And the US is very close to a banana republic, just so you know. It’s been a problem.

For example, it advocates extending the Purple Line east, but the density there is better suited for Light Rail. It does make good suggestions for Heavy Rail and extending north from North Hollywood. But that line should stop at Burbank Airport. I like a heavy rail line on the I-405 corridor from Sylmar to LAX be be less prone to delay factors traveling further South. I also like the the idea of extending a line through Torrance and Carson to Long Beach State University.

Some of the extensions like the one to Cerritos seems superfluous and not cost justifiable. Its more important to extend the Green Line grade separated to the Norwalk/Santa Fe Transit Center to meet up with Metrolink, Amtrak and California HSR by 2019-20.

Since adding more freeway lanes will not solve our transportation woes, effectively mode-shifting drivers is becoming more critical as Peak Oil and Global Warming conditions escalate. Although BRT and Rapid Bus-only lanes have a large role to play in meeting overall transit demand, you underestimate the importance of HRT, LRT, upgraded CRT and Streetcars to mode-shift Angeleno drivers to transit.

Many tax-paying Angeleno drivers perceive HRT, LRT, CRT and Streetcars as cleaner, faster and safer than any transit bus. For those perception reasons, they will not ride buses. A hint of that perception I’ve personally witnessed is that people from all creeds ride the Blue Line from Downtown LA to Long Beach who would never catch the bus on that route. Ditto for the Green Line from end to end. I don’t know what percentage of Green and Blue Line patrons own cars, so won’t comment on that aspect.

Another set of Angeleno drivers won’t ride Metrorail or Metrolink because it does not yet go to their attractions of interest. My wife, a typical Angeleno driver, is a great example that can be mode-switched from cars. But she has plainly told me, that she will NOT ride any sort of transit bus.

I also find it interesting that she has rode on SF Bay Area, Washington, NYC, Philadelphia and Atlanta metro systems. Her complaints were that 42nd Street Station in NYC was overcrowded, Broad Street line in Philly from Center City to the sports arenas was “too old” looking. Surprisingly, she liked the modern metro systems and the fact the NYC Subways routes connected us to everything we wanted to see in Manhattan and the NEC Amtrak Station.

So when I mention to her that MTA is studying a “new” LRT line from Torrance to LAX to Mid-Wilshire to Hollywood & Highland that would be faster and more dependable, it stirs her curiosity.

Next I mention that by 2018-19, the same Metrorail LRT line would intersect frequent Metrorail lines to Universal Studios, North Hollywood, Pasadena, LA LIVE, Disney Concert Hall, USC, Wiltern Theater, Culver City/Sony Pictures, LA County Museum of Art, Beverly Hills Rodeo Drive, Century City, Westwood/UCLA, Westside media companies, and Santa Monica, she enthusiastically asks for more info.

Then I mention that Metrorail LRT line would intersect frequent Metrorail lines going to Union Station for California HSR trips to SF Bay Area, San Diego and Las Vegas. Before I can add $7-8/gallon gas and higher airfares by 2018, she’s sold on future Metrorail. That’s why I’m convinced hundreds of thousands of Angeleno drivers will mode-switch to high-quality rail transit, not buses.

Lastly, despite the typical Angeleno driver, it does make sense to run a couple north-south BRT lines within San Fernando Valley, but no more East-West Orange Line BRT extension.

The future line terminus however, should be where Gold Line extension intersects Pomona Metrolink Station. Even if this were 2030, it makes Zero sense to extend Foothills LRT past that Pomona MetroLink-Metroail Station.

Montclair to Santa Monica would be roughly the same length as Montclair to Long Beach. Either length is long, so that’s not a reason to pick one over the other.

Both Gold line segments want a realignment to beach, though I prefer Eastern LA County-Santa Monica and Azuza-Long Beach, the wisest and fairest thing is to have the MTA study which new alignment combinations generate the most passenger miles and lowest taxpayer subsidy.

The latter is already drawing a decent cost per passenger mile that will only improve. By 2018, the Downtown Regional Connector will enabling a new alignment from East LA to Santa Monica. Per the 30/10 Plan, taking that segment of the Gold Line further extension east to South El Monte or Whittier will really juice the long range cost per passenger mile numbers.