Comments on: Move L.A. Wants to Get Moving! http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/12/15/move-l-a-wants-to-get-moving/ Covering Los Angeles's livable streets movement Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:06:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Dana Gabbard http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/12/15/move-l-a-wants-to-get-moving/comment-page-1/#comment-74651 Dana Gabbard Wed, 16 Dec 2009 23:42:31 +0000 http://la.streetsblog.org/?p=24991#comment-74651 "She's right that the eastside got screwed when the red line stopped at the river." Actually she is not. Metro had a full funding grant agreement for the Red Line extension but in the late 90s suspended work on the project as it lacked the local match to fund it. With no prospect of monies of that magnitude coming down the pike anytime soon the eastside power elite (including Molina) worked out a deal where the FFGA went for a Gold Line extension instead. A lot of folks worked hard to get the project Molina has been belittling the past few months. Maybe if the project stayed suspended it would have been included in the eventual Measure R and maybe would be built sometime in the next decade, with the funds spent on the Gold Line instead going to having Expo accelerate its pace in getting to Santa Monica. But of course a decade ago the idea of an additional sales tax being possible someday was a pipedream, and the eastside crowd decided they wanted something sooner rather than a vague maybe later. Molina should realize hopes of an eventual extension to Whittier depend on regional buy in and drop her phony claims of being robbed. BTW, the subway to the eastside would have been half the length of what is in place now (its terminus would have been 1st and Lorena). “She’s right that the eastside got screwed when the red line stopped at the river.”

Actually she is not. Metro had a full funding grant agreement for the Red Line extension but in the late 90s suspended work on the project as it lacked the local match to fund it. With no prospect of monies of that magnitude coming down the pike anytime soon the eastside power elite (including Molina) worked out a deal where the FFGA went for a Gold Line extension instead. A lot of folks worked hard to get the project Molina has been belittling the past few months.

Maybe if the project stayed suspended it would have been included in the eventual Measure R and maybe would be built sometime in the next decade, with the funds spent on the Gold Line instead going to having Expo accelerate its pace in getting to Santa Monica. But of course a decade ago the idea of an additional sales tax being possible someday was a pipedream, and the eastside crowd decided they wanted something sooner rather than a vague maybe later.

Molina should realize hopes of an eventual extension to Whittier depend on regional buy in and drop her phony claims of being robbed.

BTW, the subway to the eastside would have been half the length of what is in place now (its terminus would have been 1st and Lorena).

]]> By: JohnMcnary http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/12/15/move-l-a-wants-to-get-moving/comment-page-1/#comment-74461 JohnMcnary Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:07:12 +0000 http://la.streetsblog.org/?p=24991#comment-74461 Get Gloria Molina on board. Some one needs to show her that east LA residents are entitled to crosstown transportation that would be provided by the subway. Remind her that her area suffers the most congestion and pollution of any district in the county. Point out that easing congestion across the entire basin results in less smog in Boyle Heights. Convince her that increasing urban densities through transit-oriented planning will give her constituents better and more places to live, citywide. She's right that the eastside got screwed when the red line stopped at the river. But she ignores the fact that high speed rail is about to make East LA County the best-served transit area in Southern California. From 3d Street to Ontario in 30 minutes? San Francisco in 2 hours? Or to Beverly Center in 30 minutes via the Gold/Purple line? Get Gloria Molina on board. Some one needs to show her that east LA residents are entitled to crosstown transportation that would be provided by the subway. Remind her that her area suffers the most congestion and pollution of any district in the county. Point out that easing congestion across the entire basin results in less smog in Boyle Heights. Convince her that increasing urban densities through transit-oriented planning will give her constituents better and more places to live, citywide.

She’s right that the eastside got screwed when the red line stopped at the river. But she ignores the fact that high speed rail is about to make East LA County the best-served transit area in Southern California. From 3d Street to Ontario in 30 minutes? San Francisco in 2 hours? Or to Beverly Center in 30 minutes via the Gold/Purple line?

]]> By: Jamal http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/12/15/move-l-a-wants-to-get-moving/comment-page-1/#comment-73511 Jamal Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:40:55 +0000 http://la.streetsblog.org/?p=24991#comment-73511 Good to see Zev finally coming around on this. ALL Angelenos need to support this. The health of the city depends on it. Good to see Zev finally coming around on this. ALL Angelenos need to support this. The health of the city depends on it.

]]> By: Dana Gabbard http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/12/15/move-l-a-wants-to-get-moving/comment-page-1/#comment-73451 Dana Gabbard Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:12:42 +0000 http://la.streetsblog.org/?p=24991#comment-73451 Listening to the speakers put me in mind of the dual contracts under which New York drastically expanded its heavy rail system in the early part of the 20th century, partly to relieve overcrowding. I read about them in Peter Derrick's book Tunneling to the Future: The Story of the Great Subway Expansion that Saved New York. I think the key idea is Measure R provides a unique revenue stream of local match that could be leveraged to accelerate project pacing. The constraint has always been more financial than construction realities. While I don't know whether it can be done to the extent they propose the concept has sound aspects and does speak to a favorable climate of desire for job creation, etc. Listening to the speakers put me in mind of the dual contracts under which New York drastically expanded its heavy rail system in the early part of the 20th century, partly to relieve overcrowding. I read about them in Peter Derrick’s book Tunneling to the Future: The Story of the Great Subway Expansion that Saved New York.

I think the key idea is Measure R provides a unique revenue stream of local match that could be leveraged to accelerate project pacing. The constraint has always been more financial than construction realities. While I don’t know whether it can be done to the extent they propose the concept has sound aspects and does speak to a favorable climate of desire for job creation, etc.

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