LOS ANGELES | Transportation News & Discussion

[pesto]

Originally Posted by yakumoto

Is Greece supposed to stand in for California in this analogy? Last time I checked Greece wasn't exactly the "powerhouse economy" of the EU and being forced to pay for the expenses of the other member states...

The relative strength of the economy is not relevant, except in drawing out the period before the debt becomes intolerable or the lenders stop lending.

Otherwise, the theoretical underpinnings are the same: national, state, company, individual. If you incur debt for current expenditures, with no future expectation of net income to cover the principle, interest (plus, in this case, current operating deficits). Instead you take away from funds needed for current operating costs of future periods. This would be considered extremely poor financial planning in any context I can think of.

[StethJeff]

From CurbedLA:

Despite Setbacks, Expo Line's Ridership Up 50 Percent

Ridership on the new Expo Line light rail is growing at a steady clip, even with track issues at its Downtown junction with the Blue Line and light synchronization issues on Flower Street. According to numbers from Metro, daily ridership on the Culver City-to-DTLA line in June was 16,569, up from about 11,000 in May, a 50 percent increase. Expo opened its Culver City and Farmdale stations on June 20, which likely provided a bit of a boost. But as evident with the other rail lines, it takes a while for Angelenos to realize trains run through their city. Meanwhile, all the other rail lines posted ridership increases or records last month, which speaks to the idea that adding more lines boosts the entire system--the Daily News recently reported that some Valleyites are taking Expo to get to the Westside, going southeast on the Red Line and then west on Expo to avoid the 405. Ridership should only get better for Expo as the academic year begins next month at USC--the university has three stops on the line.

[Muji]

Encouraging gains on Expo ridership. I've been taking it a few times a week since it opened and it has gotten noticeably busier recently. Also, it does look like the vast majority of passengers getting off at 7th St. transfer to the Red/Purple Lines, whose platforms seem more crowded than ever as a result.

[edluva]

fyi metro rail ridership hit an all-time high of 362,904 for june. i never imagined we'd be approaching 400k this quickly.

that article about expo ridership illustrates my point about connectivity. a rail network is much greater than the sum of its parts. connecting relevant destinations draws increasing numbers of people to rely on transit as a matter of convenience.

merely having a rail station under a new condo building (a TOD) doesn't diminish the requirement for driving if the rail network is irrelevant to tenants, and I'm actually sympathetic to the NIMBY's who live in close proximity to such developments in this context of low connectivity.

what matters is connectivity - how useful that rail station is to the average resident. connectivity is about having enough options to persuade someone to forgo driving. it's about promoting a walkable lifestyle.

as our rail network reaches more worthwhile destinations (the westside) for the those who drive the local economy (middle class) you will see an increase in the number of people willing to trade drivability for walkability, and the urban fabric will then be able to densify in a good way.

[bobbyv]

Originally Posted by edluva

fyi metro rail ridership hit an all-time high of 362,904 for june. i never imagined we'd be approaching 400k this quickly.

that article about expo ridership illustrates my point about connectivity. a rail network is much greater than the sum of its parts. connecting relevant destinations draws increasing numbers of people to rely on transit as a matter of convenience.

merely having a rail station under a new condo building (a TOD) doesn't diminish the requirement for driving if the rail network is irrelevant to tenants, and I'm actually sympathetic to the NIMBY's who live in close proximity to such developments in this context of low connectivity.

what matters is connectivity - how useful that rail station is to the average resident. connectivity is about having enough options to persuade someone to forgo driving. it's about promoting a walkable lifestyle.

as our rail network reaches more worthwhile destinations (the westside) for the those who drive the local economy (middle class) you will see an increase in the number of people willing to trade drivability for walkability, and the urban fabric will then be able to densify in a good way.

blah, blah, blah, blah, blah I told ya I told ya

[202_Cyclist]

Originally Posted by StethJeff

From CurbedLA:

Despite Setbacks, Expo Line's Ridership Up 50 Percent

Ridership on the new Expo Line light rail is growing at a steady clip, even with track issues at its Downtown junction with the Blue Line and light synchronization issues on Flower Street. According to numbers from Metro, daily ridership on the Culver City-to-DTLA line in June was 16,569, up from about 11,000 in May, a 50 percent increase. Expo opened its Culver City and Farmdale stations on June 20, which likely provided a bit of a boost. But as evident with the other rail lines, it takes a while for Angelenos to realize trains run through their city. Meanwhile, all the other rail lines posted ridership increases or records last month, which speaks to the idea that adding more lines boosts the entire system--the Daily News recently reported that some Valleyites are taking Expo to get to the Westside, going southeast on the Red Line and then west on Expo to avoid the 405. Ridership should only get better for Expo as the academic year begins next month at USC--the university has three stops on the line.

I posted an article from the Los Angeles Daily News on Monday about the increasing number of people from the San Fernando Valley commuting to jobs elsewhere via the Expo line but it seems to have escaped notice.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Originally Posted by edluva

fyi metro rail ridership hit an all-time high of 362,904 for june. i never imagined we'd be approaching 400k this quickly.

that article about expo ridership illustrates my point about connectivity. a rail network is much greater than the sum of its parts. connecting relevant destinations draws increasing numbers of people to rely on transit as a matter of convenience.

merely having a rail station under a new condo building (a TOD) doesn't diminish the requirement for driving if the rail network is irrelevant to tenants, and I'm actually sympathetic to the NIMBY's who live in close proximity to such developments in this context of low connectivity.

what matters is connectivity - how useful that rail station is to the average resident. connectivity is about having enough options to persuade someone to forgo driving. it's about promoting a walkable lifestyle.

as our rail network reaches more worthwhile destinations (the westside) for the those who drive the local economy (middle class) you will see an increase in the number of people willing to trade drivability for walkability, and the urban fabric will then be able to densify in a good way.

i think this is the key. this needs to be explained to NIMBYS and people that are against rail expansion in our city. Once we have a true network, our usage will skyrocket. Honestly, just the purple line and the downtown connectors alone will bump up every other line by 10 - 15%

[blackcat23]

The main gripe about Expo is that, while the train moves quite fast between Culver City and USC (where it's elevated for many stretches), it hits too many traffic lights when moving at street-level on Flower Street near South Park. Bart Reed, the head of the Transit Coalition, which advocates for better public transportation, had some good news to report last week. Writing on the Transit Coalition's comment boards, he said "I had breakfast with Frank Alejandro, Metro Executive Officer, Transit Operations. His next meeting of the day was with LA Dept. of Transportation to attempt to identify how Metro and the City of LA can work together to speed up Expo. The results from this meeting may take a couple of months, but it is amazing that both sides are working to identify fixes to speed up the line."

Really happy about this part. Most of the reviews I've seen of the Expo line thus far are saying it takes roughly the same amount of time as driving. Would love to see that balance shift in the train's favor.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by LosAngelesSportsFan

i think this is the key. this needs to be explained to NIMBYS and people that are against rail expansion in our city. Once we have a true network, our usage will skyrocket. Honestly, just the purple line and the downtown connectors alone will bump up every other line by 10 - 15%

I think the Purple Line will do more then just a ten percent increase. I think the Purple Line will single-handedly change the transportation dynamic of L.A. There is no other unbuilt metro line in the country as important as the Purple Line, and I do not believe that is being hyperbolic.

[edluva]

Yes the purple line is a true game changer for la transit and la in general. It will be a major turning point for la's sense of place and identity, and an example for America's sprawl belt.

Can't wait to see the expo line numbers after class begins at USC. I expect ridership to exceed estimates once the extension to Santa Monica is open

[StethJeff]

Originally Posted by edluva

Yes the purple line is a true game changer for la transit and la in general. It will be a major turning point for la's sense of place and identity, and an example for America's sprawl belt.

the completion of the "subway to the sea" will likely be the first time that most angelenos even become aware that there is a subway in los angeles.

THAT line will most definitely exceed ridership estimates once its done. moreover, it'll probably exceed wilshire development expectations as well. the purple line to the beach and the cleaning/development of the LA River are this metro's 2 most important long-term projects. way before park 5th, pershing square, regional connectors, la central, farmer's field, etc.

[pesto]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

I think the Purple Line will do more then just a ten percent increase. I think the Purple Line will single-handedly change the transportation dynamic of L.A. There is no other unbuilt metro line in the country as important as the Purple Line, and I do not believe that is being hyperbolic.

Have to say that I agree. It could be a game changer in every way. Get it built.

[ardecila]

Well, the regional connector will finally give LA a proper rail network... as the name implies, it's a short section of subway with a big impact on the whole system. Crosstown trips will finally be practical via rail... going from Pasadena to USC, etc. I'd say it's pretty important.

But yeah, the Purple Line would be huge. I'm far less concerned about the various megadevelopments on the boards... put the transportation infrastructure in place and a solid zoning code allowing for TOD/density/limited parking, then back out and let the private sector get to work.

[pesto]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Well, the regional connector will finally give LA a proper rail network... as the name implies, it's a short section of subway with a big impact on the whole system. Crosstown trips will finally be practical via rail... going from Pasadena to USC, etc. I'd say it's pretty important.

But yeah, the Purple Line would be huge. I'm far less concerned about the various megadevelopments on the boards... put the transportation infrastructure in place and a solid zoning code allowing for TOD/density/limited parking, then back out and let the private sector get to work.

Agree with this with one caveat: put the transportation in place where it is needed and then back out.

[202_Cyclist]

Although this isn't directly surface transportation like most of the other posts on here, the competitiveness of the Ports of LA and Long Beach is extraordinarily important to the economic health of Southern California.

I recently attended an event. "Powering our Future," sponsored by the South Coast Air Quality Management District. The Ports of LA/LB are doing some very good and interesting work to reduce the environmental impacts of the cargo ships going there.

Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach building at furious pace
The Los Angeles and Long Beach ports are building new piers, wharves and rail yards to compete for cargo business. The upgrades will cost about $6 billion.


Concrete piles are pounded into place in May for a new cargo ship pier at the Port of Los Angeles as the L.A. and Long Beach ports embark on their most ambitious expansion and renovation projects to date. (Don Bartletti, Los Angeles Times / July 20, 2012)

By Ronald D. White
Los Angeles Times
July 19, 2012

"At the edge of San Pedro Bay, home of North America's largest cargo complex, they're building new piers, wharves and rail yards at a furious pace to further dwarf the competition.

So much construction is underway that the new facilities by themselves would move more freight than the entire port of Savannah, Ga., which ranks No. 4 among the continent's ports.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, first and second in the cargo-movement hierarchy, respectively, are hauling in so much dirt, they would have enough land to build a twin of Universal Studios Hollywood with enough left over to fill 100 football stadiums with 20 inches of muck. Long Beach alone expects to use 6,000 truckloads of concrete..."

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,3659702.story

[202_Cyclist]

Does anyone here know if there are rental cars near the Anaheim Metrolink station? My girlfriend and I will be in Southern California in August and we're going to a Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim game. Since we're staying downtown, taking Metrolink seems like a good option to return from the game but I want to have a car during the day to tour around Orange County.

[ozone]

Originally Posted by pesto

We're broke (unable to meet current needs out of current revenues), so let's borrow money NOW so spend on more current needs (reducing unemployment) and then we'll have the future taxpayer's pay off the principle and interest out of future sources of revenue (who cares which ones, that's THEIR problem). You will note that an implicit part of this whole process is permanent increasing borrowing to service debt and interest. See Greece for a similar process.

It's a myth that California is broke. The fact that some of our cities are applying for bankruptcy protection has more to do with their local economy rather than the overall health of the state's economy. While the state's over-all economy is still pretty flat cities like San Francisco, San Diego and Silicon Valley never really even had much of a recession and they are starting to boom again. We are starting to see our own sort of 'rust belts' here now that the insane suburban housing boom busted. But none of that means doom and gloom for the entire state as the people in NYC, Texas and all the ex-Californias would love to believe.

Like it or not borrowing (debt) is part of doing business and reviving our lackluster economy.

[pesto]

Originally Posted by ozone

It's a myth that California is broke. The fact that some of our cities are applying for bankruptcy protection has more to do with their local economy rather than the overall health of the state's economy. While the state's over-all economy is still pretty flat cities like San Francisco, San Diego and Silicon Valley never really even had much of a recession and they are starting to boom again. We are starting to see our own sort of 'rust belts' here now that the insane suburban housing boom busted. But none of that means doom and gloom for the entire state as the people in NYC, Texas and all the ex-Californias would love to believe.

Like it or not borrowing (debt) is part of doing business and reviving our lackluster economy.

Please make up your mind: is the economy fine or did we have a bust of an insane market?

You're comments re SV are off base; industrial space and employment have been weak for years; public offerrings have essentially disappeared and bonuses and options are WAY down in value. Housing moves up and then down; not an overall growth market. Population increases have slowed. I suspect SD is similar.

Doom and gloom is neither certain nor impossible. It's created by decisions made every day.

[Rail Claimore]

Originally Posted by pesto

Please make up your mind: is the economy fine or did we have a bust of an insane market?

You're comments re SV are off base; industrial space and employment have been weak for years; public offerrings have essentially disappeared and bonuses and options are WAY down in value. Housing moves up and then down; not an overall growth market. Population increases have slowed. I suspect SD is similar.

Doom and gloom is neither certain nor impossible. It's created by decisions made every day.

It sounds odd, but I'd put more money in LA than I would in any of the state's other metro areas. Only LA has the size and scale necessary to overcome California's business, taxation, and regulatory climates over the long-run.

[CCs77]

Originally Posted by StethJeff

From CurbedLA:

Despite Setbacks, Expo Line's Ridership Up 50 Percent

Ridership on the new Expo Line light rail is growing at a steady clip, even with track issues at its Downtown junction with the Blue Line and light synchronization issues on Flower Street. According to numbers from Metro, daily ridership on the Culver City-to-DTLA line in June was 16,569, up from about 11,000 in May, a 50 percent increase. Expo opened its Culver City and Farmdale stations on June 20, which likely provided a bit of a boost. But as evident with the other rail lines, it takes a while for Angelenos to realize trains run through their city. Meanwhile, all the other rail lines posted ridership increases or records last month, which speaks to the idea that adding more lines boosts the entire system--the Daily News recently reported that some Valleyites are taking Expo to get to the Westside, going southeast on the Red Line and then west on Expo to avoid the 405. Ridership should only get better for Expo as the academic year begins next month at USC--the university has three stops on the line.

Originally Posted by edluva

fyi metro rail ridership hit an all-time high of 362,904 for june. i never imagined we'd be approaching 400k this quickly.

Since Q1 2012 Los Angeles has displaced San Francisco as the second most used light rail sistem in the United States, only surpassed by Boston. (APTA ridership statistics)

Wikipedia's article "List of United States light rail systems by ridership" has been updated with that figure since june 4th. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...s_by_ridership