transportation engineers did accurately predict and plan for the growth we experienced. However, this “Master Plan of Freeways and Expressways” was shelved in the 1970s and we got left with only half the system. If reducing congestion is the goal, data shows light rail fails as a solution. Even light rail advocates admit it, and will actively work to maintain congestion in the hopes of getting people on the train. Orange County has been very smart not to fall victim to this logic. We spent $5 billion dollars on freeways, and have seen definite improvement. Los Angeles County blew $7 billion on rail, and the parallel freeways remain as congested as ever. Chris
Hughes
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