Comments on: After Measure R, Los Angeles Transit Plans Advance… Slowly

By: Where to buy gold bullion

Where to buy gold bullion — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 08:17:48 +0000

This project would create many new jobs within a sector that is already bleeding. Furthermore, as money has been heavily invested in downtown, it seems only fair to fill downtown with people so that businesses can thrive and generate revenues to the city. It is apparent that the various developing projects aiming to give the city a facelift will not fully function without people to give it the spree of energy and pulse. This is without doubt something that a mass transit system can change.

By: Alon Levy

Alon Levy — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:55:59 +0000

Foothills extension? Oh, god.

By: Whitney

Whitney — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:29:25 +0000

It seems a lot of the focus here is on getting to Santa Monica from Downtown, but few people are mentioning getting to Downtown, and the east side of Los Angeles in general, from Santa Monica, which can take hours on a bus, especially during rush hour. I’m not sure if anyone has bothered to take notice of the I-10 Eastbound freeway from about 3pm until about 7pm on any given weekday, but it holds a strong likeness to a parking lot. Not to mention how bad it gets on the weekends during beach season. I used to commute from Santa Monica to Downtown LA via car and back and didn’t have near the issues that the people commuting in the other direction were having. There are buses that take almost two hours to get from Santa Monica in to the West Hollywood/Hollywood area. That is a span of less than 10 miles. Not to mention that Santa Monica and the surrounding areas have a high student population, which also means fewer vehicle owners. The same goes for the area around UCLA. A system like this will allow them to greatly increase the radius in which they can work without having a car and will also massively decrease the travel time for students without vehicles who don’t live close to their schools. Considering the fact that quite a few people who live in beach cities are without vehicles, this will allow them to travel all over LA, spend their money all over LA, and also work all over LA, all the while maintaining their current minimal effect on the environment.

By: Jason the student

Jason the student — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 05:18:38 +0000

FORGET THE SUBWAY TO THE SEA the 720, 920, and bevy of mass transit services in that area make it ridiculously convenient to get to anywhere in Santa Monica from anywhere in or around Downtown LA. what bothers me is that there is a MAJOR need for better mass transit in the San Fernando Valley! Yes, the Orange Line has been a huge success, even though it NEEDS to be an LRT, I should know I take it damn near every day, and I look forward to its Northward expansion, but what we really need is a 405 and or Sepulveda train, NOT IN 29 years (by which time I’ll be “Jason the guy going through a mid-life crisis”), NOW. If the green line were to extend to Sepulveda then you could have a train follow more or less the route of the 761 from Ventura BLVD (which needs its own LTR because the orange line is too far in many spots to be a viable option), to Skirball center/ AJU, to the Getty Center, to WESTWOOD which would meet with the purple line (eventually) on down to LAX. THAT would SERIOUSLY help the congestion of the 405. It takes WAY too long to get from the San Fernando Valley to the rest of the routes without such a route, there is a HUGE market for mass transit here, if MTA would just TAP IT already.

By: Eiman Maleki

Eiman Maleki — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:46:44 +0000

One of my main concerns has been for a while the future of the proposed subway system that would ease the transportation issue for many residents between these destinations, – destinations being generally a reach from downtown to the Pacific Rim. I am glad that you have answered my concerns and laid out there a detailed plan concerning the construction and timeframe of this development. However, what you consider being one of the most ambitious plan in the US history seems to me being the least prioritized project. I can not really comprehend why it would take an approximate 25 years (according to the timeframe you have provided) to build a 10 mile subway system. Considering that Metro with the mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as the chairman on the board has acknowledged the project timeframe as unacceptable. (show link) Metro is stating that this delay is due to a low prioritization when it comes to transport policy. While I understand the complications that come with costly projects such as this, I recognize that the current economy might setback this project. However, I might be fair in arguing that now is a good time for building and developing. This project would create many new jobs within a sector that is already bleeding. Furthermore, as money has been heavily invested in downtown, it seems only fair to fill downtown with people so that businesses can thrive and generate revenues to the city. It is apparent that the various developing projects aiming to give the city a facelift will not fully function without people to give it the spree of energy and pulse. This is without doubt something that a mass transit system can change. You mentioned the costly side of it being that it would be very hard to finish this project earlier due to insufficient funds. You considered the help from the business community and I totally concur with you and strongly believe that as we are in this tough economy, we are also moving towards a time where efficiency and effectiveness are strongly emphasized. Being that these are the magic words in the current economy, we should look into the great advantages with public-private partner ships. This would create more business and at the same time provide the funds required to get this project on and going with more efficiency. Surely, I also believe that an adequate portion of the stimulus plan should go towards this project being that it will help to ease and stimulate the economy for many reasons, which I mentioned above. – Firstly it will create more jobs in crucial sectors, secondly it will, indisputably give the people of these areas an easier access to downtown. This will bolster the economy and help businesses to thrive. Thirdly, these businesses will generate tax to the city which can later be used to pay of the debt of this subway system. Lastly, we will have a sustainable mass transit system that will generate revenues while setting the tone for future similar projects. The only problem is yet to stand in the way – the low prioritization that is based on the wrong assumption- that we do not really need to prioritize this project neither now or in the future!

By: Jonathan Trachtman

Jonathan Trachtman — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:47:31 +0000

These timelines are unbelievably long.

In my opinion, the problem is not the dedicated public servants at MTA or the aggressive lobbying for Subway to the Sea by the Mayor, but to be honest I just can’t figure out why people who do this stuff day in and day out with passion and purpose seem to be setting the bar that low. I know we certainly have had historically low expectations and systemically low prioritization/funding of public transport on local, regional, and national levels, which seems to ‘beat transit boosters down.’

And at first glance, the current cratering of the economy appears incredibly daunting.

HOWEVER:
1. Obama’s team is going to support Measure R, Prop 1A etc…regarding transit, thru the large stimulus package. In theory, this should allow for more aggressive timelines.
2. Aren’t we able to get ANY buy in from the private sector on
investment/partnerships to fast track these projects?

These timetables are not only a regional embarassment, they are a national disgrace.

While we proceed at a tortoise’s pace, the rest of the world is
creating the first rate infrastructure that will position them as more efficient and globally competitive

We sent humans 240,000 miles to the moon, taking them from orbit to the moon in less than a decade.
–25 years to push 15 miles from Downtown LA to the Sea? Or should I say, 25 years to push only TEN miles to Westwood/405?—

Wow, have
we devolved or what?

I hope that in some way I can participate in helping improve this lameand unacceptable state of affairs.

We are better than that as a region and as a nation.

Jonathan Trachtman
Los Angeles

By: Interurbans

Interurbans — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:15:43 +0000

The overall list looks pretty good and is not a bait and switch program which seams to happen all too often with transit money. The only big red flag other than the long time lines is the first project on the list. Let the busses run on Canoga Ave if this route is so important. The Orange is a failure by any standards. It takes twice as long for the full trip than if it were a LRT line, the busses are small and very uncomfortable to ride, the line can not even get close to carrying the capacity the line requires. Let’s not throw good money after bad to extend this failed service and use the money to start to upgrade this line to a LRT line which it should have been from the start.