MetroRiderLA

[tags]los angeles, transit coalition, downtown los angeles, transit advocacy[/tags]

The Transit Coalition holds its monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. It meets at Philippe The Original near Union Station.

RSVP with Bart Reed by calling (818) 367-1661 or via e-mail.

Transit access: Metro Red/Purple and Gold Lines, Rapid lines 704, 740 and 745, express lines in the 400-499 series except 450 and 460, most local and limited-stop services to downtown Los Angeles; all Metrolink trains except Inland Empire/Orange County Line, Amtrak; FlyAway; Foothill Transit Silver Streak and Busway lines 493, 495, 497, 498, 499 and 699; AVTA Line 785; LADOT DASH Downtown Line D and Lincoln Heights/Chinatown; Santa Clarita Transit lines 794 and 799; Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus Line 10; and Torrance Transit lines 1 and 2.

Yelp has Philippe The Original rated.

[tags]los angeles, mta, blue line, expo line, gold line, light rail, downtown los angeles[/tags]

Possible alignments of a downtown Los Angeles connector to link the Metro Blue and Expo lines with the Gold Line.
Credit: Metro

Metro’s plate is pretty full with short- and long-term expansion plans. The Gold Line to East L.A. and the first phase of the Expo Line are under construction. The transit agency is conducting meetings for expanding services to the Westside and along Crenshaw Boulevard. Even the Orange Line is expanding from Warner Center to Chatsworth.

And now comes the Downtown Connector.

Transit advocates have been pushing for this, although there’s no money for it in the short term. Even its long-term prospects are sketchy, since more Metro board members would perceive this project as a second subway for downtown with no benefit to outlying areas.

The connector has merit — and necessity — going for it. When Expo Line opens, it will create a bottleneck at 7th Street/Metro Center that will make for very crowded platforms, trains running back-to-back and turning vehicles around in a very short time. Plus, as some of the alignments suggest, the north and east extensions serve important destinations in downtown: a cluster of fine arts venues, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, the Grand Avenue Project, the Civic Center and Little Tokyo. Best of all, Metro would eliminate one to two transfers as trains can now be through-routed. This allows for combinations of runs from Long Beach and the Westside to Pasadena and East L.A.

Keep in mind that an alternatives analysis is not a slam dunk for another subway. Alternatives include doing nothing, running the rail lines above ground, or even “connecting buses.”

Two meetings are scheduled for downtown Los Angeles in November.

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[tags]los angeles, mta, red line, hollywood, public displays of affection[/tags]

No, it’s not an invitation for voyeurism, you pervs.

Public Displays of Affection is an event hosted by activist organization Global Inheritance, which encourages the audience to arrive at the concerts via public transportation. Last year, there was an event at Union Station.

This time, the fun begins at 7 p.m. Thursday in the courtyard of Hollywood & Highland, the mall named after a Metro Red Line station. Featured performers are Ladytron, Great Northern and DJ Taina. Also on display is TRASHed: Art of Recycling Exhibit.

“Admission” is a transit pass or some proof of payment of a fare.

Transit connections, besides the subway: Metro Rapid Line 780 and local lines 2/302, 156/656, 163, 212/312 and 217; and LADOT DASH lines Hollywood and Hollywood/West Hollywood.

See also:

• MetroRiderLA: Last year’s event at Union Station
• Green L.A. Girl pimps the event

[tags]los angeles, downtown los angeles, transt coalition, metrolink, commuter rail[/tags]

Michael McGinley, retired chief engineer of Metrolink, speaks at the Transit Coalition meeting 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. He’ll give his perspective on planning projects for the Southern California commuter rail system. The Transit Coalition meets at Philippe The Original, one block north of Union Station in downtown Los Angeles.

RSVP with Bart Reed by calling (818) 367-1661 or via e-mail.

Transit access: Metro Red/Purple and Gold Lines, Rapid lines 704, 740 and 745, express lines in the 400-499 series except 450 and 460, most local and limited-stop services to downtown Los Angeles; all Metrolink trains except Inland Empire/Orange County Line, Amtrak; FlyAway; Foothill Transit Silver Streak and Busway lines 493, 495, 497, 498, 499 and 699; AVTA Line 785; LADOT DASH Downtown Line D and Lincoln Heights/Chinatown; Santa Clarita Transit lines 794 and 799; Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus Line 10; and Torrance Transit lines 1 and 2.

Yelp has Philippe The Original rated.

[tags]california, san diego, amtrak, railroad, train riders association of california[/tags]

The Train Riders’ Association of California hosts the California Rail 2020 conference in Old Town San Diego November 2 through November 4, 2007.

The Saturday conference at Caltrans’s District 11 headquarters, 4050 Taylor St. in Old Town, features keynote speaker Richard Phelps. He is Amtrak’s vice president of transportation, formerly working out of Los Angeles but recently promoted to Washington D.C. He’ll discuss the national passenger railroad’s operations and growth plans. A lunch is provided at Casa Guadalajara.

Other conference topics include the 2008 election, California’s high speed rail plans, a fare collection presentation by San Diego-based Cubic, presentations on rail links serving the county, and the historic San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway.

Sunday, November 4 has a rail excursion, but the itinerary remains a mystery. And Friday, November 2 has a no-host mixer at Old Town restaurant El Fandango.

Rates for the conference: $75 per person if paid by September 30, $85 per person if paid between October 1 and October 31, and $95 per person on the day of the event. Register online or make a check out to “California Rail Foundation” and mail to:

California Rail Foundation
1025 Ninth Street #223
Sacramento, CA 95814

[tags]downtown, los angeles, pedicab, cycle richshaw, transit, interview[/tags]

As a car-free resident of Downtown LA the propsect of pedicabs in Downtown excites me to no end, and so I just had to ask Eric Green, the founder of Green Machines and regular Blue Line rider, a few questions about his quest to introduce the man-powered vehicles into Central City.

MRLA: What made you think that now was the right time to introduce pedicabs into Downtown?

EG: Simply the lack of anything else like it Downtown. Working in a Downtown hotel I constantly see the need for getting people from one place to another that does not involve a two minute taxi ride or a twenty minute walk in heels. My hope is that Downtown locals will take to the idea of the pedicab as an alternative to the car for short trips, whether it be a night on the town or a trip to the grocery store. I plan to put a big emphasis on catering to the locals, I put a lot of time into choosing the best looking top of the line pedicab because I want the locals to be proud to have the Green Machine represent their neighborhood.

MRLA: What is the general area you plan on serving (is it limited to South Park, will you serve the Historic Core, Chinatown, etc)?

EG: The only boundaries I have set are the 10 freeway to the south and probably the 110 to the west. At this point I will try and serve as much of the area as possible and in the future when I have more cabs I will keep them spread around extending up to Chinatown.

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