Roads: Two-Way Street for Boulevard Proposal

Older residents can easily recognize the proposed $69.1-million 10-lane highway down Santa Monica Boulevard as a watered-down version of the old Route 2 Freeway that the community stopped decades ago. The latest incarnation (“Superhighway Hits Roadbloc,” Jan. 26”) makes no more sense than the original.

For a fraction of that cost, we could repave the streets, replace the old Pacific Electric rails, run expensive San Francisco-style trolleys on them from West Hollywood to Santa Monica with a branch down Avenue of the Stars, and actually enhance the area.

BOB CLARK, JR., Los Angeles

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Call it serendipity, but last night (Jan. 28) I had the opportunity to visit a friend near Century City. As we walked from his home, we crossed (most ungracefully) the choked and scarred “boulevard” on our way to the Marketplace for coffee and a pleasant chat about gridlock in the basin. As we discussed the controversy over the proposed “face lift,” it occurred to me that in Europe, city planners would have no difficulty solving this problem. Heavy traffic would be routed to below-grade express lanes, and the street level would be reserved for local traffic and public transport. The opportunity for the pleasant night life of the city to spill out onto the street and make lemonade out of a lemon wouldn’t go untapped either.

As a native Angeleno, I’ve pined for years that the freeway system was never completed. Killing Route 2 through Beverly Hills 30 years ago may have been a coup for those who adopted the Westside as a home, but gridlock rules now. Of course, it’s not feasible (nor desirable) to complete that infrastructure vision today. But alternatives exist in other great cities.

If Los Angeles is to regain its lost promise as a Mecca for a casual, open, energetic and popular culture, the (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) and others will need all the creative talents available to think through innovative design solutions that both mitigate traffic congestion and improve the lifestyles of even our best neighborhoods.

TOM TOMRONI, Santa Barbara