The LAUSD Parent Collaborative sent their letter in opposition to the primarily at-grade alignment of the Expo Line to the CPUC in November of 2006.
Continue reading for the full text of the letter:Mr. Varoujan Jinbachian
California Public Utilities Commission
Rail Crossing Engineering Section
320 West 4th Street, Suite 500
Los Angeles, California 90013
Dear Mr. Jinbachian:
This letter will have reference to the proposed light rail project poised to be located within fifty to seventy feet of a number of schools in the LAUSD.
As you are aware, Dorsey High School is located within fifty feet of the light rail project. Foshay Learning Center is located sixty feet from the proposed project. Theodore T. Alexander Jr. Science Center is within fifty feet of the project. Adams Middle School is within sixty feet of the project, and Central LA Area Middle school #4 is within seventy feet of the project. Furthermore, a number of other schools are less than 100 feet from the proposed project.
Safety is of paramount importance to the parents of students attending schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Noise pollution is a serious concern for parents of students, particularly when many of our students are special education children who cannot afford to be disturbed by such a tremendously loud distraction. It is difficult, at best, for these children to learn under the best of circumstances. It would be nearly impossible for them to learn under the proposed circumstances. The noise created by the light rail is beyond the levels established by the American National Standards Institute for safety and an optimal learning environment. The vibration created by the light rail will also be significant and distracting to the students in the aforementioned schools.
One of the most frightening aspects of this project is there is the possibility of train derailments, and our children could be seriously injured or even killed by such a situation or when walking across the street at one of the multitude of rail crossings along the proposed project line. It is for these reasons the Parent Collaborative has agreed unanimously to write to you with our concerns and wholehearted opposition to this project in its current form.
Sincerely,
Jeanette Hopp, Secretary
Parent Collaborative
The letter can be downloaded in pdf format by clicking here.
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