The representing voice of University City has deep concerns about plans to tunnel the high-speed rail under the community, with a stop at University Towne Centre. The University Community Planning Group (UCPG) aired the issue at its Oct. 13 meeting. UCPG Chair Janay Kruger would like to see the train bypass University City altogether. “I don’t believe we’re a tourist destination,” Kruger said. “I don’t understand why we need this transit center.” As it stands, the High-Speed Rail Authority has proposed three alternatives, two of which would send the train 150 feet underground to stop at the University Towne Centre. The other alternative is to send the train through Rose Canyon. Community members would like to see the authority study another alternative it already threw out the window: a direct route along I-15 to Qualcomm Stadium. Concerned residents have the opportunity to ask the authority to bring back the Qualcomm alternative by submitting comments until Nov. 20. The authority decided not to study that route in 2005 when city officials said they wanted the train to terminate downtown so commuters would not have to change to another mode of transportation, according to Brian Hausknecht, an authority consultant who is writing the environmental impact report on the plan. The express train from downtown Los Angeles to downtown San Diego is projected to take one hour and 20 minutes. The public can learn more about the high-speed rail at the next UCPG meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 10, when high-speed rail officials will speak.  E-mail comments to [email protected] with subject line “LA-SD HST Section via the Inland Empire;” or mail comments to Mr. Dan Leavitt, Deputy Director, attn: Los Angeles to San Diego via the Inland Empire Section HST Project EIR/EIS, California High-Speed Rail Authority, 925 L St., Suite 1425, Sacramento, CA 95814 In other UCPG business: Super Loop has residents shrieking Pop the champagne! The Super Loop has begun zooming people around University City, transporting an average of 4,000 riders each weekday. There’s just one small problem: Villa La Jolla residents have reported the new hybrid bus gives off an irritating shriek when it takes off. “It’s like a small jet taking off,” said Dale Disharoon, who claims the noise can be heard even when in the shower. Disharoon sits on the UCPG Super Loop Committee. SANDAG officials say they have already worked with the manufacturers to reprogram the fleet for a quieter ride and that they retested the system to confirm it shows “no significant noise impacts,” as first stated in the 2007 environmental review and approved by the Federal Transit Authority. “We’re within the guidelines of the city and federal transit, but we’re amenable to taking it one step further,” said SANDAG program manager Dan Martin. SANDAG will continue to work with the manufacturers to see if the shrieking can be alleviated, Martin said. The final phase of the Super Loop involves constructing new bus stations as well as changing traffic signals to give priority to Super Loop buses. Construction on the stations is expected to begin in the spring of 2010 and be completed by the winter. Currently, the interim Super Loop transports passengers around a five-mile loop in northern University City that will eventually extend another four miles and travel farther east. The current route makes stops at the UCSD transit hub, Scripps Hospital, UCSD East Campus, Regents Park, the UTC Transit Center, Nobel/Regents, La Jolla Village Square and Gilman/Villa La Jolla. Residents want community plan update Updating the 1987 University Community plan to reflect the priorities, concerns and intent of the community in 2010 likely won’t happen within the next five years due to the city’s budget crisis, according to community planner Dan Monroe with the San Diego Planning Department. Kruger suggested the board take matters into its own hands by assembling a committee of retired experts and residents to write a 2010 vision to hand out to developers, schools, hospitals and city officials.  Members of the group were wary of the proposal. “I suspect the city won’t pay much attention to our plan and that it will confuse the developer and they’ll disregard the plan,” member George Lattimer said. The group decided to invite Bill Anderson, the city’s director of planning and community investment, to address its concerns about the community plan. Taking the pulse on La Jolla’s police beat San Diego Police Northern Division Capt. Chris Ball briefed the University Community Planning Group (UCPG) on the main concern of the Northern Division police force: to protect people’s quality of life. Ball said that while the San Diego Police Department’s priorities are to address violent crime, gang violence and narcotic activity, his division receives the most calls regarding quality of life issues, not brutal homicide. When a homicide occurs in the area, no one from the mayor’s office, city council or community usually calls the Northern Division, Ball reported. When the rental unit down the street hosts a party until the wee hours, the police hear about it. Ball said the Northern Division is working to address the party houses, transients who roam through people’s garbage, the floating inner-tube parties at Mission Bay and the recent culture of partying at Kate Sessions Park. The greatest challenge the Northern Division faces is a lack of police officers, Ball said. Eighteen officers staff the daytime force, 14 make up the morning squad and 13 officers patrol the streets at night. A helicopter also patrols the city from above, which communities call upon in emergencies. “The police helicopter spends 80 percent of its time in the Central, Southern and Southeastern divisions,” Ball said. “One significant incident can tie up half of those officers. In that situation, we can pull units from other parts of the city.” The Northern Division extends from North Torrey Pines to South Mission Beach and east to I-805.   Unyielding traffic lights? The timing of traffic lights to ease traffic flow along University City roads has become a concern to some board members and residents, who indicated problems at the I-5 off-ramp onto Nobel Drive, the east end of Governor Drive and the intersection of Villa La Jolla and Gilman Drive. The UCPG board will invite a city traffic engineer to discuss the matter at a future meeting. The UCPG meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. at the University Towne Centre Forum Hall (above Wells Fargo Bank) at 4315 La Jolla Village Drive.