Opinion: An L.A. worker’s six-hour commute shows California is building high-speed rail in the wrong place

To the editor: In reading Steve Lopez’s illuminating column on Carolyn Cherry’s daunting daily commute from her home in Hemet to her work in downtown Los Angeles, I can’t help but think what a waste California’s high-speed rail project is. (“Her six-hour commute each day seems crazy, but her affordable rent is not,” Dec. 16)

Rather than hemorrhaging money on a system in the Central Valley, the state should be building high-speed lines to connect far-flung commuters to urban jobs. Imagine if Metrolink was upgraded to high-speed rail, ferrying commuters from homes in Riverside County to jobs in Los Angeles in an hour or less. That’s a far cry from the three hours it currently takes Cherry to drive to a Metrolink station and take a conventional train downtown.

It’s true that high-speed rail allows for fewer stops, since long distances are needed to reach higher speeds. But considering the lengths some commuters are already willing to go in search of cheap rents, there’s no doubt a regional bullet train could make many more long commutes feasible, unlock smart exurban growth and put a dent in the housing affordability crisis.

Nicholas Matthews, Long Beach

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To the editor: Imagine anyone having to commute six hours, five days a week to get to work so she could live where a home is affordable for her family. Thanks to Lopez for helping to make us all aware of this terrible situation.

I wonder how many people share Cherry’s problem: They cannot afford to live near their workplaces. As the population of Los Angeles continues to grow, this situation can only get worse.

But there is a solution: Make it easier and provide incentives for companies to open new facilities (stores, businesses, factories, hospitals and so on) in those areas where housing is affordable.

George Epstein, Los Angeles

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