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  #961  
Old Posted Sep 20, 2010, 9:57 PM
OhioGuy OhioGuy is offline
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Originally Posted by mfastx View Post
Well, yeah, of course cities with METRO systems will have traffic, they're big cities. But I guarantee you that if you remove those METRO systems, traffic will increase. So they kinda are long-term traffic relief.
Exactly. If there was no Tube in London, the streets would have even more traffic, due in combination to more buses on the streets to accommodate those without vehicles who would normally use the Tube, and those with vehicles who opted to drive rather than squeeze into overcrowded buses that stop every few blocks. A city like London, Paris, or New York would be hard pressed to function effectively without their rail systems. Of course we could just build bigger and bigger roads to accommodate all of the vehicles resulting from the lack of rail transportation, but then you'd be tearing away the incredible urban fabric that makes London, Paris, and New York the amazing cities they are, just to accommodate more vehicles. Yuck.
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  #962  
Old Posted Sep 21, 2010, 4:49 AM
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Well, looks like the Mayor answered my question again. About time.

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=7675700
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  #963  
Old Posted Sep 21, 2010, 6:48 AM
LAofAnaheim LAofAnaheim is offline
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Originally Posted by mfastx View Post
Well, yeah, of course cities with METRO systems will have traffic, they're big cities. But I guarantee you that if you remove those METRO systems, traffic will increase. So they kinda are long-term traffic relief.
New York, London, Paris, et al, would not be as developed as they are today if there was no Metro. How would people get around? Next to impossible. So, development would have been shelved. That's what you see in LA. No Metro....not much significant density development. It would have been impossible if those cities (especially the American cities, because European cities were built around walking) would have been as dense. New York would not have been built like it was. It was the subway that allowed such huge development.

So, it would not have been next to impossible, it would have been like.....................Los Angeles.
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  #964  
Old Posted Sep 24, 2010, 4:12 AM
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I thought this was pretty cool...

...



Long Beach Considering Gondola, Cable Tram for Downtown

By Adrian Glick Kudler
September 23, 2010

Long Beach is a city on the move, via pods in the sky. The Long Beach Report reports that the city council voted this week to move ahead with an unsolicited proposal from a Pennsylvania firm called Urban Innovations that suggests a cable-drawn tram, gondola, or other connection between downtown and the South Shore. The staff report on the matter lists the Promenade, the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Queensway Bay area, the Queen Mary, and the Carnival Cruise Lines terminal, among others, as potential stops. According to the Press-Telegram, the city will work with Urban innovations to apply for money from the MTA and the Federal Transit Administration, and then they'll decide what kind of elevated moving sidewalk or zipline or whathaveyou would make the most (or least?) sense.
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  #965  
Old Posted Sep 24, 2010, 2:26 PM
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I don't like it, those cables are ugly IMO, and would take away the beauty of the city's waterfront.
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  #966  
Old Posted Sep 24, 2010, 5:25 PM
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^ Ride the cable cars in Hong Kong and Barcelona and you'll quickly change your mind.
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  #967  
Old Posted Sep 24, 2010, 6:15 PM
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sounds cool to me!
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  #968  
Old Posted Sep 24, 2010, 6:21 PM
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The Barcelona cable cars are kind of unattractive, but the views are great. I would have to see how they cover up the infrastructure and how they design the cars before I could get behind the idea.
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  #969  
Old Posted Sep 24, 2010, 10:18 PM
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Don't they also have them in some south american cities?
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  #970  
Old Posted Oct 5, 2010, 4:16 PM
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  #971  
Old Posted Oct 5, 2010, 4:47 PM
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I wonder if Kinki-Sharyo or Siemens could end up manufacturing streetcars for LA.

Siemens Combino for Yarra Trams

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gal...es/Combino.jpg

Siemens Combino for Toronto

http://media.mmgcommunity.topscms.co...1566df3a6.jpeg

The new Kinki-Sharyo hybrid streetcar.

http://www.kippo.or.jp/upfile/kippo_..._news_img1.jpg
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  #972  
Old Posted Oct 7, 2010, 1:13 AM
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Imaginary catenary! Where are the poles and wires?

And, where will the cars be stored? And Maintained?
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  #973  
Old Posted Oct 8, 2010, 3:48 AM
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OCTOBER 7, 2010 | Expo Line

Enjoy this HUGE photo update from The Transit Coalition!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gokhan
Well, it's been ages there has been a comprehensive photographic update on the Expo Line. Therefore, I had to go out and do a photo shoot today. I had no idea how much progress there has been. I won't say any more words and leave it to the pictures to tell the amazing story. Hopefully everyone's weekend will have a good start with these pictures:

A view of the arched Venice/Robertson Station:



The sign reads: Balfour Beatty Infrastructure, Inc. -- We will achieve zero harm -- Make safety personal:



This is where the Phase 1 currently ends at the southeastern corner of Venice and Robertson Boulevards. The Phase 2 section of the bridge is under review by Caltrans:



Looking west toward the Washington Boulevard bridge from Hayden Ave:



Close-up of the Washington Boulevard bridge starting near Wesley St. You can see that they are almost ready to install tracks on the ramp and bridge:



Looking east from Hayden Avenue toward the Ballona Creek bridge. La Cienega Station is in the background. Note the crossovers.



Another view:



Yet, another view from the same location:



Ballona Creek LRT bridge, from the new Ballona Creek road bridge:



Jefferson Blvd LRT bridge:



Long section of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining wall between Jefferson and La Cienega Boulevards:



La Cienega Station:



La Cienega Station plaza area. Parking structure will be in the background:



Utility work is still going on at Hauser Boulevard:



Looking east toward La Brea Station:



Looking east toward La Brea Station, close-up:



Looking east past La Brea Station toward La Cienega Station:



Looking east past La Brea Station toward La Cienega Station, wide angle:



Looking east past La Brea Station toward La Cienega Station, close-up:



La Brea Station west elevator. Elevators are now operating:



La Brea Station from a northeastwardly angle:



Farmdale Avenue looking south:



Looking west from Farmdale Avenue toward La Brea Station:



Looking west from Farmdale Avenue toward La Brea Station, close-up:



Looking east from Farmdale Avenue:



Looking east from Farmdale Avenue, close-up:



Looking southwest from Farmdale Avenue toward Susan Miller Dorsey High School:



Looking west from Buckingham Road toward Farmdale Avenue:



Looking east from Buckingham Road toward Crenshaw Station:



Track details just west of Buckingham Road:



Crenshaw Station west (eastbound) nearside split platform:



Crenshaw Station east (westbound) nearside split platform:



Looking west from Arlington Avenue:



Looking east from Gramercy Place (Exposition and Rodeo Boulevards) toward Western Station:



Looking west from Gramercy Place (Exposition and Rodeo Boulevards) toward Arlington Avenue:



Looking east from Gramercy Place (Exposition and Rodeo Boulevards) toward Western Station:



Looking east from Gramercy Place (Exposition and Rodeo Boulevards) toward Western Station, wide angle:



Looking west from Gramercy Place (Exposition and Rodeo Boulevards):



Western Station west (westbound) farside split platform:



Western Station east (eastbound) farside split platform:



Western Station east (eastbound) farside split platform, close-up:



Vermont Station east (eastbound) farside split platform:



Looking east from USC Watt Way. Note the "Train Coming" signal:



Looking east from USC Watt Way toward the Expo Park/USC Station:



Looking west from USC Watt Way toward the Vermont Station:



Expo Park/USC Station:



Looking west from Trousdale Parkway:



Expo Park/USC Station, close-up:



Looking west from Trousdale Parkway, Vermont Station in the background:



Looking south from Trousdale Parkway to the Exposition Park Rose Garden.



Substantial completion is now set for early June 2010 but the line has already shaped substantially. It's only reminding us that Phase 1 construction is almost over and Phase 2 construction is about to start.
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  #974  
Old Posted Oct 8, 2010, 4:25 AM
mfastx mfastx is offline
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Very impressive. Los Angeles is really getting its act together in terms of rail transit, I only wish Houston would do the same. What I really like about LA's light rail is that it has high floor boarding and is mostly grade seperated, like heavy rail. High floor boarding also allows better control over entering/exiting the station, so people don't just step off the side of a low platform. This works well if/when LA decides to fully monitor passenger fares.
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  #975  
Old Posted Oct 8, 2010, 1:23 PM
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Once the Expo line is extended beyond Culver City to Santa Monica, will it run at a similar pace through Santa Monica as the blue line runs through Long Beach? The blue line seems to run at a decent pace until it enters Long Beach, at which point it moves excruciatingly slow from approximately Willow to the end of the line (didn't seem to have any type of traffic light priority). Hopefully the Expo line won't suffer a similar fate in Santa Monica.
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  #976  
Old Posted Oct 8, 2010, 5:34 PM
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^ I'm assuming it'll have signal priority. But if not, it shouldn't matter too much since the street-running Colorado portion consitutes only a small portion of the route (0.8 miles).
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  #977  
Old Posted Oct 8, 2010, 10:22 PM
JDRCRASH JDRCRASH is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mfastx View Post
Very impressive. Los Angeles is really getting its act together in terms of rail transit, I only wish Houston would do the same.
Unfortunately this may not last for much longer, especially if the 30/10 initiative (fastracks completion of Measure R's projects to 10 years instead of 30, through the aid of a federal infrastructure bank) doesn't happen.

And with a Republican-led Legislative Branch on the horizon, were gonna have our work cut out for us if we want to convince Congress to approve this plan, thus continuing our rail building boom.

Quote:
What I really like about LA's light rail is that it has high floor boarding and is mostly grade seperated, like heavy rail. High floor boarding also allows better control over entering/exiting the station, so people don't just step off the side of a low platform. This works well if/when LA decides to fully monitor passenger fares.
Grade seperation also promotes efficiency and speed. Sadly, pro-rail enthusiests with good intentions like Damien Goodmon let that obstruct progress altogether.
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  #978  
Old Posted Oct 8, 2010, 10:34 PM
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Originally Posted by bmfarley View Post
Imaginary catenary! Where are the poles and wires?

And, where will the cars be stored? And Maintained?
Think of them like this.

Video Link


And I live a half a mile away from the Venice and Robertson station and it is quite large.
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  #979  
Old Posted Oct 12, 2010, 5:44 AM
LAofAnaheim LAofAnaheim is offline
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Originally Posted by JDRCRASH View Post


Grade seperation also promotes efficiency and speed. Sadly, pro-rail enthusiests with good intentions like Damien Goodmon let that obstruct progress altogether.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm......I think you are using Damien Goodman in the wrong context. DG wanted grade seperation for most, or not all, of the Expo Line FOR SPEED AND EFFICIENCY (besides the whole "environmental racism" thing). But, he did make that a point, that the Expo Line would be better served if we grade seperated the project. He never wanted to kill the project, he wanted to make it safer and move faster.

I think the people who you should reference in terms of "pro-rail enthusiests (spelling error)..." is the people who continuously post on the Transit Coalition message boards. Hint: they're the ones who keep posting pics of the Expo Line construction. They are pro-rail enthusiasts who prefer at-grade than grade seperated due to cheapness, and building it faster.

Like Damien Goodman once said, wouldn't it be better to build 5 miles of fast grade-seperated rail than 15 miles of at-grade rail that would be hampered by car traffic......
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  #980  
Old Posted Oct 13, 2010, 12:30 AM
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The Metro staff recommendations for both the Westside Subway Extension and Regional Connector have been released. Lack of sufficient funding is forcing us to cut some corners, unfortunately. The Metro staff are recommending the following:

1) NOT building a West Hollywood connection structure to provide for a potential HRT subway between West Hollywood and Beverly Hills.
2) Eliminating the 5th/Flower station as part of the Regional Connector route.

...

More information here:
http://thesource.metro.net/2010/10/1...ion-locations/
http://thesource.metro.net/2010/10/1...to-save-money/

---

I strongly urge you guys to send in your comments to Metro (the deadline is October 18th).

Send comments here:
http://www.pbcommentsense.com/metro_westside/
http://www.metro.net/projects/connec...-comment-form/
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