Expo Line Neighbors Worried About Peeping Riders

You have to love the creativity of complainers. " a new issue is bubbling to the surface, says Streetsblog. Some people who live along Expo Phase I's route are calling for tall--likely ungainly--privacy screens to be built on top of the soundwalls that surround the train. "



Wednesday, December 7, 2011, by Neal Broverman






We still can't give you any opening date for the Expo Line, but there's lots going on concerning the light rail line that will eventually travel from Downtown to Santa Monica (and from Downtown to Culver City, probably very soon). First, Phase II bike amenities that once appeared uncertain are now coming together, reports Streetsblog. A group of Westside homeowners had sued over the bike path that's planned to run parallel to Expo Phase II, complaining that no environmental studies had been done on the path. Expo spokeswoman Gabriela Collins now tells Streetsblog that environmental clearances have been obtained for the bikeway in both LA and Santa Monica, clearing the way for the path's design stage.

There was also a kerfuffle over bike amenities at Phase I's under-construction Culver City station, which is set to open early next year. The station will initially feature 10 bike racks and eight bike lockers, but a "Clean Mobility Center" (likely a facility featuring more bike space and possibly valet and showers) is in the works. It was delayed because "its location conflicted with the construction staging area for the Venice Boulevard Bridge, which is being built as part of Phase 2," Collins said. "However, the necessary provisions were made at the station site for the addition of the CMC in the future." After some work is done on the light rail bridge over Venice and Robertson Boulevards, work on the CMC can begin.

All the bike news sure sounds positive, but a new issue is bubbling to the surface, says Streetsblog. Some people who live along Expo Phase I's route are calling for tall--likely ungainly--privacy screens to be built on top of the soundwalls that surround the train. Expo Construction Authority board member and new City Council prez Herb Wesson is a big advocate for the screens, saying at the last Expo board meeting, "I want to get it done."

There's no money for these privacy screens, and, some would argue, no point. That is unless of course you're a modest nudist who likes to sit on the edge of soundwalls.