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