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Toll road decision could come any day now
December 10th, 2008, 5:02 pm · 29 Comments · posted by Pat Brennan, science, environment editor
Orange County’s supercharged environmental debate — to build or not to build the Foothill South toll road through San Onofre State Beach park – could burst into public consciousness again within days.
A decision is due soon from the U.S. Secretary of Commerce on whether to overturn the state Coastal Commission’s denial of the project. Those involved say they expect it by next week.
The 16-mile toll road, an extension of the 241 toll road, became a federal concern after Orange County’s Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency appealed the state body’s decision to the Commerce secretary in February.
The appeal was filed within days of a raucous public hearing before the Coastal Commission that drew thousands to the Del Mar Fairgrounds, and ended in the toll road’s defeat. 
(Toll road opponents shown at right.)
Commerce held its own, only somewhat more subdued hearing in the same place in September. 
(Supporters shown at left.)
The tollway agency says the $1.3 billion road is vital to relieve future traffic congestion in south Orange County. It would complete the county’s network of toll roads. The agency also says building the road would provide tens of thousands of jobs.
But activists say the environmental costs are too high. The road would cut through San Onofre State Beach park, and they say it would disrupt the tranquility of a popular campground there. It would also cut through habitat for a variety of sensitive species.
The activist groups also say their studies show sediment flowing downstream during construction could harm surfing at the famous Trestles beach, although the tollway agency says its own, separate studies show the opposite: no effect on Trestles.
The tollway agency’s appeal was allowed under the federal Coastal Zone Management Act, and Commerce has overturned Coastal Commission decisions in the past. But the toll agency must persuade Commerce that the toll road project is of national importance in order to win an override.
The legal deadline for the decision is Dec. 23, a Commerce spokesman said, and officials there hope to render a decision before that date. They can, however, request a 15-day extension if necessary.
Both sides say that no matter who wins, the toll road will likely land back in court as one side or the other seeks a ruling to void it.
“If the opinion goes against us, we will certainly look at that as an option,” said tollway agency spokeswoman Lisa Telles. “But we are going to wait and see what it actually says.”
Mark Rauscher of the Surfrider Foundation, a leader in the fight against the toll road, said he’s hopeful, but wary.
“We’re up against a million-dollar PR and lobbying budget at (the Transportation Corridor Agency), and we’re talking about a last-minute decision in the Bush administration, so it’s very possible it’s going to go badly for us,” Rauscher said.
Even if the Coastal Commission’s decision is overturned, it could be some time before the road can be built.
Any lawsuit filed would likely slow the approval process.
And the toll road agency will have to return to the commission for a coastal development permit, requiring another public hearing — “probably at Del Mar,” joked Mark Delaplaine, a coastal commission staff member who authored a report recommending denial of the project.
The tollway agency also must obtain permits from other government agencies to move ahead.
For planning purposes, Telles said her agency is using 2010 as a target for the start of construction. Once under way, construction of the toll road would take about three years.
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- Pros and cons of the toll road extension proposal
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Wow, I see a few very uninformed comments posted in articles about this topic in favor of this proposed toll road. So I’d like to point a few things out to those of you who support this toll road…
Whether or not the toll road was planned before or after the creation of San Mateo Campground is irrelevant. The plan was a bad one from the start that violated the Coastal Act (among others) whether or not San Mateo Campground or San Onofre State Beach was or was not already there. Laws or whatever was passed a long time ago saying even if Camp Pendleton pulls out, that land is to become either a state park or preserve.
TCA is very well known for their deceptive business practices. They are struggling for life; their roads are a failed experiment. They will say whatever they need to say, whether or not it is the truth, because they are grasping for funding and public support to survive. They have even asked for Federal assistance, taking a large chunk of money away from all transportation needs for our entire country. What business does TCA have building more toll roads when they are already in financial trouble?
The bill creating the TCA and toll roads needs to be eliminated and those roads should be free for all to ride. We already pay for roads through taxes. We should not have to pay to drive any freeway. Our state should fix their financial troubles and not pass off our transportation needs to private companies. Stop developing literally every inch of land left in Southern California and traffic problems won’t continue to get worse.
Some think the purpose of this toll road is to relieve traffic. I want to remind everyone that TCA gets what is called an impact use fee of about $4,000.00 for every house built along their toll road. 16 miles of open land with nothing but a toll road. What do you think will happen? How many new homes do you think will fit along that 16 mile stretch of open space? And the only road they will have available is that toll road. What do you think that is going to do for the traffic problem in Rancho Santa Margarita or San Clemente? If you think traffic is bad you haven’t seen anything yet. TCA does not care about your traffic concerns, they care about revenue. Tolls and impact use fees is how they make their money. And so far it is not working very well, if it was TCA would not be crying for a Federal bailout.
Now I’m not saying traffic is not a problem or that something should not be done about it. This proposed road has been mis-sold to the public as a false solution. Don’t let TCA fool you.
Open space is good for our environment. It helps global warming–miles of concrete and pollution only adds to the environmental problems. The Coastal Act was created to protect our beautiful coastlines. For those of you who might not care too much about that, think of this as revenue. Many travel to the California coast on vacations. Scar the coastline with development, block access to our beaches you are going to take away the reason people come here. Any of you pro-toll road people own a business that travelers may spend $ at? You think twice before you support any coastline development.
The proposed road was in violation of our coastal, environmental and endangered species act from the very beginning and there is no way the proposed route TCA has chosen will ever be compliant. Trestles attracts tourism from all over the world, San Mateo watershed is our last natural creek from mountains to sea, San Onofre State Beach is probably our last undeveloped beach in Southern California. This is more important than another financially failing toll road and the possibly of hundreds of thousands or more new homes and drivers on our already congested roads.
TCA needs to stop pushing for their poorly planned project and stop wasting our tax dollars with court proceedings trying to fight the law. If an average everyday citizen killed an endangered species what do you think would happen to you? But TCA believes they are above our laws and TCA believes they should be allowed to do anything they want.
Abolish TCA! Save San Onofre!
Let’s hope the Commerce Department bases its decision on the facts, which are clearly on the side of completing the 241. Every state and federal agency involved in the approval process, except the anti-road Coastal Commission, have said the road doesn’t harm the environment, endangers, species, etc., and actually protects some species better than before. No park sites close, during or after construction. Something like 2 tents of one percent of the watershed is used for the road. The road ends a half mile from the beach on Camp Pendleton, NOT at Trestles. Outside experts even called data used by the opposition as “junk science.” For anyone who commutes in OC, we need the road. Future gridlock will be disaster. And emissions? Obviously if 21 million cars spend an hour on the road instead of 30 minutes, pollution is doubled. And think about the impact on our neighborhoods in San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point, Laguna Niguel and more? Where do the commuters go when the I-5 is a disaster? Into our neighborhoods. Here’s hoping Commerce looks at the facts and the needs of millions, rather than the BS of the anti-road and anti-growthers, many of whom don’t even live in the area.
Check out this pics of Chiquita Canyon at the url below, can’t let the same thing happen in San Onofre and Donna ONeill Land Conservancy. TCA sure didn’t worry about their toll road causing rare and endangered species destruction did they? This is their solution, build a road and block public access to the surrounding area. This is the future of San Onofre if that 241 extension is built:
http://www.ocregister.com/photos/trail-browne-area-2246181-signs-people/pid2246193
Orange County needs traffic relief and jobs and the 241 will provide both.
Cindy is playing the environmental boogeyman and it is getting tiring.
The enviro-left has been playing the chicken little role about the toll roads for decades, yet none of their doomsday scenarios have come to pass.
Now they’ve switched tactics and rant about imagined government bailouts that have no basis in reality. If the repayment of the bonds runs under projections, the tolls just stay on longer. Eventually they will come off and the roads will become highways.
The way Cindy talks, one might infer that TCA is a private company. It is not. It is a public agency and the roads are all state highways and are property of the State of California.
Cindy is part of the vocal minority that opposes traffic relief because they believe by creating traffic congestion, they can social engineer people on to public transportation (buses and trains). That doesn’t work, it only kills the economy and frustrates commuters.
It is laughable to say that the Marines are going to “pull out” of Camp Pendleton. That’s the largest Marine base on the west coast and isn’t going anywhere. However the State Park, which is located on Camp Pendleton property, has a lease that expires in 2021. So if anyone is leaving anytime soon, it’s the State Park, not the Marines.
If the Secretary of Commerce is concerned at all about jobs and the economy he’ll overturn the Coastal Commission’s activist ruling.
Build it now…because it is a STATE PARK the citezens of the state should demand lets say a $10.00 a car tariff for useing PUBLIC land for a private enterprise, and if like you say it is really needed then the revenue made by the state for the “per car, per use” tax could be used to help balance our budget. This might be a fair and equitable trade off as people in the Sacremento area for instance that might use the park but not the tollway.
Toxicnut, actually the toll roads have offered $100 million (slightly more than your $10 per car theory) to the state parks, which I personally think is ludicrous since the state DOES NOT EVEN OWN THE LAND!!!
Mind you, the land is OWNED BY THE MARINES. The lease the state signed allows for the road to be built. If they didn’t want the road, they shouldn’t have signed the lease.
Its a state park for recreational use, not for the TCA to further their diabolical plan of building more toll roads. It will not relieve traffic congestion, only a select few use it, and only would benefit them.
lastly why do we even have a state park system, if we are just going to destroy the parks ?
In a matter of just a few years, the new Hwy 241 extension through the State Park will not help to relieve the traffic anyway. The main reason the TCA wants the toll road is to allow access to the 175,000 acres of undeveloped land in South OC. That private land, slated in the general plan for some 25,000 to 35,000 new homes to be built inland, between San Clemente and Rancho Santa Margarita, have been in the pipeline for the same 20 years that the 241 extension has been planned. The developers need a way to access that land. Thus, in the long run, the new homes will create enough new traffic to gridlock the I5/241 interchange both north and southbound within a few years after the road is built. (See the same comment above regarding the I15 corridor through Temecula/Murietta area). If the 241 people would have had it together way back then, some 20 yrs ago, they could have routed this fwy through San Clemente and no one, incl the Coastal Commission could have said anything about it. But, big developers couldn’t stand to wait, and so they built out San Clemente and any access route through that city. Now they want the State Park lands for the tollway so more homes can and will be built inland from San Clemente. But “Big Money” (and the Irvine Co and the Rancho Mission Viejo Co are some of the “Biggest” money of them all) will talk, the Federal Government will listen, and eventually the 241 will be built through the State Park. Watch and see what happens next.
Cindy has got it backwards. the 241 will actually increase access to the parks and beaches from all over Orange County and even LA and Riverside, which is why the surf crowd is anti-road. They don’t want any more people coming to their nice little private beach. read the comments on surflines and the other surfer blogs. lots of chatter about keeping the 909-ers “off our beach1″
Build a road through Pendleton. Save the park and take it away from businessmen. That’s who are behind the Toll Road. Developers and the owners of the Toll Road.
The road through Pendleton would still serve the same purpose. The 5 cuts right through it all the way to Oceanside.
Save Trestles, BAH.
The road has nothing to do with Trestles.
Might as well wave “Save the DoDo” signs.
Green guy must be smoking something. the 241 doesn’t destroy the park. it goes through part of San Mateo campground. inland. not even close to the beach campgrounds. camp sites stay open. nothing closes. better facilities get added. easier access will be a good thing too.
Dennis, it’s not 25,000 to 30,000 home, its 14,000 homes… and they’ve already been approved.
Those homes are going in whether the 241 is built or not.
Have fun on the city streets in Mission Viejo, San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente if there isn’t an altnerate route to the I-5 that goes AROUND your cities.
Why is the Federal Government involved and why should we listen? The toll road is obviously one to placate the rich of Coto de Casa and the like. Naturally, we will have those of whom ” Build it Now” is a good example who feel that the unspoiled beaches and coast lines aren’t all that important. Sad, isn’t it? In the end, those with the money will win and the rest will lose – but hasn’t that always been the “American Way”?
Did the building of the “trestles” in the 19th century do any damage? How then will an inland road?
Barack Obama is supporting this road being built as part of his recently announced “Infrastructure Stimulus Plan”!!!!
If the Coastal Commission was around years ago we wouldn’t have the 405 Freeway, and everyone would be on the 16 lane wide I-5 today. Enviro-nuts SUCK!
Dennis Said: “Those homes are going in whether the 241 is built or not.”
Sorry to burst your bubble but your wrong. Those houses cannot go in without that road. The environmental impact studies and state that there is currently not enough highway to support the development. The two main roads that can support this development, Crown Valley and the 74 have reached there limit.
To Build it now,
Be it 14,000 or 40,000, the fact of the matter is, these additional new homes will gridlock all south county roads regardless of the I5/241. And to be clear, the area, now wildland, is in the gereral plan and is “proposed” for that many additional new homes. Those new homes also requiring extreme fire prevention measures. That does not mean that the new developments have been “approved.” In fact, none can be “approved” until infrastructure can be provided for them. Therefore, the big special interest money that I have previously spoke of, will guarantee that the “241 Accessway” will eventually be built.
The TCA is a total failure that is asking for bailout funds from the federal government. The last thing that Orange “concrete” County needs is another failed toll road and 25,000 more houses in South County.
Who cares what the decision is. I suspect there are gay surfers and the No On Prop 8 people will appeal it to the State Supreme Court and demonstrate against all of the people in South Orange County who voted for Prop 8. Isn’t democracy wonderful???? Keep the nude beaches open!!!!!
I used to work in Foothill Ranch, and taking the tollroad saved me at least 30 minutes on my commute from Orange. If it went all the way down to the 5, I would take it every time I had to go down San Diego-way.
As always, the pro-toll-road commenters are as misinformed as aliens from another planet.
Here’s the facts: TCA is a “Developer”. State parks were created to protect small areas of rare and valuable natural land from “developers”, and to preserve that land into perpetuity (that means “forever”). The TCA toll road is a scam; it WILL ruin the environment, it WILL ruin San Mateo creek, it WILL ruin trestles, it WILL ruin San Mateo campground, and it Will cause a ton more traffic. Eventually.
If you want to see a few perfect examples of how much “developers” care about our rivers and watersheds, take a drive through Newport Beach, where the Santa Ana river meets the ocean. Go to Seal Beach, where the San Gabriel river meets the ocean. Go to Long Beach, where the L.A. river meets the ocean. Go to Marina Del Rey, where Ballona Creek Meets the ocean. These were all beautiful places once, until the “developers” got their wish. And “developers” always have a “good reason” why they need the land.
San Mateo Creek is the last remaining place of it’s kind left in Southern California, and that fact is due to one reason; our forerunners had the foresight to protect and preserve that tiny chunk of land against the inevitability of development. San Onofre State Park was created – to preserve the land, in it’s semi-natural state, for future generations of our great country to have and enjoy. And there was NEVER any clause that said “unless orange county needs jobs”, or “Orange county needs more roads”.
I’m not an environmentalist and I’m not a left wing anything. I’m an intelligent person who can see through the greed of the toll road scam. There are things money can’t buy, and once that land has been violated by the toll road, we (all of us) will have lost something truly rare and valuable that we can never, EVER replace.
Hey lost of construction folks here today. Getting paid for it?
Build it now, get a grip. I said IF the marines pulled out that open space is supposed to become a preserve or state park or whatever. Read. That is a fact from many years ago that many have forgotten. Try a little research and self education and you will see what I am talking about. Also notice #1 in the user agreement. And also #2. Since you paid no attention you obviously did not read #3 either. Read again, it’s right above the add your comment form.
Build it Now are you (or any of you other pro toll road people here) one of TCA’s paid supporters? Do you have a financial interest in the toll roads in any way? This is exactly the kind of tactics TCA and their PAID supporters use. False information given to the public, personal attacks on anyone who does not agree with them. Point proven. TCA should not exist. Nor should the toll roads. Freeways should be exactly that–free.
Jobs can be created in many ways in addition to roads and everyone knows that. Thousands of new homes bring an huge population increase and create more traffic congestion. 16 miles of toll road through open country brings nothing but hundreds of thousands of possibilities of more new homes and twice that amount of new drivers. Think logically. What is that going to do for traffic relief? Nothing but make it worse.
I would not oppose the toll road so much if it were not built through a natural preserve and a state park. Neither would anyone else most likely. Before OC allowed all that development they should have thought about if they had the infrastructure to support the population increase. Your tax dollars at work once again. Don’t blame people who care about the environment or their state parks and preserves. We are not the ones who created your traffic problems. If you choose to live in Southern California that is what you get, traffic. If you don’t like the traffic problem you should move elsewhere. State parks have always been hands off and that is how it should stay.
The bottom line is the toll roads are failing and do NOT solve traffic problems! The “tool” roads create traffic….. All the paid TCA purple Kool-Aid drinking idiots support this extension need this extension to survive so that they will have jobs…
The bottom line is sacred land, park land and open space which was set aside by level headed leaders will be destroyed… enough is enough!!!
DO NOT belive the TCA’s hype… they can barely screw in a light bulb…
They NEED this extension to keep their meager existence on the payroll…
In the next election vote these clowns out of office! November was their worst month on record…. the END is near… the 241 EXT is DEAD… F the TCA!!!
TCA does not have the 100 million to give to State Parks. They would have to raise the money with more bonds. That was stated by TCA themselves at the February 2008 hearing. That was before they asked the Federal Government for 1.1 billion dollars. Rider ship has been going downhill for a long time and TCA is in trouble. Funny some of the comments here are exactly what TCA themselves tried to say in both public hearings this year, the same lame arguments and false claims. What a coincidence huh? Any of you care to put your real names on these comments you write?
If the people of OC need jobs, why don’t they build a massive Public Transport system that would actually improve people’s lives, air quality, water quality, and still keep our parks?
The TCA just wants to line their own pockets, and then when the toll road goes broke (like the other one in OC) they’ll get a bail-out. That’s the American Way.
The entire OC toll road network was contrived way-back, to spread Sprawl aka master-planning, to develop-out South Orange County.
Fact: Big development projects the size of Rancho Santa Margarita, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, Ladera, etc – require big roads, adjacent to, or running thru them, to gain government-approval.
South County toll roads provided ‘that access’ to South County’s big open spaces after planned for Freeway routes thru South Orange County were
denied by Sacramento back in the early 1970′s.
Fact: OC’s toll roads ‘Brought the Traffic’ to South County, then priced YOU,
the majority (of commuters) OFF toll roads thru Congestion Pricing, forcing South County’s ‘new majority’ of commuters onto already crammed freeways and or, onto arterials (side roads); long-suffering past-due improvements due
to erroneous Non-Compete-Agreements written into TCA’s original toll road Legislation: mandating Caltrans go along with anything TCA desires aka ‘don’t fix the freeways’ scripting OC’s transportation Catch-22: taxpayer dollars pay for Caltrans, CHP and TCA litigation, as a rapidly shrinking OC-minority (less and less everyday) afford to drive South County toll roads (the 73 has ‘run’ in the Red since day-1) as the ‘Majority (YOU – ME) Pay’ for OC toll roads everyday, but never drive them.
According to TCA, if a Trestles toll road were paved today,
it would cost $15 one-way – OUCH!
Would you pay that?
NO.
Ignoring that ugly fact: a Trestles toll road would rain environmental havoc on San Mateo Watershed, San Onofre State Beach Park, San Mateo Creek, the pristine habitat and water quality of the many World Class surf breaks stretching from Cotton’s to San Onofre.
Ironically TCA’s toll road to Trestles would NEVER EVER relieve I-5 traffic.
No way. Not a lick. Because no one would ever be on it.
So don’t buy TCA’s hype.
It’s pure vapor. As are their constant media reminders of mostly empty toll
venues relieving freeway traffic? Empty toll roads relieve nothing.
A toll road coursing thru San Mateo Watershed is just one more development scam making OC traffic worse, not better, while ruining San Onofre State Beach Park and opening the destructive development-door to every other California State Parks. Our State Parks are endangered.
So, Save Trestles and we Save Everything Good.
Lose Trestles to a superfluous toll road,
and I-5 traffic will be so much worse.
Remember this: South County is a Developer’s Dream Come True. Literally.
Alll due to OC’s 51-miles of toll roads – promised to be Freeways by 2015.
Now they say 2045? or maybe 2065? Or maybe 3000? Or never.
Toll roads you can’t afford to drive on- but,
that you-pay-for everyday in your taxes.
Where’s the justice?
Ask your County Supervisor.
They hold OC transportation hostage, keeping it bottled-up in bogus toll road boondoggling, because it’s all about their Development Dealings,
not your Transportation needs.
Think of it this way:
The most expensive transportation model – is the one YOU can’t afford to use. That YOU are purposely priced-off-of.
But you pay for anyway.
Fact:
YOUR hardworking highway tax dollars SUBSIDIZE every OC toll road commuter.
YOU pay for their easy-breezy, empty-lanes-galore toll road commute.
Your tax dollars pay for ‘empty’ OC toll road lanes.
The same ones you should be driving on.
You pay for them.
You own them.
OC”s toll roads are California State Highways. Look at a map.
This is not just a Surfer issue.
But it did take surfers and campers and hikers to realize what was up at
San Onofre State Beach Park. California’s 5th most popular state park.
At its core, this is a Statewide Transportation issue
focused squarely on 6.4 miles of I-5 thru San Clemente.
The only stretch of OC’s I-5 never improved.
OCTA does plan to improve I-5 thru San Clemente.
But due to TCA boondoggling, not until after TCA’s proposed (needless) toll
road plows thru San Onofre. That’s why the cry went out “Fix-5-First!”
And “Finish La Pata!” (check South County ‘SJC/SC’ maps for LA Pata).
Because Fixing those two 1st eliminates TCA’s bogus toll road concept entirely. And, I-5 and La Pata must be finished regardless.
State Highway Fact:
I-5 is the Big Wazoo / CA’s Numero Uno Roadway period.
Tijuana to Canada, versus TCA’s piddly go nowhere loser toll road plan
meandering 2-lanes, each direction, to a proposed housing development
16-miles northeast of Trestles, someday.
This takes precedent over Fixing I-5?
Environmentally and traffic-wise – that’s plain dumb.
A road to nowhere good? no one would drive?, and wouldn’t help I-5?
Even dumber than TCA’s other toll roads.
The dumbest of all according to OCTA
(as our economy tanks deeper, OC toll roads get dumber by the second).
The real issue is: how to get YOU to work – affordably, safely, expediently.
As for our so-called city council representatives (?) and or our so-called County Supervisor (?), let’s add 3-new words to their transportation vocabulary: Honesty, Integrity, Accountability.
Add 2-more: Reality and Common Sense.
Merry Christmas OC commuter, or is it – TCA sucker?
Remember, it doesn’t have to be this way.
Saving Trestles is where to start.
We achieve that, and all the ‘real’ OC transportation solutions will come online. They’re already planned for.
But not until TCA stops roadblocking our commute with their toll road spin
will OC transportation step foot into the 21st Century.
A toll road to Trestles would ruin much, and solve nothing.
Remember, this County went bankrupt in 1994.
We pay $94-million dollars annually to that bankruptcy debt.
The Supervisors just cut $300-million in County spending
because basically we’re broke.
They’ve asked the Feds for a $1-Billion Toll Road bail-out loan
to keep TCA afloat (the 73 is broke, the 241 is underachieving).
Toll Road traffic has plummeted, and keeps sliding down, down, down.
TCA’s once lucrative new-home Development Fees, TCA’s secret cash cow, are no more.
Traffic everywhere has lessened due to the economy, making
freeways less crowded, killing the very idea of toll roads.
So, what is TCA doing (as you read this) –
They’re WIDENING their empty toll roads!
Huh?
Yes – then they plan to lower toll fares (they already have on the 91)
so you’ll want to take their toll roads.
But who picks up the toll price-difference after TCA discount the fares?
YOU WILL!
TCA calls it SHADOW TOLLING.
Toll fares YOU don’t know you’re paying.
Think of it as raising your highway taxes – again.
But what if you don’t take the toll roads?
No matter – you’ll still pay – just like now, only you pay more.
It’s called SUBSIDIZING your toll road commute. Except YOU do it!
SUBSIDIZING transportation is generally frowned on in the OC.
The Supervisors regularly preach “Privatize Everything.”
Like what Wall Sreet did. No oversight.
That’s why they love toll roads. Because they’re supposedly
Privately owned (but not really, because the State owns the roadways).
So what the heck are OC toll roads?
They’re partially private Roads, that you pay for, if you drive them, or not.
Face it – OC toll roads are not for everyone.
Just those who can afford the fare.
But they’re paid for by all of us, 100% of the time.
So a few well-healed commuters can keep enjoying No-traffic commuting.
Think of OC Toll Roads as providing Social Help (a traffic safety net) for OC’s wealthy toll road commuter. And YOU pick up the tab, as you drive the freeway, wishing you could actually take a train to work. But trains are subsidized, and OC supervisors don’t believe in subsidizing transportation…unless its
a Shadow Toll’ed OC toll road.
Foggy nothions don’t bother them.
Especially on your dime.
Are you beginning to see, how this whole OC / TCA toll road boondoggle;
the more you learn about it, is so much bigger than just Trestles?
One big transportation Shadowy Highway Ponzi Scheme, hovering
over our county’s mass-transportation, or lack of.
But benefitting who?
That’s the Shadowy part.
Someone’s profiteering here. But not you. You’re paying.
Maybe we’re too stupid to understand.
Like Wall Street bail-outs and the like.
No one understands those either.
But we do it. We just keep paying.
Until the bottom falls out.
51-miles of freeway capacity roadways (OC toll roads), 90% of OC’ers never ever see. But we all pay for – boy do we.
Thru the nose and then some.
Save Trestles.
It’s the perfect place to get smart about OC transportation.
And look at all we save in doing it.
Pass it on citizen.
Enough with TCA’s highway robbery.
There is just so much wrong with wanting to build an expencive to use toll road along, and in our last clean watershed, and tear up 65% of one of the 5 most popular State Parks in California.
The only reason anyone would want to to this is out of greed Ie. wanting to develope housing along the Toll Road , or lack of imformation. What fool belives an East to West detour will speed up traffic more than widening the bottleneck that’s causing the problem.
You don’t have to be a tree hugger or a surfer trying to keep a world famouse location unspoiled. Camp grounds with such beautifull surroundings are few and far between and can’t truly be enjoyed unless you experience them first hand. They are one of the best ways to unwind after a week of squeezing through your bottlenecks.
Some belive “You can’t stop progress, or we need more affordable housing for our children.”
I and many others belive that progress should be made somewhere other than a state park or one of our last unspoild watersheds.
It makes more sence to connect the 241 to the 73, or to remove the bottlenecks.
Does anyone realy belive that the string of Mc Manions that will be developed along the toll road can be conciddered affordable housing for our children especialy when it costs to come and go from these homes?
…And how does robbing our children of all the natural beautiful places in the world in the name of progress and profit benefit our children?
THANX
Daryl