Traffic could be real mess

In reading the editorial on Greenlight ll in Sunday’s Daily Pilot, I could not help but notice you left out the two most important issues regarding the initiative. They have to deal with increased traffic congestion and the effect on residents’ quality of life.

In the general plan update, the city has taken outlying traffic credits and applied them to high density areas of Newport Beach, such as Mariner’s Mile and Newport Center. These reallocated credits from lower traffic areas of the city claim to actually reduce traffic with proposed new high density development and will supposedly make the quality of life and enjoyment of Newport Beach that much better.

It could not be further from the truth. The low numbers for the proposed developments point to 150,000 additional daily traffic trips.

The city’s approach to reallocating traffic credits was done as a ruse to convince the residents we’re actually going to get less traffic with more people and higher density development.

Who are they fooling? Any prudent person will see through the smoke and mirrors of their claim and realize that if not checked through the Greenlight ll initiative, traffic congestion in Newport Beach will be a mess. You do not get less when you add more, plain and simple.

As a reminder, in 2000 the residents of Newport Beach voted by an overwhelming majority to make Greenlight the law. Why? Because they clearly understood the consequences of not controlling, in a reasonable manner, the developers’ plans and ambitions for the city.

Finally, without Greenlight ll on the books, only the developers win in the general-plan update -- not the residents.

Greenlight ll puts an end to all the shenanigans being done by the city management and select council members backed by developers. Adoption of Greenlight ll is in the best interest of the constituents and residents of Newport Beach.

PHIL DRACHMAN

Newport Beach