Right-hand man could make city traffic right...

Right-hand man could make city traffic right

With regard to Wednesday’s Pilot story, “City hires new right-hand

man,” an important safety issue that new Assistant City Manager Steve

Hayman can handle is to find out what our city officials are doing to

quell speeding on our residential streets.

The device that displays the speed of traffic on our streets is

not very effective. My observation is that traffic slows to the legal

speed only while these devices are in position. But traffic then

resumes speeding after these devices are removed. Stopwatch

calculations on my street (which has a legal speed limit of 25 mph

and is less than two blocks from an elementary school) indicate

speeds from legal to in excess of 50 mph.

JACK GORDON

Costa Mesa

Public park would be breath of fresh air

Regarding the Marinapark area of the Balboa Peninsula that is

(hopefully not) slated to become the site of a hotel, Pilot columnist

Mike Whitehead wrote in his “Harbor Column” (“Get with the program,”

June 4) that the Marinapark area was at one time planned to be a

public park with bike paths, a sailing center, small-boat launching

facility, a senior citizens’ center and lots of open space.

What a wonderful idea! We do not have enough open space these

days, and with all of the “mansionization” and building, the open

space would be, well, a breath of fresh air.

Further, at the last Planning Commission meeting, Commissioner

Michael Toerge spoke at length about the fact that Marinapark is

zoned as public open space, which does not include hotel use. An open

park and boat-launching facility at Marinapark would allow public

views and would be in keeping with the zoning of Marinapark as public

open space. He made a good case, as did Commissioner Toerge and Mike

Whitehead. All three men offer a wonderful alternative to a hotel.

J. GARSTONE MATTSON

Balboa Peninsula

El Toro land is perfect for flight-travel demand

In a perfect world, the airports, freeways, sewage plants and

prisons would be built in just the right sizes and locations. People

could then decide where they would like to live and build their

homes.

Unfortunately, in most cases, it works in just the reverse, and

you have the kind of nightmare that ensued over the disposition of El

Toro. Since the governing authorities must be aware of this dilemma,

it seems logical that the decisions regarding these issues should not

be left to the “not in my back yard” voting public.

There never should have been a need for an Airport Working Group.

The sad fact is, Southern California desperately needs additional

air transportation capacity, and we will get it. Where better than

from an existing facility in an area with exploding growth like South

Orange County?

Where are our elected representatives when we need them?

DAVID BALLARD

Newport Beach

End to El Toro debate as likely as ‘The O.C.’

In response to the Pilot’s question, “Should the battle to build

an airport at El Toro end?” Sure. Just as long as Orange County

Supervisor Chris Norby gets his wish to rename John Wayne to “The

O.C.” and they move the whole shebang to the Great Pork -- er, Park.

LINDA NEWMAN

Costa Mesa

Airport defeat yet to reach Newport Beach

The battle over El Toro ended March 5, 2002, with the passage of

Measure W and the defeat of pro-airport swing vote Cynthia Coad. I

guess this news has yet to reach Newport Beach.

RICHARD SODEN

Lake Forest