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ChineseDaily Transit Links Roundup
Contributed by Fred Camino on January 31st, 2008 at 2:27 pm
The Morning Commute comes late today (and not at all yesterday) due to the work of hackers and other ne’er-do-wells.
Angels Flight all lit up. Photo courtesy of Payton Chung via Flickr.
- Angels Flight turns on the lights. Could the funicular be opening soon?
- Bart Reed talks to City Beat about bus service, turnstiles, and the failings of Metro.
- LA Times takes a look at the upcoming Westside Corridor meetings and the possible subway routes.
Discussion
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Please keep discussions civil: exercise Troll Controll.
Seeing this Westside extension map with proposals for both Wilshire and Santa Monica Blvds. alingments made we weep with joy.
I am so happy the Santa Monica Blvd. alignment is being taken seriously, especially if it ends up going directly into the Valley. Obviously Wilshire comes first with spurs into Century City and possibly UCLA on the way to Santa Monica. However, a Santa Monica Blvd. alignment from Hollywood/Highland to Fairfax through LaCienega Santa Monica and then spurring to the Beverly Center / Cedar Sinai is also needed too.
Wonderful. Just wonderful.
Build BOTH now, safely and quickly!
So we can discuss the specifics that transit enthusiasts like us really enjoy, here is the text from the new MTA fact sheet:
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Summary of Public Comment:
The overwhelming majority of comments received supported the urgent need for a transit improvement on the Westside. A potential Wilshire subway alignment was the most favored route and mode, with nearly as many people advocating for subways on both the Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevard alignments. In many cases, where the public supported both the Wilshire and the Santa Monica alignments, most thought that the Wilshire alignment should take precedence. Some support was expressed for aerial/monorail, light rail, or bus rapid transit modes.
Mode:
The community greatly supported a potential subway mode i.e. heavy rail below grade: Most of those in favor of a subway did not give a reason for their preference. Those that did express a reason for this mode indicated speed of travel, ability to move large numbers of people, limited impact to road traffic, etc. Those favoring options other than subway cited cost and length of time to construct. Those preferring monorail or light rail expressed the view that these modes were less expensive and quicker to build.
Subway - Yes 262 - No 8
Aerial/Monorail - Yes 22 - No 1
LRT - Yes 18 - No 8
BRT - Yes 14 - No 22
Potential Station Locations:
Several potential station locations along Wilshire (11) and Santa Monica (12) Boulevards were presented during early scoping.
Many comments received provided suggestions for stations at other locations, or noted support or concerns about possible
station locations. The public’s most favored station locations include:
1. Century City (31)
2. UCLA (22)
3. Connecting to the Exposition LRT (14)
4. City of Beverly Hills (13)
5. Connecting to a North/South transit line (12)
6. Tied (11)
a. Beverly Center
b. City of Santa Monica
c. Santa Monica Boulevard
7. City of West Hollywood (10)
8. Beverly Center/Cedars Sinai (9)
9. Wilshire/Westwood (8)
10. Tied (7)
a. Avenue of the Stars
b. Constellation
c. Crenshaw Boulevard
d. La Brea Ave
e. Los Angeles World Airport (LAX)
f. Westwood
Public comments showed that the community recognizes the economic benefits of key station locations. They especially
expressed the importance of connecting job centers to housing, and to ensure that station locations and design blend with the
neighborhood.
Alignments:
The public was presented with two potential alignment options, generally following Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards. Overall, a Wilshire Boulevard alignment, extending westward from the Metro Purple Line at Wilshire/Western, received the greatest amount of support. 49 people voiced support for a Santa Monica Boulevard alignment extending westward from Hollywood. Over 50 people asked that both
alignments be considered.
Wilshire - Yes 107 - No 3
Santa Monica - Yes 49 - No 1
Both - Yes 52 - No 9
From the public comments received, there is a strong sense that connections with other transit lines and modes are important. Several suggested that Metro consider north/south alignments providing better linkage with the San Fernando Valley, and, connections to Los Angeles World and Burbank Airports.