LOS ANGELES | Transportation News & Discussion

[Quixote]

http://www.westsidemobilityplan.com/...nsit_small.pdf

[JDRCRASH]

This is great!!

[JDRCRASH]

edit

[pesto]

I would expect that by the time this is built, this area will be extremely dense with employment, high-rise and mid-rise. Pretty much everything should be subway. I would strongly oppose any LRT on Lincoln or Sepulveda since these streets are already badly congested. I assume Wilshire is already planned as subway.

Culver, Venice and Washington are less critical. But there is a reason that NY, Paris, London and many others took out all surface rail.

[Illithid Dude]

Whoa. Whoa whoa whao. YES.

[JDRCRASH]

Originally Posted by pesto

I would expect that by the time this is built, this area will be extremely dense with employment, high-rise and mid-rise. Pretty much everything should be subway. I would strongly oppose any LRT on Lincoln or Sepulveda since these streets are already badly congested. I assume Wilshire is already planned as subway.

Culver, Venice and Washington are less critical. But there is a reason that NY, Paris, London and many others took out all surface rail.

That will take a whole lot more funding... and since you want the "private industry" to fully fund it, it will almost certainly take at least a century to do this.

[orulz]

Originally Posted by pesto

...But there is a reason that NY, Paris, London and many others took out all surface rail.

True, Paris closed its last original tramway in 1957, but they have been actively building a new enormous tramway network since 1992.

[pesto]

Originally Posted by JDRCRASH

That will take a whole lot more funding... and since you want the "private industry" to fully fund it, it will almost certainly take at least a century to do this.

I wouldn't look to private funding at all. Why would they fund it? It is sure to lose money and need subsidies from somewhere.

What I would do is move tax funds out of subsidizing private companies through city agencies and out of HSR which accomplishes virtually nothing.

So I take it you would have preferred the Red, Purple and Blue Lines to run at grade through DT, Vermont, Hollywood, Cahuenga, etc.? Saves a bunch of money. Think all the money NY could have saved by staying on the surface. They must be nuts.

[JDRCRASH]

Originally Posted by pesto

I wouldn't look to private funding at all. Why would they fund it? It is sure to lose money and need subsidies from somewhere.

What I would do is move tax funds out of subsidizing private companies through city agencies and out of HSR which accomplishes virtually nothing.

So I take it you would have preferred the Red, Purple and Blue Lines to run at grade through DT, Vermont, Hollywood, Cahuenga, etc.? Saves a bunch of money. Think all the money NY could have saved by staying on the surface. They must be nuts.

I'm not sure density and bus ridership on Lincoln Blvd merits HRT as much as Hollywood or Downtown, though.

I think there has to be a TON of development to make it worthwhile.

[waltlantz]

The vision seems like a good idea, but all you can do is take a wait and see approach to a certain extent due to money.

Also aren't those really monied parts of the Westside? Won't there be big time opposition like there was in Beverly Hills?

Jeez, other countries can get this stuff done so much quicker.......

[BrandonJXN]

Originally Posted by JDRCRASH

I'm not sure density and bus ridership on Lincoln Blvd merits HRT as much as Hollywood or Downtown, though.

I think there has to be a TON of development to make it worthwhile.

Have you ever been on Lincoln? At this point, ANYTHING is needed to fix that street.

[pesto]

Originally Posted by ThreeHundred

Have you ever been on Lincoln? At this point, ANYTHING is needed to fix that street.

This is really my point. Lincoln is really bad now; taking a lane or two out of it would be disastrous. Sepulveda is almost as bad.

This is not a really a nice part of town except in the Marina. Otherwise, you're far enough from the ocean and far enough south so that most housing is quite modest (over-priced, perhaps). I believe there would be complaints about surface rail but not about subway.

I don't think there is any issue about expected development: LAX, Westchester, Fox Hills, Culver City, the Marina, Venice, Santa Monica are expecting denser housing and more mid-rise commercial. The main industries are entertainment and tech (and LAX), and these are likely to expand. The traffic on the 405 in that area is already legendary.

[Kingofthehill]

LAX update:

[sopas ej]

When I went downtown yesterday, I noticed the 1st Street bridge was done.

From theeastsiderla.com:

First Street Bridge reopens – finally
MONDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2011


City officials will gather on the First Street Bridge – one of the Los Angeles River spans linking Boyle Heights to downtown Los Angeles – on Tuesday morning to celebrate the reopening of the structure following a widening project that took longer and cost more than expected. Portions of the 82-year-old bridge have been closed to traffic since 2007 to allow the bridge to be widened by 26-feet to accommodate the Metro Gold Line tracks that run down the middle of the structure. While the Gold Line trains started running across the bridge in 2008, work on widening the span ran into unexpected trouble and delays, ranging from the unexpected discovery of large boulders and unknown utility lines that complicated foundation construction to restricted work hours near a Metro rail yard. Officials had estimated last year that cost overruns could reach as high as $12 million.

[...]



First Street Bridge reopens – finally

[BrandonJXN]

Wonder why we can't restore all of those bridges like that?

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by orulz

True, Paris closed its last original tramway in 1957, but they have been actively building a new enormous tramway network since 1992.

"Network" is a bit of an exaggeration. Only T3 is a real tram line as opposed to a tram-train. However, T3 is a great model for the LA area, as it operates and feels just like a metro, with the longest and most spacious trams I've ever seen.

In Paris, though, the Marechaux boulevards were the only place with enough open space to give the trams a dedicated right of way. It's probably similar to LA in that regard, where the new transit lines must use the old Pacific Electric right of ways as much as possible - sacrificing lanes on existing roadways would be too controversial.

[pesto]

Originally Posted by orulz

True, Paris closed its last original tramway in 1957, but they have been actively building a new enormous tramway network since 1992.

I am only talking about the central city. Trams and other surface rail may make a lot of sense for connecting nodes that are not surrounded by densely built-up areas or off of congested roads. I am much more skeptical about surface rail in Manhattan, central Paris, central London, etc.

[sopas ej]

I went to the 1st Street viaduct tonight. It's very nice, it's a great restoration. A much wider bridge than before, and the north railing was recreated very nicely. I even took a picture:


Photo by me

[202_Cyclist]

Caltrans to study cost of Palm Springs area train service
State to research creating or expanding local passenger rail line


Passengers get off the Amtrak Sunset Limited line in Ontario. A $400,000 study will be launched in January to explore the potential ridership and inevitable costs of creating a new passenger rail system between the Coachella Valley and Los Angeles. Crystal Chatham/The Desert Sun

By Erica Felci
The Desert Sun
12/21/2011


"A $400,000 study will be launched in January to explore the potential ridership and inevitable costs of creating a new passenger rail system between the Coachella Valley and Los Angeles.

It is the first time in more than 20 years of discussion that the state has put up money to move the rail idea forward.

The Caltrans study will help determine what equipment is needed, where stations would be located, and how much the plan would cost taxpayers and passengers, according to Cathedral City Councilman Greg Pettis, who also serves as the chairman of the Riverside County Transportation Commission..."

http://www.mydesert.com/article/2011...-train-service

[Busy Bee]

Nice coverage on the First St Bridge project on the Rachel Maddow Show last night:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908...show/#45759926