The Transit Coalition e-Newsletter, Tues., July 17, 2007
Weekly Transit eNewsletter
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Volume 3, Issue 29
Welcome to The Transit Coalition weekly newsletter! Our organization participates in meetings with key decision makers and community leaders and our goal is to keep you informed on the latest developments in the transportation scene across Southern California.
Come and Join Us: Next Tuesday is our Transit Coalition monthly meeting. See Upcoming Events below for details.
Action Alert: Advocates for the preservation of public transportation funds are stepping up the call. Columnist George Skelton wants state leaders to reach an agreement on the budget as soon as possible. Assemblymember Mike Feuer warned against shifting already wanting funds to other purposes, noting that public transportation will play an important role in the growth of the state from now on.
Please email the governor's office and express your support for full funding of this critically important project and the transit dollars needed to keep buses and trains moving.
Better yet, do any of the following:
(1) Call Governor Schwarzenegger at 916-445-2841;
(2) Fax the Governor at 916-327-1009;
(3) Call Senator Don Perata at 510-286-1333 or 916-651-4009;
(4) Contact Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez at 916-319-2046 or Speaker.Nunez@assembly.ca.gov;
(5) Contact Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman at 916-651-4033 or http://republican.sen.ca.gov/web/33/feed.asp; and/or
(6)Get your friends and family who live in the Central Valley/Fresno area to contact Assembly Republican Leader Michael Villines at 916-319-2029.
When calling, please refer to these talking points so that you can be prepared in providing an appropriate comment or responding to a questionable statement. (Contact information provided by BayRail Alliance. Talking points provided by TRAC. Additional tools are provided by Odyssey.) Metro Committee Meetings: Wednesday, July 18 and Thursday, July 19, Board Room, Metro Headquarters, One Gateway Plaza (adjacent to Union Station), Los Angeles. ( Supplemental agendas.) Orange County Transportation Authority Board Meeting: Monday, July 23 and August 13, 9 a.m., Board Hearing Room, 600 Main St. , Orange . Consider attending our monthly Transit Coalition Dinner Meeting on Tuesday, July 24 - 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Philippe The Original, 1001 N. Alameda St. Los Angeles CA 90012 . ( Map.) We hope to see you there Metro Board Meeting: Thursday, July 26, 9:30 a.m., Board Room, Metro Headquarters, One Gateway Plaza (adjacent to Union Station), Los Angeles . SCRRA (Metrolink) Board Meeting: Friday, July 27, 10 a.m., San Bernardino Conference Room, SCAG Building , 12th Floor, 818 W. Seventh St. , Los Angeles. SCAG MagLev Task Force: Thursday, August 9, 10:00 a.m. SCAG Offices, 818 W. Seventh St. , 12th floor, Los Angeles . Missed last week's newsletter? Read it here! About The Transit Coalition:
The weeklong strike by Orange County bus drivers has come to an end. The county Transportation Authority (OCTA) and representatives from labor unions reached a tentative settlement. The deal would give raises of 10.8% to entry-level drivers and 11.7% to drivers with five or more years of experience over the next three years. Both the OCTA Board and the 1,100 bus drivers voted in favor of the new contract. Many of the bus drivers have already returned to work today, much to the relief of the system's 225,000 daily riders.
Santa Monica Councilmember Pam O'Connor has replaced Gloria Molina as the chair of the Metro Board. Whereas Molina focused on controlling costs, O'Connor will focus on making operations more environmentally friendly. Transit Coalition President Ken Alpern believes O'Connor will help improve the Expo Line by focusing on "green" elements that would be built along the light rail corridor.
In the meantime, Angelenos look for inspiration on the other side of the country. New York City is in the midst of a six-year, $6 billion project that will connect Long Island Railroad commuter trains with its fabled Grand Central Station. However, the Second Avenue Subway may run into hurdles thanks largely because of its $16 billion price tag and other logistical problems. One place not to look for inspiration is Las Vegas , where its privately-built monorail spirals into financial disaster, now that Fitch has again reduced its bond rating to junk status.
In other transit developments, the Los Angeles City Council voted in support of legislation that would create a Green Line construction authority. Introduced by city Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, the resolution specifically calls for Metro to add the LAX Green Line extension to its list of Long Range Transportation Plan. Up north, BART users will be rewarded with points if they use credit cards to purchase train tickets.
A Metrolink committee recently voted to bring additional weekend service to the Antelope Valley line. Two additional Saturday and three new Sunday trains will launch after the Labor Day weekend. Also, additional Orange County line service will start once the second track is completed in Santa Ana .
One major Metrolink improvement will be delayed: The Buena Park station will not open until September. Another Metrolink improvement may not happen at all: A new line from Temecula to Corona may cost $569 million, while a line from Temecula to San Diego would cost $1.6 billion, according to a report. In response, local leaders said they would ask the Riverside County Transportation Commission to at least consider a Metrolink extension from Corona to Lake Elsinore .
Should Downtown Los Angeles bring back the streetcar? An op-ed in the Los Angeles Downtown News answers that with an emphatic "yes". Invoking memories of the Red and Yellow Cars that once traversed the central city, contributors Homer Williams and Dike Dames believe a streetcar can further increase development and connect neighborhoods. However, both acknowledged that political leadership will be required in order to bring the streetcar to the streets of L.A.
On the Amtrak front, President Alex Kummant warned federal legislators against infusing billions to upgrade the Northeast Corridor to high speed rail. Much of the problem stems from aging infrastructure. A full overhaul, including several new tunnels and bridges, would cost $7 billion, but even that would only reduce travel time between Washington , D.C. , and New York City to 2 hours and 20 minutes, with an average speed of 97 mph. A new and entirely separate right-of-way would be required in order to build a true HSR line, according to Kummant. Locally, the Orange County Register reported on the annual mooning ritual directed at Pacific Surfliner riders, but don't expect to see much.
Thank you for your donations! We would like to express our gratitude for your donations, which help us prepare materials and educate elected officials, community activists and business leaders on transportation issues. If you have not done so yet, you can still donate and join The Transit Coalition. A monthly subscription to Moving Southern California comes with your membership. Visit our new and improved Donations page to explore other options. Your contribution is greatly appreciated.
Population growth threatens to tax California roads. What's the solution? Build more roads, of course! Many would like to think that stacked highways, road tunnels and tolls will solve our woes. How much would it cost? About $140 billion. Many others believe this is unrealistic, especially in Los Angeles , where property for right-of-way is either nonexistent or impossibly pricey. It doesn't help when opponents want to hand the fight against new highways to the younger generation, as is the case with the aging opponents of the 710 Freeway. The idea received an icy response from Los Angeles Times readers.
Still others believe that smart growth can help control the growth. Dense urban areas like those in Europe and Japan may become the norm, even in communities like Riverside and San Bernardino . A Los Angeles Times editorial expressed hope for dense living around transit, even as disappointment grows around existing manifestations of the concept.
Rialto residents can't wait until the final portion of the 210 Freeway opens up. Officials are now saying that the new road will be open within the next few weeks. Meanwhile, Rialto considers upgrading its portion of an abandoned Pacific Electric line into a trail. Upland already converted its portion of the right-of-way into a trail, while Rancho Cucamonga is finalizing construction on its portion.
Indeed, San Bernardino County is placing a unified front in attaining funds for its transportation projects. The San Bernardino Associated Governments will release a list of priority projects that it hopes to present to state legislators for Proposition 1B funds. Just recently, Victor Valley transportation projects will receive $3 million in federal funds that would, among other things, build a critical railroad grade separation in Hesperia.
A flurry of letters regarding the California Incline in Santa Monica was the subject of a Santa Monica Mirror report. The Incline climbs along the cliffs of Santa Monica and is the only connection between Pacific Coast Highway (State Highway Route 1) and the city proper. Leaders from the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County expressed concern that outright replacement of the Incline would worsen traffic elsewhere.
Nearby, a meeting was held to gauge the response of Santa Monica residents regarding turning Olympic and Pico Blvds. into one-way streets, complete with diagrams. Columnist Frank Gruber is not too keen on supporting or opposing the idea yet, citing that many more points should be investigated.
Would you pay $225,000 for one parking space? Manhattan residents must grapple with said reality, as parking spots are treated as real estate. Spaces in New York can fetch in as much worth per square foot as actual living space. It is a far cry from Los Angeles practice, where parking spaces are included in the price of a home or condo. Don't you laugh at it, though: Riverside County transportation officials are considering charging parking lot users at Metrolink stations in order to fund, well, more parking lots.
The new United Airlines service to Palmdale Airport is growing popular. However, to address the need for better connections with evening flights to the east, the airline will offer earlier departure and later return flights. Though ridership numbers are not disclosed for competitive reasons, anecdotal evidence suggests that the two daily flights are gaining more and more passengers. Also, is LAX vulnerable to a terrorist attack?
On the waterfront, terminal operators and port clerks continue to negotiate new contracts. A work stoppage could prove disastrous, especially with pre-holiday cargo now entering the ports. In 2002, longshore workers across the West Coast were locked out for 10 days, which cost the nation's economy an estimated $1 billion to $2 billion a day. The Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles barely averted a strike on Saturday. Meanwhile, eco-friendly locomotives made their debut at the ports. Further south, San Diego musters up its own plans for port expansion.
Shameless Plug: The Thunderhead Alliance is an organization dedicated to providing bicycle and pedestrian advocates the tools necessary to carry out and win campaigns. The Thunderhead Training seminar, an intense curriculum on how to effectively fight for improvements, is coming to Los Angeles on August 24-26. Here, you can learn from expert coaches and each other through Thunderhead's proven curriculum on choosing, directing, and winning campaigns and to promote complete streets, where walking and bicycling are safe and commonplace. You can view the schedule or register for the event (the latter form features registration fee information).
Here is a list of other recent developments:
July 3: ACR 26, which would direct Caltrans to identify former portions of U.S. Route 6 at the request of local jurisdictions, was chaptered into state law. U.S. 6 currently runs from Bishop, CA, to Provincetown , MA , at a length of 3,205 miles. Until 1964, U.S. 6 continued south of Bishop to Long Beach via what is now U.S. 395, State Highway Route 14 through the Antelope Valley, I-5, I-110 and State Highway Route 1. Communities hope that the designation will promote economic vitality and historical preservation along the former highway.
July 9: The Assembly Transportation Committee approved SB 974, which would collect fees from containers coming into the ports. The fees would be used to pay for environmental mitigation projects at the ports. The bill now moves to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, before it sees time on the Assembly floor. The measure has already cleared the State Senate.
July 10: The Irvine City Council approved a $280 million streetcar project that would connect the proposed Great Park to various Irvine locales. Specifically, a streetcar would run from the Park to the local train station, where users must the transfer to shuttle buses to reach the Irvine Spectrum shopping center. The city may be able to secure $121 million from the cancelled CenterLine project. Federal and Proposition 1B funds, as well as additional Measure M funds, could fund the rest, according to city staff.
July 11: Los Angeles County officials unveiled a plan that would bring an " inland port" to the Antelope Valley . Under the plan, port cargo would be transferred by rail to an intermodal (air, road and rail) facility in the desert. There, trucks can pick up the containers and transport them to their final destinations. The project promises to ease traffic caused by big rigs entering and exiting the ports and, in turn, reduce air pollution. The Antelope Valley Inland Port Task Force will meet again in October.
July 13: A U.S. Senate subcommittee voted to insert language into its annual transportation bill that would repeal a ban on federal funds for a Wilshire subway. Even with the news, however, plans are still adrift for the "Subway to the Sea". Funding is a major concern, as columnist Steve Hymon noted. Polls on the matter suggest that a countywide vote to increase the sales tax to pay for it would not pass the 2/3 threshold. For those interested in learning about the project, the Southern California Transit Advocates (SO.CA.TA) will hold a meeting tonight on the subject.
Announcement: The public comment period for the 405 Freeway northbound carpool lane project has been extended to September 10. You can send comments on the project to Caltrans District 7, Division of Environmental Planning, 100 Main St., MS -16A, Los Angeles , CA 90012 . Also, you are invited to two meetings concerning the extension of the Orange Line to the Chatsworth Metrolink station. See Upcoming Events.
Upcoming Events: SO.CA.TA Wilshire Subway Community Outreach Meeting: Tuesday, July 17, 6 to 8 p.m., Beverly Hills Library, 444 N. Rexford Dr., Beverly Hills.
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Posted by numan @ 7/18/2007 09:56:00 AM
18 Comments:
Good job, Coalition people. I attended last week's session where the MTA developers of Ph I and II of the Light Rail to La Cienega at Culver City (I) and II (hopefully to Santa Monica) presented their current and future progress and developments -- very impressive. And nice collaboration w/ the Coalition and community members so far, in developing the line incorporate public concerns.
With all the good work so far, it's imperative to continue and complete. People, offer specific input now -- once design features are approved, too late to change.
I've lived in NYC. Have you?
Being forced to ride smelly crowded trains every day is miserable.
I don't look to them for inspiration. I look to them with pity. Thank God I left.
Hey 11:37a, where you goin' next??
I haven't decided. I think LA has ten more years before the damage is irreversible.
11:37: What an idiotic comparison.
Just because NYC's ancient subways are grungy, doesn't mean our brand- new ones will be. You prove the point: an ignorant public complains without benefit of any knowledge. If you actually saw the existing H'wood to downtown/Universal subways, you'd be amazed how beautiful they are, each stop a work of art, the whole thing immaculate.
Problem is, it;s so limited, serves a bunch of Hispanics without cars, some thug-types, confused tourists, and too-few people who use it for what it was intended: alternative to cars.
The people at that meeting, like many others, are those who'd use it: sorry to sound "elitist," but most didn't look like they'd need to be in fancy cars as long as the stops/cars were clean and quick.
And heck, even I would leave my car and take the subway to the beach if it was clean and convenient: hate the crowded, expensive beach pkg.
This is 1137
Actually, I have seen and used the system. Indeed, it is visually appealing, but it will never ever be a true alternative to driving.
Did you know that 20 Manhattans can fit into the land area of LA proper?
Is the term "cost prohibitive" part of your vocabulary?
12:52: some people are too negative to ever reach for solutions. You're even too negative for New York, and that's saying a lot. I don't know where you can go that's depressing enough for you...Baghdad?
"...20 Manhattans can fit into the land area of LA proper..."
Wait! What??!
Well, that seals the argument.
Better to build more freeways while California's population doubles!
Let's see...more freeways, more cars, more congestion, more pollution, more asthma, less productivity...
Geez, can't fault your logic there, 11:37...
Wrong Jack. More freeways = LESS congestion.
148- disagreeing with you doesn't make me negative. I love living here!
Also- New York's subways were once beautiful too. Have you seen photos of the original trains? Amazing!
Unfortunately for us aesthetics enthusiasts, people actually use the NYC subway system. That's why it is dirty and smelly today. The upholstery has been replaced by hard plastic. etc. etc. etc.
Do you think LA's system is immune from wear and tear?
2:15 (etc.): New YOrk is New York.
Tokyo and Hong Kong have jampacked subways all day long, and they're clean. Their trains are beautiful, and in Tokyo, with food service from servers in white gloves...Hong Kong people are rude, like in China: even with a baby stroller, they knocked me out of the way all the time. Tokyo's people are literally stuffed into the cars, and there are some male pervs I hear, but vast, vast majority polite, opposite of H K/China.
Point is, each place is different.
Closer to home, San Francisco Bart is clean and much-utlized. We're not NYC, where even 15 years ago when I left, seemingly respectable businessmen in nice cars would knock me, a young woman in a little car, out of the way to get a parking spot. Lots to love re: the activity there, but their karma brings on a lot of negativity.
You are so mired in a negative NYC mindset that you bring it here, however much you claim "you love it here" because you want millions more people to keep crowding into the city in their cars.
YOu're right that we are much bigger geographically, but that doesn't mean we should do ev/thing we can to encourage efficiency -- and discourage waste. I chose to live closer to work, even choose my kid's school accordingly, even tho it's much more expensive than in the VAlley or S. B/ S. G; I have little sympathy for those who drive more than 10 miles each day indefinitely (i.e., never move closer) and demand that we pay for them in congestion and pollution.
They should pay congestion pricing, if they live x miles from work and don't carpool. We're already widening the 405 etc., but look at the controversies, razing homes.
Maybe a paid tollway running over the current routes will work: but that will be even more expensive.
Sounds like you need to live and work further out in the suburbs.
And stop just thinking of NYC.
249- thank you! That is my point. Every place is unique. LA is not NYC. In LA we do not shoehorn into packed trains. We drive today and we will drive tomorrow.
(and no Jack, cars will not always pollute. talk about short sighted!)
By the way- I am not mired in a negative NYC mindset. Numan said we should look to NYC for inspiration and I take exception to that because I moved here to escape what he fantasizes about.
3:09: MY point was, that although every place is different IN TERMS OF HOW THEY UTILIZE MASS TRANSIT, THEY ALL HAVE SOME FAR MORE EXTENSIVE FORM OF IT, THAN WE DO. Tokyo is also a very spread-out city, and subways are linked to trains going to suburbs.
Even with hybrid cars or electric or whatever, we need mass transit. But we will always need some regular cars cuz places like the hillsides aren't capable of accommodating mass transit: unless we have cable cars, like they do in many cities: combining utility and fun.
All of this seems daunting because we should have done this 20 years ago; but now, even Zev/Waxman, who said no then, realize they were wrong. Better late than never.
3:09, you are soooo funny!
More than 26 million cars in California alone. Toyota just celebrated selling its 1,000,000th Prius WORLDWIDE.
Do you really think everyone who comes into CA will be driving a Ford Focus-- that it's all gonna happen overnight?
And, unless you like the safety of a double-decker freeway in earthquake country, exactly how many lanes would you propose on the 405, taking out how many homes, schools, parks and businesses along the way?
I, too, have lived in New York City (and Chicago). What we need here is more of everything. Rail will never replace the need for a car for most Angelenos--Hell, it doesn't replace the need for a car for most Chicagoans.
Jack, you play the earthquake card very selectively. If earthquakes prevent us from double-decking the freeways, why don't earthquakes prevent us from tunneling underground?
Many places in Asia make Southern California look like the earthquake minor leagues, yet somehow they've managed to successfully build multi-level roads and extensive subway systems.
We need to start compromising on this issue stop the "my way or the highway" mentality.
"If earthquakes prevent us from double-decking the freeways, why don't earthquakes prevent us from tunneling underground?"
I hear ya, but you're assuming that I support more subways being built and I don't.
Give me rail on top of the ground that runs regularly (8 to 10 min. intervals -- not every 33 to 45 mins.) We have to be able to move more people on a more regular basis now and especially in the future.
I grew up in So Cal. Lived here my entire life. I remember the car culture very very well, but it's gone now. Time to stop thinking that a freeway is the answer to everything, because it hasn't been the answer for a long time.
Fair enough. I assumed that because I often get the earthquake argument from subway people who want to shut down the freeway debate.
The point is, there is no silver bullet. Freeways are not dinosaurs. A good rail system would ease congestion. We need to stop saying we can't do this and can't do that.
We can double-deck freeways and we can build elevated trains, Chicago-style, that don't interfere with traffic.
Japan has earthquakes and double-decker freeways. I honestly don't know if that is wise, engineering-wise. But we already have overpasses: how do they bear up? If I'm not mistaken, with the right construction material, bridges and roads can just "sway," have some give? Worst I've heard about them is lunatics/ gangsters lobbing rocks onto cars below. Sad as it is, that is our "society" at its worst.
Subways are actually some of the safest places to be during an earthquake. What causes structures to fall apart during a seismic event are the rapid swaying and/or imparted harmonic motion. Subway tunnels are supported on all sides by earth and therefore are moving in exactly the same way as the shaking, preventing destructive harmonic motion.
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