How well has that been working out? Last year they were showing a special on PBS about homeowners in Temecula and Murrieta going apeshit over gas prices and home foreclosures. One dude, a real man's man, owned a truck nearly his whole life and after 2008 the fucker was driving a Prius with three other people.

People scream, "But the free market! The free market! People will live where they want!" all day but you have to determine whether the free market actually was at work all these years. You know, if planning favored the suburbs, if government funding favored the suburbs, if policies favored single family homes, how free market is that? If I wanted to live in the city, but I saw that they were only investing in the suburbs and not urban areas, I'm going to choose the suburbs! The decision was practically made for me!

If you had a bunch of blacks and Hispanics wanting to move to the suburbs but local governments artificially inflated the price of housing by enacting strict zoning laws and outright banning the construction of apartment units in some cases, how free market is that? If a company wants to build an apartment, why prevent them from doing so? Where's the laissez faire attitude then?

Some people advocate pro-choice attitudes about where people can live. I'd like to see it, believe me.

James Fujita, another railroad crossing in Tokyo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL177gDK95E&feature=fvw). Three trains cross before people are able to go, haha. Only a minute delay though.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22038157@N05/sets/72157618807616940/

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Putting that aside, I am glad that the MTA and the Little Tokyo community were able to discuss things and come up with something that should work well.

Honestly, I didn't see the at-grade crossing as that big of a deal, but it does look like they might be able to have the trains go underground without seriously affecting the Nikkei Center, so that's good.

This gets to a core dilemma. What if the community wants to sprawl? What if they don't care about the financial and environmental costs of suburbia and driving? If you truly engage people like that in a planning process, won't you loose all of the smart growth content you're after?

It's really hard, because land use authority is local, and people, particularly homeowners, tend to vote with their feet. They move to places they like, if they have a choice. Hence, these people probably want things to stay the same way they were when they moved in.

There may be an agonizing tradeoff between wider participation and achieving cities with better environmental performance. What's more important? A good process or a good result?

I agree that the line comes close to pedestrian areas and can be overwhelming at times, but I also think that people need to be a bit more vigilant. We have a beautiful new line. Let's continue to improve upon it so we can continue to be proud.

With the way my writing has been since I've been on a baby-reduced sleeping schedule, I've been waiting for you to point out that I should have written "If Metro WERE getting calls..."

The gates only increased revenues for the initial test BECAUSE METRO STAFFED THE GATES with either their own staff in vests, Cubic staff in vests (neither of which have any authority to check fares) and then sherrif's deputies. I use the Wilshire/Normandie station twice daily and it was pathetic to see such a waste of law enforcement there every single day for over 30 days.

And in the meantime, I HAVE NOT BEEN CHECKED ONCE for a ticket on the Red/Purple Line ever since this asnine turnstile project started, nor have I seen law enforcement on board any trains, save for early morning/off-duty. in-uniform commuters.

I have been told I can't use the one ADA faregate though, because my "bag was not big enough".

Duly noted.

The Lady Metro didth protest too much. Just state that they were not LA Metro doings, and move on. Surely you can see why some would believe those signs. Maybe that is what your energies need to be spent on.

Just messing with you Damien. ;)

This line in the first paragraph: "However, no matter how heart-rendering the story"

the term is 'heartrending'

Sorry, can't help it. I'm a hell-on-wheels proofreader ;)

Feel free to delete this comment.