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| RAILROAD TRACKS CREATE HAVOC ON
OUR AIR QUALITY
John Ferdinandi A recent Bee story, a variety of reports from the Fresno City Council, the mayor's state of the city address, actions of the Fresno County Council of Governments (COG) plus Bee editorials and local radio talk hosts' commentary have touched on the issue of transit and clean air. They have missed or purposely overlooked the key element, the first step needed to solve Fresno's transit and dirty air problem -- rail consolidation.
We cannot have two railway corridors bisecting the city, creating havoc with traffic flow, impeding emergency services, polluting the air with toxic diesel fumes, causing long auto idling, pumping more toxic materials into the air we breathe -- and logically or seriously talk about transit solutions. The Fresno City Planning Commission of 1918, even at that early stage in Fresno's growth, urged rail consolidation. In 1953, the city again was besieged with pleadings to consolidate the rails. In 1982 and 1988, studies, meetings, editorials, citizens' letters and protest groups were again demanding rail consolidation. Then in 1993, the Council of Fresno County Governments, the city of Fresno, Fresno County, the Southern Pacific Transportation Co. and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Co. authorized and paid for a "Review, Analysis and Conceptual Design" for Fresno rail consolidation. People have spoken Yet again, the elected officials of our city and county failed to do what was right to protect and serve the people of Fresno. The same Fresno people, who elect the officials,work to build Fresno, pay the taxes and repeatedly ask for rail consolidation. The people lost and to this day suffer risk of derailment, increasing vehicle congestion caused by the numerous trains crossing busy streets, noise and air pollution, property damage, accidents, injuries and even deaths. Why have Fresno leaders failed in their duty to serve Fresno people? And still today, as seen in the new budgets, the new or continuing taxes and all the promises and rhetoric we are forced to absorb, nothing serious is being done about rail consolidation. Why? What is it that keeps our leaders from acting on an issue that will open the way to better transportation, cleaner air and efficient movement of traffic and people? What pressures or influences are being heaped on our leaders that stop them from doing the right actions to prepare for our future? Is Fresno determined to be a big city with old ways and old visions? Downtown lakes and new baseball stadiums are only temporary, cosmetic measures that cost a lot of money but in time become old hat and unattractive. A city surrounded by dirty, dreary, depressing railroad tracks in two corridors does not make a pretty picture. According to a recent Associated Press article, San Francisco has requested over $500 million from the state to help build a connecting BART link to Chinatown. With the approximate $12 billion in the state surpluses, why haven't our Fresno leaders requested the currently estimated $300 to $400 million from the state for our rail consolidation project? The 1993 design only called for under $200 million at that time and even with the increased costs, that design and concept is doable now. During the June 1 "Valley Press" show on Channel 18, moderated by Jim Tucker, guests Barbara Goodwin of Fresno County COG, Bruce Rudd of Fresno Area Express and Deryl Bear of Skytrain Fresno expressed different transit views but not rail consolidation. For 82 years similar discussions have been held, with no results. City improvements So let's look at rail consolidation with a realistic view and see what it does for Fresno. By moving the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail traffic from the tracks dividing the city to the Freeway 99 corridor, there is a more open-air environment to better disperse the toxic diesel fumes, vehicle traffic flows without congestion at the eliminated rail crossings on 30 streets; accidents are eliminated or reduced, noise pollution and property damage from heavily loaded trains are lessened, and the possibility of more dangerous derailments in a highly resident occupied area is eliminated. Once rail consolidation is completed, then more efficient transit can be designed, perhaps in the vacant corridor, and the air can be cleaner. The city and county must make Fresno rail consolidation a top priority. Spending time, energy and money on other transit projects before rail consolidation is wasteful and avoids the inevitable. John Ferdinandi is chairman of Fresno Area Residents For Relocating the Inner-City BNSF Rail Corridor (Rail Consolidation) and a member of Fresno County Council of Governments COG Rail Committee.
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