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Fear of Federal Oversight Imperils Expo Bikeway

3:32 PM PST on February 12, 2009

1_28_09_exp.jpg

Last month when I first looked through the environmental documents for the proposed Phase II of the Expo Line, I was encouraged because the maps included with the Draft Environmental Impact Review required by clearly showed a completed bike trail connecting Santa Monica to Downtown Los Angeles.  Appendix E of the DEIR actually includes a description of what facilities along the trail would look like.

However, according to the Los Angeles County Bike Coalition, the bike trail portion of the proposed Expo Line is currently endangered by a decision by the Expo Construction Authority.  In an email to supporters, the Bike Coalition asks members to contact the politicians that makeup the Expo Board to pressure them to include the bike path in its final plan.

What's happened is that the Expo Construction Authority decided to refuse federal money for the project so that they can avoid going through the NEPA process or any other federal oversight.  Unfortunately, the bike trail is completely funded by those federal dollars, so even though the money is available, the Expo Construction Authority isn't willing to do the work needed to procure those funds and build the bike trail.

Expo's solution is that "others" should be responsible for completing the trail.  Whoever these "others" are, Expo, Metro, Caltrans are all possibilities, they would be responsible for completing the federal environmental review.  If Expo won't consider moving forward with the bikeway and the federal review on its own, it would be preferable if the "others" committed to the project before the current state mandated environmental review is completed.

A complete copy of the bike coalition's action alert, including who to contact and how to comment, is available after the jump:

A
new light rail line, called the Expo Line, will eventually extend from
downtown to Santa Monica.  The project is divided into two phases. 
Phase I is under construction and will end at Robertson & Venice in
Culver City.  Phase II will extend the line from there to Santa
Monica.  Phase II is still in planning phases, and a draft environmental impact report was released last week.  





If
we want the bikeway to be part of the Expo Line project, it is
IMPERATIVE that our elected city officials hear our demands to build the bike path simultaneously with the rail line. 



















Contact info: Call,
snail mail, and/or email your comments to:


http://www.buildexpo..org/phase2_overview.php or email



Jan Perry
EA
Chair and LA City Council Member, 9th District

(213) 473-7009
Jan Perry

Herb Wesson,Jr.
EA Vice-Chair and LA City Council Member,
10th District

(213) 473-7010
Herb Wesson Jr org>

Scott
Malsin

Mayor, Culver City
(310) 398-3183
Scott Malsin


Bernard Parks
LA City Council Member, 8th
district


(213) 473-7008

Bernard Parks org>


Zev
Yaroslavsky


LA County Supervisor, Third District


(213) 974-3333

Zev Yaroslovsky


Pam
O'Connor


Santa Monica City Council Member, City of Santa Monica


(310) 458-8201


Pam O'Connor



Mark
Ridley-Thomas


L.A. County Supervisor, Second District

(213) 974-2222
Mark Ridley-Thomas gov>

Meetings:
Please 
attend a meeting and speak up for better biking in LA! 


When:Wednesday,February 18, 2009
5:00 to 8:00 PM

Where:Santa Monica High School, Cafeteria
           601
Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles 90405


When:Monday,February 23, 2009
5:00 to 8:00 PM
Vista

Where: Del Mar Child and Family Services,
Gymnasium

           3200 Motor Avenue, Los Angeles 90034
When:Wednesday,February 25, 2009
5:00 to 8:00 PM

Where:Webster Middle School, "Daniel's Den"

          11330 W. Graham Place, Los Angeles
90064


Thank you!   

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