From the LA Times: Making the Eastside safe for Gold Line light rail extension

Link: Making the Eastside safe for Gold Line light rail extension - Los Angeles Times

Making the Eastside safe for Gold Line light rail extension

Bob Chamberlin/Los Angeles Times

Worker climbs inside a rail car that is part of the Gold Line Eastside Extension line. The car was involved in a trial run for the new system, which is expected to begin operating later this summer.
Officials warn residents of East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights about reckless walking and driving on the tracks that could lead to tragedy.

By Hector Becerra
June 16, 2009

Compelled by their hankering for a breakfast of pozole, Ricardo and Rosa Solis casually strolled across the railroad tracks on First Street to a Mexican restaurant.

They didn't know that around the corner, MTA and law enforcement officials had just concluded a news conference Monday exhorting people not to do exactly that.

Later this summer, light rail trains will return to Boyle Heights and East L.A. for the first time in half a century. But officials say that just months before the Gold Line Eastside Extension begins running, they are seeing a lot of bad habits that could lead to serious injuries or deaths. If it is not jaywalkers, it is cars zipping across intersections when they're supposed to be stopped.

Since May, law enforcement has issued more than 400 traffic citations to heedless drivers and pedestrians.

Come to think of it, Ricardo Solis, 37, said, he did see a motorcycle officer when he and his wife jaywalked. But it seemed so much easier to cut across the tracks than walk several hundred feet to the intersection, he said.

"Hijole!" he said. "That could have been a lot of money."

It's not like there are no signs that the trains are coming. Test runs occur nearly every day. But some people are undeterred. And the Eastside Extension will offer special challenges.

The Red Line from North Hollywood to Union Station in downtown L.A. is underground; the Blue Line mostly parallels a freight railroad track; the Green Line spans a freeway; and the Gold Line to Pasadena traverses neighborhoods only in stretches.

The 22-mile-long Blue Line has had the most accidents and fatalities, with 92 deaths involving vehicles or pedestrians between July 1990 and March of this year. While the Blue Line trains hit top speeds of 55 mph, the Gold Line Eastside Extension trains will not top 35 mph.

But it will go mostly through narrow neighborhood streets, with cars and people seldom more than a few feet or yards away, said Jose Ubaldo, an MTA spokesman.

The MTA has embarked on an aggressive education campaign, working with law enforcement to get the word out in neighborhoods and visiting 60 schools.

Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar said 14 cameras have been placed at intersections to record left-hand turn violations.

"It's almost 50 years since residents had to negotiate a rail line going through Boyle Heights," Huizar said. "Trains can't stop on a dime."

Art Leahy, the MTA's chief executive, said more dividers will be added to discourage people from walking across the tracks.

"It is safe, but we're going to make it safer," Leahy said.

As she ate with her husband at Tamales Liliana's on First Street, Rosa Solis said the barriers would definitely be needed.

"If people don't see a train, they're just going to go across," she said. "They'll risk it."

Waitress Araceli Soto, 29, said motorcycle officers have been giving a lot of traffic tickets.

But she said she doubts that the jaywalking will stop even when the trains start rolling regularly.

Just a few hundred feet away, MTA "safety ambassador" Gilbert Maese of East L.A. spent the morning telling people what they needed to do to keep safe when the trains are running. He said jaywalking was more rampant before.

But it's still a problem, he said, moments before two young men crossed the tracks about 200 feet away.

"Old habits are hard to break," Maese said. "I've talked to people and told them they need to be careful and that they shouldn't be crossing the tracks. What do they do? They turn around and do it anyway."

hector.becerra

@latimes.com

From the Las Vegas Sun: An Argument in favor of using mag lev train instead of a bullet train

Link: Build rail for the future - Las Vegas Sun

Sun editorial:
Build rail for the future
Proposed maglev link from Las Vegas to Southern California a winning idea

Tue, Jun 16, 2009 (2:05 a.m.)

This nation must do a far better job of cleaning up the environment and reversing its dependency on fossil fuel consumption, which contributes to global warming.

One solution is to develop a nationwide network of high-speed rail lines that not only could rival the connectivity of the U.S. interstate highway system, but also could do a far better job of relieving traffic congestion while getting passengers to their destinations faster. Having cleaner air to breathe would be a bonus.

As reporters Lisa Mascaro and Richard Velotta reminded Las Vegas Sun readers Sunday, the city now has two competing high-speed-rail proposals that aim to connect Southern Nevada with Southern California. But only one of them, a magnetic levitation train that can travel up to 300 miles an hour, truly represents the future and can help advance this nation’s transportation system far beyond where it is today.

The downside of the other proposal, for the DesertXpress system, which would employ the antiquated technology of steel wheels on steel tracks, is that it would travel at only half the speed and go only as far as Victorville, Calif.

Proponents of the maglev line, a nonprofit venture that would be overseen by the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission, intend to run their line to Anaheim, Calif. This represents a significant advantage over DesertXpress for many reasons.

One is that Southern Californians traveling to Las Vegas aboard a maglev train would avoid the horrendous traffic that turns the route from the Interstate 10/Interstate 15 interchange to the Cajon Pass into a parking lot. Driving to Victorville, which is nearly 100 congested miles northeast of Los Angeles, would add hours to their commute, increase air pollution and leave motorists frustrated.

Another advantage of maglev is that there are plans to connect the Las Vegas line with a high-speed route running from San Diego to San Francisco and Sacramento. If you live in Las Vegas and want to visit California, you could take the train to those destinations rather than having to rent a car in Victorville to continue your journey.

Finally, the Las Vegas and California links could serve as vital building blocks in the quest for a national high-speed-rail network.

It is for these reasons that we strongly urge the Obama administration and Congress to include the proposed Las Vegas maglev train in the funding mix for the $8 billion in federal money set aside for high-speed-rail development.
Discussion: 3 comments so far…

1.

By Brian C. Brooks
6/16/09 at 6:51 a.m.
Suggest removal

My approval of the maglev proposal appeared in a comment related to the first article. I also described a lower cost alternative that was much better than steel wheels on steel rails. Monorail can be developed to operate quietly at 150 mph and can easily descend through the Cajon pass and connect with all parts of southern California and with the proposed high speed rail systems and allow much shorter routes for them. Is anyone interested in this elegant solution?
2.

By El Lobo
6/16/09 at 7:47 a.m.
Suggest removal

I agree....the magnetic levitation train model is the way to go. It truly represents "real progress." Dumping passenger off at Victorville is hardly the answer. Traveling at 300 miles an hour is far better than traveling at 150 miles an hour.

I also agree that it's time to "do a far better job of cleaning up the environment and reversing its (our) dependency on fossil fuel consumption...."

Those in the know tell us that the world's supply of oil is going to peak some time after 2010. In other words, there's going to be less and less oil world wide as countries such as China and India demand a larger share of the oil avialable...

It's time the United States starts acting like a world leader.....it's time we become the leader when it comes to energy. It's time to build a new energy mouse trap......

Let's start with the magnetic levitation train and go from there....
3.

By scherf.com
6/16/09 at 9:47 a.m.
Suggest removal

This is an excellent Editorial by the Sun!
The MAGLEV proposal is the only viable option for a high-speed train system and it has a shot a great success, ... I know I will most definitely ride/use it, ... and I know lots of people from LA and Las Vegas who would love the MAGLEV system and are even excited about it.

The old-tech DesertXpress is an absolut lost cause, because virtually nobody would use the DesertXpress, ... because who in the world would want to travel to or from Victorville and it would be a tremendous hassle to connect from/to Victorville and therefore the DesertXpress is a losing proposition, ... it's not even worth considering it. It would be a grand financial disaster in the billions of dollars and it would be a "ghost" line nobody uses.

Well, I'm glad the Sun wrote this Editorial which is accurate and encouraging in all its aspects as the MAGLEV magnetic levitation train system is the best in the world, even if it costs a lot more, but that's the future. It would be great to have this system all across the U.S. and with a little "luck" we could get it over the next couple decades. The MAGLEV is also a very safe form of transportation and it's convenient in every regard. And the MAGLEV is the evironmentally best solution anyone can come up with and regarding the "green" (environmental) aspect the MAGLEV is decades ahead of the DesertXpress proposal.

From KCBS San Jose: Still No Regional Consensus on High Speed Rail

KCBS - Still No Regional Consensus on High Speed Rail

Still No Regional Consensus on High Speed Rail



SAN JOSE (KCBS) -- Although the mayors of the Bay Area’s two largest cities agree on the priorities for high speed rail, some cities between San Francisco and San Jose harbor reservations about the project.

Leaders in several peninsula cities are concerned about the impact trains running 120 mph will have on the quality of life in communities adjacent to the existing Caltrain right of way.

Listen KCBS' Mike Colgan reports
Audio link: http://podcast.kcbs.com/kcbs/1794645.mp3

“The track design, for example in Palo Alto, would run right up to or in some cases potentially need to take some of people’s back yards,” said Palo Alto City Councilman Pat Burt.

Burt said communities up and down the peninsula could find themselves divided by large, physical barriers to mitigate noise and danger from the engines.

Such discord could jeopardize federal funding for the rail line that would eventually connect Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento with the Central Valley.

A unified plan will ease the competition for stimulus dollars in particular, said San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed.

“It’s really important for us all to work together because we want to make sure that high speed rail, the California part of high speed rail, has the best chance possible,” Reed said.

From the blog "Little Tokyo Unplugged": Gold Line Safety Walk-Through

Link: Little Tokyo UnBlogged: Gold Line Safety Walk-Through

Gold Line Safety Walk-Through

Yesterday, Kim Tachiki from US Representative Lucille Royball Allard's office arranged to have Little Tokyo Community Council members participate in a safety walk-through at the Metro Gold Line Little Tokyo / Arts District Station with Metro staff.

About five MTA representatives and engineers were on hand to field questions from a couple dozen community members about pedestrian safety and access around the Gold Line light rail station, which is slated for full operation sometime in August.

Upon walking up to the track crossing at the NE corner of 1st and Alameda, one is immediately struck at how "open" the crossing is, with little to keep a pedestrian from accidentally walking or falling over the tracks at an oncoming train (by the way, it's a $500 fine to walk on the tracks...but who reads signs when we're in a rush to catch a train or make the light?).

Many in the group were equally dismayed at the lack of barriers or gates to prevent an accident. MTA staff assured us, however, that gates are being evaluated, and that a study on the issue will be released in July or August...and there will be an opportunity for public comments.

The other questions that came up time and again were the lack of language-appropriate signage (some of the signs that were up did have Spanish translations). Many in the group expressed concerns over how local Japanese and Korean residents, most especially seniors, would be able to read the warnings. The MTA is also going to take into account the timing of pedestrian lights to enable seniors sufficient time to cross sidewalks.

Members in the group pointed out a lot of confusing designs and safety systems, so the walk-through was informative for both community members and the MTA staff. At the request of the participants, Metro representatives will be making presentations to the Little Tokyo Community Council and other groups, and will incorporate the comments and feedback from yesterday's meeting to the station's overall safety plan.

Little Tokyo UnBlogged: Gold Line Safety Walk-Through

Gold Line Safety Walk-Through

Yesterday, Kim Tachiki from US Representative Lucille Royball Allard's office arranged to have Little Tokyo Community Council members participate in a safety walk-through at the Metro Gold Line Little Tokyo / Arts District Station with Metro staff.

About five MTA representatives and engineers were on hand to field questions from a couple dozen community members about pedestrian safety and access around the Gold Line light rail station, which is slated for full operation sometime in August.

Upon walking up to the track crossing at the NE corner of 1st and Alameda, one is immediately struck at how "open" the crossing is, with little to keep a pedestrian from accidentally walking or falling over the tracks at an oncoming train (by the way, it's a $500 fine to walk on the tracks...but who reads signs when we're in a rush to catch a train or make the light?).

Many in the group were equally dismayed at the lack of barriers or gates to prevent an accident. MTA staff assured us, however, that gates are being evaluated, and that a study on the issue will be released in July or August...and there will be an opportunity for public comments.

The other questions that came up time and again were the lack of language-appropriate signage (some of the signs that were up did have Spanish translations). Many in the group expressed concerns over how local Japanese and Korean residents, most especially seniors, would be able to read the warnings. The MTA is also going to take into account the timing of pedestrian lights to enable seniors sufficient time to cross sidewalks.

Members in the group pointed out a lot of confusing designs and safety systems, so the walk-through was informative for both community members and the MTA staff. At the request of the participants, Metro representatives will be making presentations to the Little Tokyo Community Council and other groups, and will incorporate the comments and feedback from yesterday's meeting to the station's overall safety plan.

From the Las Vegas Sun: the pros and cons of Mag Lev technology and high-speed rail

Link: Trade-offs between technologies include speed, cost - Las Vegas Sun

TRANSPORTATION:
Trade-offs between technologies include speed, cost
Backers of each project find fault with the way the other one would work

By Richard N. Velotta (contact)

Sun, Jun 14, 2009 (2 a.m.)

It’s a tale of two trains.

One would be a conventional steel-wheels-on-rails model that would move faster than any train operating in the West, powered by electricity or a diesel-electric hybrid locomotive.

The other wouldn’t use rails — or wheels. Its cars would be propelled by magnetic levitation, or maglev, and would float on a cushion of air, propelled by magnetic fields generated by electricity. And it would be really fast.

These are the two technologies that have emerged as contenders to whisk thousands of gamblers from Southern California to Las Vegas on high-speed trains.

Proposals for high-speed trains were aired in the

late 1970s as traffic from the market that supplies one-third of the city’s visitors grew on Interstate 15. Today, about 80,000 vehicles a day use I-15 after traffic peaked at about 97,000 a day in July 2005.

As more people took to the highway, 10-hour drives between Los Angeles and Las Vegas instead of four became common on busy weekends.

A fast train, like Japan’s “bullet train” or Europe’s many high-speed options, seemed a workable solution to the problem.

Maglev technology dates to '60s

A maglev proposal developed by the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission in partnership with American Magline Group took the lead, using technology developed in Germany in the late 1960s.

Germany’s Transrapid’s evolving technology was used to build the world’s only commercial maglev line in operation, a 19-mile-long system linking Shanghai and Pudong International Airport.

That system, now in its ninth upgrade, is what American Magline wants to build between Anaheim and Las Vegas.

The maglev looks like a monorail, but the technology is much different.

In the Transrapid system, passengers sit inside a vehicle that is a part of an electric motor and is levitated over an I-shaped guideway. An onboard computer system controls levitation and adjusts magnetic force of a set of onboard electromagnets as they move along the guideway.

The propulsion concept is built on the basics of magnetism discovered by children: Magnets either attract or repel each other, depending on the alignment. In this case, the magnets are much larger and computers control the timing and power of the electromagnets so that regardless of load and speed, the vehicles maintain a 10-millimeter gap between the vehicle and the guideway.

Because there are no moving parts or friction, maintenance costs are greatly reduced. Most of the electronic parts are mounted in the vehicles or the guideways and can be changed out as easily as changing a car battery.

People who have ridden the Shanghai maglev say it is smooth, quiet and comfortable. Despite speeds of 300 mph, passengers don’t need seat belts and can walk up and down the aisle when the maglev train is in motion.

Because there is no contact between the vehicle and the guideway, it’s quiet along the track as well. When a maglev train passes by, people nearby will hear the whoosh of the vehicle displacing the air around it.

Maglev tracks between Anaheim and Las Vegas would be elevated to prevent grade-crossing mishaps.

American Magline officials say the surfaces of their low-maintenance track could house solar panels that could help power the system. Instead of a sprawling grid of photovoltaic panels, the maglev line could be one long electricity-producing panel. In addition, maglev proponents have said that if a network of

transportation lines could be developed nationwide like the interstate highway system, the guideways could house electric power conveyance as well — a nationwide power grid you could ride.

The fact that the American Magline’s maglev proposal has been on the drawing board for years and hasn’t gotten far is why some backers have switched allegiance to the conventional rail proposal developed by DesertXpress Enterprises.

Earlier proposals sputtered

The DesertXpress plan to build a high-speed line between Victorville, Calif., and Las Vegas has its roots in earlier rail proposals.

At the prodding of Sen. Harry Reid and with a ridership study commissioned by Rogich Communications in hand, an Amtrak subsidiary proposed a fast train to make the Los Angeles-Las Vegas run after Amtrak discontinued its Desert Wind train service in May 1997.

Amtrak West partnered with Talgo Inc., a Washington state-based subsidiary of Patentes Talgo SA of Madrid, Spain. Talgo and Amtrak West proposed a European-style train capable of going 80 mph to run on the existing Union Pacific track between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

But that plan sputtered when lawmakers didn’t fund Amtrak’s request and a key piece of the plan — building a parallel track for the passenger train to pass slower freight trains within California’s Mojave National Preserve — wasn’t built.

But the advantages of conventional rail were affirmed and Rogich backed DesertXpress’ proposal to build a train capable of traveling 150 mph.

The plan is simple: Build an elevated guideway along the I-15 corridor with experienced rail contractors that have established records.

Environmental permitting is nearly complete. One decision that has yet to be made is whether the trains would be all electric or a diesel-electric hybrid. Both involve proven technologies in use nationwide.

An all-electric system would require miles of catenary, the electric cable that runs above the track, or a third-rail power source. A hybrid would use diesel fuel to power the locomotive pulling the train.

As in the maglev train, passengers would be able to roam the aisles despite the high speed. DesertXpress officials envision a party atmosphere on board and the
he potential of casino companies arranging to hand out room keys and take show and dinner reservations during the 84-minute trip across the desert.

Both projects draw criticism

The downside of each system is reflected in the criticisms American Magline and DesertXpress have for each other’s proposals.

The rail project is a throwback to the 19th century while maglev is 21st-century technology, the maglev project’s backers say. The maglev system is unproven in the United States, especially in a harsh desert environment with temperature extremes and wind, sand and dust, the rail backers counter.

Because the high-speed train can’t handle the steep grades of the Cajon Pass, the DesertXpress’ southern terminus would be the high desert town of Victorville. The maglev train, which could run up and down the Cajon Pass, would end at Anaheim, maglev backers say.

DesertXpress officials counters that it has a long-range plan to connect passenger traffic to the west through Palmdale, which would be on California’s high-speed train route between Los Angeles and Sacramento.

DesertXpress officials say the maglev is too expensive to build; American Magline counters that its lower maintenance costs would even things out.

Neither proposal has financing in place, but both have private partners lined up for all the components needed to build and operate.

But now, DesertXpress has a couple of key advantages — a head start in the permitting process and political backing that could funnel federal dollars to the project. American Magline can only hope that when President Obama said he wants to see the fastest train in the world built in the United States that he
meant it and can influence what gets built.

From the official website-Dessert Xpress: Desert Xpress set to debut 2014

Link: Desert Xpress set to debut 2014 | California Excursions

June 10th, 2009
Desert Xpress set to debut 2014

The DesertXpress is a unique project that is based on using proven, steel wheel on rail high speed train technology to connect Southern California and Las Vegas.



A new transportation alternative will alleviate the congestion on I-15 facilitating both Las Vegas-bound and Southern California-bound travelers. Las Vegas has consistently been the fastest-growing large city in the country over the past decade. This growth has only strengthened the demand for travel from Nevada to Southern California. And in the wake of the current economic downturn, hotel occupancy in Las Vegas has remained strong at nearly 90%; and, traffic counts on the I-15 freeway at the CA-NV State Border have shown increases in 2009.

The DesertXpress will travel 184 miles from Victorville, CA to Las Vegas, NV in 84 minutes.
The DesertXpress will travel 184 miles from Victorville to Las Vegas in 84 minutes.

The Route
Link: click here
From Victorville, a completely separate, dedicated two-track passenger railway would be constructed, largely following the north side or median of I-15, making maximum use of excess freeway right-of-way, and minimizing the impact upon the largely undeveloped land alongside the highway. There will be no grade crossings, thereby maximizing speed and safety.

Two passenger stations are proposed, one in Victorville located along the west side of I-15 between the North and South junctions with the Stoddard Wells Road interchanges on about 60 acres of land, plus parking, and the other station in Las Vegas at one of three possible locations designed to interface with proposed extensions of the Las Vegas Monorail™, with shuttles serving the resorts and the central business district.

In Las Vegas, the line will be conveniently located close to the airport, the Strip, and downtown Las Vegas. In addition, if desired by the resort owners at Primm, located adjacent to the state line, a station could be provided to accommodate separate excursion trains operating to and from Las Vegas.


Link: click here.
Why Victorville?

Of course it would be great if DesertXpress could be extended to downtown Los Angeles, Anaheim and Ontario, and someday it might. But for this initial project, it is critical for the station to serve the Southern California market and be financeable without public tax dollars.

Victorville makes a lot of sense because it is the first major population center northeast of the Cajon Pass through the San Bernardino mountain range separating the High Desert from the Los Angeles basin. Victorville is within only a 30- to 45-minute drive for roughly 5 million people who live in the Inland Empire, Antelope Valley, and the eastern portions of Los Angeles County, and only a one to two hour’s drive for most of the rest of the Southland’s 21 million residents—many of whom routinely drive at least an hour to and from work each weekday.
Fares & Schedules

The comprehensive ridership forecasting work that was independently vetted by the Federal Railroad Administration shows that at a $50 one-way fare, which is at the mid-point of the range of fares we have studied, the annual ridership in the first full year of operation is estimated to be over 10 million trips.

Trains would operate between 6 am to 10 pm (or later), daily, 365 days a year, at 20 to 30 minute intervals during peak periods and 1- to 2-hour intervals during non-peak periods.

DesertXpress will operate at a top speed of 150 mph, making the 180-mile trip in about 84 minutes, like clock work, no matter what time of day, every day of the year.
A Fully Expandable System

The DesertXpress line could be extended over approximately 50 miles to interface with the inter-modal facility planned in Palmdale on the voter-approved California High Speed Rail Project. And because the system will use non-proprietary, high quality, standard gauge steel rail technology, it does not tie the hands of the public sector. This ensures that the lowest possible cost can be realized for such expansions.

From I Will Ride: Metro Board Postpones Vote on Long Range Transportation Plan

Link: Metro Board Postpones Vote on Long Range Transportation Plan Until July « I Will Ride Blog

Metro Board Postpones Vote on Long Range Transportation Plan Until July
Posted by Albert

Well the build up to the Metro’s board vote on the Long Range Transportation Plan – including Twitter posts from Metro staff (who we thank for the shout out on Facebook) – fizzled quickly, when Director Richard Katz suggested the vote be postponed until July 23 because the public had very little opportunity to review and comment on the 63-page staff report. Metro CEO Art Leahy apologized for the delay in releasing the report.

Fair enough.

As we reported Wednesday, there is good news in the plan. Metro committed a stream of Measure R funds to build the Foothill Extension. The funds begin flowing in the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1 – the same day Metro begins collecting the half-cent sales for transit projects. We certainly hope the delay doesn’t erode that priority, and perhaps gives the agency more time to consider expediting the opening of the Foothill Extension to Azusa. I Will Ride is requesting the board open the line in 2013.

Now on to the good stuff. There were numerous groups at the meeting – all representing different areas of Los Angeles County and their respective transportation modalities, from light rail to buses to bikes. However, the number of supporters who spoke out during public comment for the Foothill Extension pretty much outnumbered the rest (even more if you include those who supported every light rail project). The group included elected officials and a few of their representatives for those who couldn’t be there, college faculty, heads of San Gabriel Valley economic development groups, organized labor, and members from the local San Gabriel Valley business communities.

Supporters for the Foothill Extension all rallied behind the same end-result in the Long Range Transportation Plan: an operational date for the Foothill Extension to Azusa in 2013. While everyone expressed gratitude over the inclusion of a funding timetable for the Foothill Extension in the LRTP, they also pointed out that the timetable’s current operational date of 2017 was too long. Claremont City Councilmember Sam Pedroza compared the current plan to letting his kids watch TV after they do their homework, only to see that the TV doesn’t work. It makes sense.

Why wait even longer when we can create jobs now, improve the air quality, improve the local economy, and reduce traffic for the San Gabriel Valley?

A representative from Congressman Adam Schiff’s office brought up the issue of federal funding for the extension, something that we hadn’t heard in a while. For those who had followed the development of the Foothill Extension in the past, Congressman Schiff has been one of the drivers in trying to get federal funding for the extension. Schiff’s representative, Yvonne Hsu, made the case that, besides being the only ready-to-build rail project in the county, a consensus among the Board would give the extension a greater chance to receive federal funding.

While we had used the term “Brain Train” before to describe the vast number of students and faculty along the Foothill Extension corridor, University of La Verne Vice President Phil Hawkey pointed out that the San Gabriel Valley has the largest concentration of higher education students in the entire country (save for maybe Boston). That “Brain Train” name seems only more fitting after hearing that.

A group of representatives from organized labor and the local business community made a public comment together in support of all light rail projects in Measure R. Ed Rendon, Director of Public Affairs for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Joint Council 42, told the board that the coalition is especially in favor of the Foothill Extension – seeing as how its shovel-ready status presents plenty of opportunities for jobs and economic development for labor and the cities along the route. Speaking of jobs, Citrus College Board member Dr. Edward Ortell spoke out in favor of the Foothill Extension because of the opportunities for Citrus College to train (and re-train) blue- and white-collar workers.

So now we wait until July 23 for the vote on the Long Range Transportation Plan. Here’s hoping. (For a blow-by-blow of the meeting, visit our Twitter feed @iwillride)

From LA Wave: The future of the proposed Crenshaw Transit Corridor.

Link: Crenshaw Transit Corridor ready for closeup | LA Wave Newspaper | West Edition

Crenshaw Transit Corridor ready for closeup
In the fall, the MTA board will determine whether to pursue light-rail or buses for transportation project to run through the heart of South Los Angeles.

By LEILONI DE GRUY, Staff Writer

Story Published: Jun 10, 2009 at 8:17 PM PDT

Story Updated: Jun 10, 2009 at 8:17 PM PDT

CRENSHAW — This fall, the full Metropolitan Transportation Authority board will decide on a mode of transportation for the Crenshaw Transit Corridor project, which was approved last November by a two-third vote under Measure R.

The north-south oriented project will serve South Los Angeles, Hawthorne, Inglewood, El Segundo, parts of the unincorporated county of Los Angeles and LAX, all by way of Crenshaw Boulevard.

The corridor “is generally defined,” said an MTA report, “as the area extending north to Wilshire Boulevard, east to Arlington Avenue, south to El Segundo Boulevard, and west to Sepulveda Boulevard, La Tijera Boulevard and La Brea Avenue.”

In the first phase, the line would extend to Exposition Boulevard down to LAX. Upon completion of the project, it is expected to connect to the Green Line, Purple Line and the Expo Line — the latter of which is currently under construction — as will it utilize the Harbor Subdivision, a 26-mile stretch of rail track between downtown L.A. and the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, that was abandoned during construction of the Alameda Corridor.

Future plans would extend the project north from Wilshire Boulevard to Hollywood, where it would then connect to the Red Line subway in the San Fernando Valley. Currently, there is already a line connecting LAX to Redondo Beach, which under the project could then be extended to Long Beach.

After narrowing down several options, the MTA has devised two alternatives for the project: a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) or a Light Rail Transit (LRT).

“One alignment alternative provides for a BRT and LRT line operating south from Wilshire Boulevard or the Exposition LRT line [which is under construction], along Crenshaw Boulevard through Koreatown, the Crenshaw District, and downtown Inglewood on the MTA-owned Harbor Subdivision railroad right-of-way, where the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway operates some freight service, continuing to the Green Line Aviation Station,” said the study. “A transfer connection would be provided to LAX from the Aviation Station.”

Another alignment alternative “provides for operation of a BRT or LRT line south from Wilshire Boulevard or the Exposition LRT line along Crenshaw Boulevard to the Harbor Subdivision railroad right-of-way,” added the report. “The BRT alternative would then operate along the Harbor Subdivision railroad right-of-way to La Brea Avenue, where it would turn southward to Hawthorne Boulevard and terminate at El Segundo Boulevard. The LRT alternative would operate along the Harbor Subdivision railroad right-of-way south to Prairie Avenue, then turn west to connect with the Green Line Hawthorne Station along the I-105 Freeway and south on Hawthorne Boulevard to El Segundo Boulevard.”

Currently, the project is in what is called the “alternative analysis” phase of the Environmental Impact Report. The latest EIR should be released by the MTA late summer or early fall, said MTA Transportation Planning Manager Roderick Diaz, but it must first be reviewed by the federal government. After which, the board will review and approve what is called a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA), or a determined mode of transportation. Another level of environmental review will then be completed with the intent of moving forward with the selected alternative.

According to Diaz, the BRT alternative has “a cost estimate of between $500-$600 million.” The LRT alternative has a “cost estimate that will likely end up between $1.5-$1.8 billion.” This includes construction costs, design and labor.

“It could be completed anytime between 2016-2018 and that’s dependent largely upon the availability of funding,” Diaz added, who cited a declining sales tax receipts due to the recession. “The [completion] date may be affected by the availability of funding by those projections.”

Funds from Measure R, a ballot measure that will make $40 billion available to address traffic and transportation upgrades throughout the county over the next 30 years, and other local sales taxes — such as Prop. A passed in 1980 and Prop. C passed in 1990 — will support funding of the project.

However, the MTA is “still looking to attract more funding for the project just in case the alternative that is selected exceeds what Measure R grants to the project.”

Esperanza Martinez, a Bus Riders Union organizer, said LRTs “are costly projects that historically go over budget and then they have to come back and figure out how they can meet the budget,” which she said causes huge delays.
Martinez added that LRTs take anywhere from 9 to 15 years to construct and operate versus BRTs, which could be up and running within the next five years.

The project has been a subject of debate since the Major Investment Study (MIS) was initiated between 1993-1994. Issues surrounding traffic, safety and impacts on the environment have all been raised by various groups.

The BRT could take away a lane from automobiles on streets along the path and be replaced by a bus-only lane, which may pose right-of-way issues as could it pose traffic. In comparison to the LRT, it is expected to go underground in congested areas and in certain places above ground or at-grade. Since the latter does not have to compete with traffic on the street, according to an MTA report, it would be a faster mode of transportation, beating the BRT by at least six minutes.

The Bus Riders Union, which advocate bus-only lanes, believes that buses should be given priority since they hold a higher capacity of riders per hour. In addition, “We believe eventually … it will really increase the number of people who use public transit,” said Martinez. “And if you reduce the number of autos you also impact public health as well as the climate change crisis.”

In terms of creating more traffic, Martinez said it may initially, “but how else are you going to get people out of their car?” she asked. “You have to give them a viable alternative. So, maybe the first week you’ll have someone like myself driving down Crenshaw Boulevard and you see that bus that’s zooming by you a lot faster than you are, you may think about leaving the car at home.”

To address pedestrian safety for at-grade levels, “standard cross-walk markings, control devices for pedestrian crossings includ[ing] flashing light signals, signs, markings along the outside of the rail line, curbside pedestrian barriers, pedestrian automated gates, swing gates, bedstead barriers and crossing channelization” will be considered. Below grade separations can be achieved by way of bridges, tunnels and trenches and are generally used where this no right-of-way or enough right-of-way for the project.

Advocates of the project say it will attract customers to businesses they may have never visited before due to a lack of mobility and as a result will help local businesses prosper.

According to Transit Coalition Executive Director Bart Reed, the corridor would also connect communities and provide “total flexibility.” He added, “with proper routing , station locations and urban design strategies the corridor to major activity centers, residential areas and job cores, helps ensure that LA is building an efficient and safe transit network that will be a success.”

In addition, either mode of transportation would likely create employment opportunities. If the LRT is chosen, a number of construction workers would be hired to construct the line as would operators. If the BRT is chosen, the number of buses and bus drivers would be increased.

“The manufacturing and the putting out on the street of one bus creates about eight jobs from the manufacturer to the mechanic to the bus operator,” said Martinez. “And these bus operator positions have been historically Black jobs, and those are jobs that we … need to protect and expand.”

From Curbed LA: Good Gold Line News: Lake Station Makeover

Link: Curbed LA: Good Gold Line News: Lake Station Makeover

Good Gold Line News: Lake Station Makeover

Thursday, June 11, 2009, by Neal Broverman



Brigham Yen and his Pasadena Updates blog report that aesthetic upgrades on the Lake Avenue stop on the Gold Line are moving swiftly forward. Work began a few months ago to make the 'Dena station more "visually substantial and pedestrian friendly"—it's above a median in the 210 freeway—with new lighting and canopies. No word on whether "Everyday People," artist Pat Ward Williams' piece within the Lake station, will be gussied up (Metro describes the artwork as "large scale, black & white photo portraits of people caught in everyday gestures [that produce]... a moving dialogue between the actual and the illustrated"). The light and canopy improvements (Metro rendering attached) should be ready in the fall. Hopefully, the Eastside extension should be open by then.
· Lake Avenue Upgrades Continue [Brigham Yen's Pasadena Updates]