Don’t blame the mountains

Re “Region’s transit a hostage to terrain,” Oct. 16

How about building a two-track inter-urban rail system, because two tracks of heavy rail can carry as many people as 35 lanes of freeway?

It would be a lot cheaper, wouldn’t waste land or fill up feeder roads with more cars and could run on electricity using much more efficient stationary generation.

Our region is not a hostage to terrain; it’s hostage to a culture of self-indulgence bred by an auto and oil industry addicted to subsidy in the form of free infrastructure -- hypocrites who denounce spending a dime for rail when we’ve spent billions to plaster our entire topography with concrete for roads that remain ever insufficient.

We are hostage to bad habits, nothing more. Don’t blame the mountains.

Richard Risemberg

Los Angeles

I was mortified to hear truck drivers involved in or near the Newhall Pass tunnel accident put primary blame for the carnage on the tunnel design.

As a commuter through the pass since 1977, I can attest that many of the truck drivers are primarily at fault. They are notorious for two daily major infractions -- speeding and tailgating. It is not uncommon for truck drivers to tailgate vehicles at unsafe speeds, particularly through the Newhall Pass, so close to one another that they drive semi-connected, like a parade of elephants at a circus.

Before blaming tunnel design, these drivers need to slow down. Maybe fewer accidents of any kind will occur.

Pat Lewandowski

Valencia