Nearly two out of three people--63%--polled in Orange County say construction of a mass transit rail system should be a high priority and an even greater number would back public subsidies of the network, according poll results released Tuesday by county transportation officials.
Results of the poll commissioned by the Orange County Transportation Authority also showed that county residents want a far more ambitious elevated urban rail network than originally envisioned, prompting authorities to consider doubling the size of the initial system to 47 miles of track.
But poll results also showed that a majority of people are not too confident that the Orange County Transportation Authority will spend the $750 million earmarked for rail transit wisely and efficiently.
In addition, 50% said they aren't very confident in cost and ridership projections being made by consultants studying the viability of the rail lines.
Overall, however, the poll findings seemed to provide solid support for the Orange County Transportation Authority's efforts to provide a rail alternative to the region's crowded freeways.
Transportation officials are eager to put additional passenger trains on existing railroad tracks between Orange County and Los Angeles, begin new service connecting Riverside County and build an urban rail network lacing together various communities across the county.
To that end, transportation officials have commissioned studies, conducted a variety of public forums and conducted the poll to gauge public sentiment.
The poll by J. Moore Methods Inc. of Sacramento was conducted during the last week in August and involved 600 registered voters in Orange County contacted by telephone.
It found that 59% of those polled felt a new mass transit rail system would be a very effective way to reduce traffic congestion plaguing the region, compared to 24% favoring expanded commuter bus service and 18% saying freeways and streets should be widened to help ease congestion.
Asked to prioritize how the county should use the $750 million in mass transit money gleaned from Measure M, the half-cent sales tax hike approved by voters last year, 41% gave highest priority to beginning commuter rail service with Riverside County and 39% favored expanding the existing service to include Los Angeles County.
The idea of a 23-mile elevated urban rail network running through six cities in central Orange County, a proposal officials in those municipalities have been pursuing since 1989, garnered only 13%.
