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As public review of
Mayor Hahn’s plan for expanding Los Angeles International Airport
continues, one thing becomes abundantly clear: we need to do better.
We need to do better in terms of binding the City to cap growth at
78 million annual passengers, ensuring the public’s safety is just
as important as the safety of the airport’s physical structures and
that LAX is convenient for passengers and that all of this is done
at a reasonable cost.
Fixing LAX is an urgent priority. The airport now operates well
beyond its designed capacity, and can be a bottlenecked nightmare
for travelers, cargo operators and airport neighbors. It is also
woefully under-protected against potential terrorist attacks.
Unfortunately, the current proposal does not solve these problems.
Alternative D, as it is known, is a radical redesign of the airport
that would cost approximately $10 billion. Among other features, it
will move all passenger check-in and all parking to a offsite
location, and funnel travelers down a mile-long automated “people
mover.”
As a recent RAND study illustrates, the centralized features and the
“people mover” create an easy target for terrorists by concentrating
travelers in one place. RAND pointed out that there are simpler and
far more cost-effective ways to keep LAX safe and secure. The
“people mover” is a potential logistical nightmare for passengers.
Just imagine yourself dragging your unscreened luggage one mile just
to get to your plane. This is not safe and it is not convenient.
Further, a recent study commissioned by the County of Los Angeles
underscored those security concerns, and also raised issues about
environmental justice, noise, and unmitigated negative traffic
impacts.
After a decade and millions of dollars in studies, the outline of a
more sensible, secure and cost-effective proposal have become clear.
Some of the elements are included in Mayor Hahn’s plan. Others come
from the community. We believe the following common-sense elements
should be included in the Mayor’s plan:
- Cap growth at LAX at 78 million annual passengers, whether through
deed restrictions or other iron-clad methods, while aggressively
pursuing all available avenues to promote growth at airports
elsewhere in the region.
- Scratch plans for the
central check-in area and instead dramatically enhance security by
doing a “security retrofit” that increases the size of the terminals
to accommodate high-tech baggage screening machinery; replaces
conventional glass with shatterproof material; and constructs
well-designed physical barriers between people and vehicular
traffic, to name a few.
- Better secure the
airport by hiring more security personnel and increasing the number
of security checkpoints so travelers can be moved quickly through
check-in, ticketing and security inspections.
- Improve access to LAX
by extending the Green Line via link or shuttle into the airport,
opening a dedicated cargo road behind Century Boulevard, and
upgrading to full signal automation.
- Construct a
consolidated rental car facility, which would sharply reduce local
traffic by curtailing one million shuttle trips per year.
- Fix the southern
runway, dramatically reducing the risk of runway accidents.
Many features we mention could be executed relatively quickly,
comparatively easily, and for billions of dollars less. Redesigning
LAX and the build-out of other airports like Ontario and Palmdale
would create construction jobs, boost the economy, and make air
travel easier, safer, and far more secure.
We encourage the Mayor and the Airport Commission to listen to these
suggestions and others that will improve LAX for the good of the
local neighborhoods, improve safety and security and allow other
regional airports to grow.
These ideas move us toward a goal everyone shares – a plan for LAX
that can really fly.
Supervisor Don Knabe
County of Los Angeles, Fourth District
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