MetroRiderLA

May the Metro Orange Line turn a right of way mostly flanked by industry to development that looks more like Curitiba, Brazil? Maybe.

The Daily News thinks the Metro Orange Line may convert the stubbornly suburban San Fernando Valley into a line of pedestrian- and transit-friendly villages connected by busway much like pearls on a string. The operative word is may. The piece reflects hope, not any firm plans apart from the development going on near the North Hollywood junction of the busway and the Red Line.

Mr. Van Nuys, Andrew Hurvitz, has been saying the same thing on his blog, Here in Van Nuys, ever since the Orange Line opened in October 2005. Two recent entries included “Yawning emptiness,” bemoaning the industrial sty the right of way has remained and his vision of a pedestrian-friendly busway and Van Nuys Boulevard, and the more recent entry referencing the Daily News article and presenting Ridgewood, New Jersey as an example of how to make transit-oriented-development pleasing to the senses.

Curbed LA also mentions the Daily News piece, and the architecture- and planning-oriented site can be counted on for interesting user commentary.

Exposition Right-of-Way Through Cheviot Hills.
Photo Courtesy of: lightrailforcheviot.org

A few days ago Wad reported that the Cheviot Hills Homeowner Association is rallying together to fight the Exposition Line use of a right-of-way at the south end of their neighborhood, preferring instead to re-route the train to Venice Blvd. at a cost of $50 to $100 million.

In a dazzling showcase of NIMBY rebellion, a small faction of Cheviot Hills IMBY’s have launched LightRailForCheviot.org to inform the world that not all Cheviot Hills Homeowners are scared of mobility:

We want mobility – mobility not involving cars, driving, and parking – mobility that will raise property values in Cheviot Hills as gridlock worsens.

This combined with Beverly Hills newfound desire for a subway in their neighborhood may be signaling a new era IMBYism where affluent homeowners cry out for development in their backyards that will keep their precious property values from falling the the face of ever increasing automobile traffic.

A very useful web site to gain better understanding of public transportation is Publictransit.us. It is run by Michael Setty, a planner and consultant based in Vallejo.

His angle: a professional gives a candid look at transit planning with commentary and the metrics used by transit agencies to measure service quality and quantity. Some articles are heavy on engineering and statistics terminology and can be hard to understand, but Setty and associate Leroy Demery try their best to break the material down for general audience consumption.

Publictransit.us also rebuts “… those who oppose effective public transportation, and to control the damage done by purveyors of ineffective and/or unrealistic technical solutions.” Setty often goes data produced from think tanks, anti-transit consultants such as Randal O’Toole and Wendell Cox, and promoters of what he calls “gadgetbahnen,” transportation technologies with lofty advantages (typically, making public transit more car-like) but lacking in real-world experience.

Last fall a server crash wiped out most of the content on the old site, but it’s been rebuilt as a blog. The old stuff is returning along with new items, and Setty has been contributing a lot this month. Stop by and say hello.

The 12-minute map, front, prepares to board a bus in Sherman Oaks.
Credit: LAist

MetroRiderLA apologizes to LAist contributor Zach Behrens if the headline compromises him in the romance department.

But he relates of a trip trying out transit using Metro’s 12-minute map. The map highlights high-frequency Metro services that provide 12-minute or higher frequencies, so trips can be made without consulting schedules. Though, paradoxically, the most frequent bus services are the least reliable, so the point of expecting scheduled services is moot.

His trip took four buses (!) and a total of 1 hour, 20 minutes to get from somewhere along Ventura Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley to Santa Monica College.

Los Angeles City Nerd published a list of the 10 most walkable streets in the city of Angels. It’s a very good read.

MetroRiderLA, the transportation nerd equivalent of City Nerd, has a value-added list, showing how to get to these places via public transportation.

This list follows after the jump:

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… or at least win a Pulitzer Prize for talking about it.

Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez is working the angle of his career in Los Angeles: talking about traffic congestion on the Westside. Traffic problems plague the entire county — no, the region — but no area can claim as many white, affluent and well-educated drivers that are prized by advertisers and marketers to warrant attention. Orange County can, but that’s Register turf.

He even has a comments section for you to post your what-for on the matter. Post them there, not here (comments are off).