One of the West San Gabriel Valley’s hottest transportation issues is the heated debate on various aspects of Metro’s planned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) between North Hollywood and Pasadena.

For readers not familiar with the project or controversy, the podcast begins with an interview with Joe Linton, the editor of Streetsblog Los Angeles who gives a project overview and his take on recent controversies.

Next, Kris Fortin interviews Eagle Rock homeowner Michael MacDonald. Known for his advocacy as one of the leaders of Bike the Vote L.A., MacDonald attended a recent Metro project input meeting and was shocked by the tone of the comments and out-of-control nature of the public process. The meetings were so out-of-hand that Metro CEO Phil Washington commented that the agency would be making changes to its public input processes.

Metro will host one additional NoHo-Pasadena BRT scoping meeting from 5:30-8 p.m. at Occidental College’s Samuelson Pavilion, in Eagle Rock. For details see Equitable Eagle Rock or Metro project page.

“Metro is keenly aware of the issues that arose at the prior meeting in Eagle Rock and will be using a different, open-house-style format at the upcoming August 7 meeting at Samuelson Pavilion at Occidental College that will still allow the public to provide comments in writing or verbally to a court reporter for the scoping process,” writes Brian Haas, a spokesperson for Metro.

SGV Connect is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the San Gabriel Valley with connections to the new Gold Line Stations across the Foothills and Commuter Express lines traveling into the heart of downtown L.A. To plan your trip, visit Foothill Transit. “Foothill Transit. Going Good Places.”

Catch past episodes of SGV Connect and #DamienTalks on LibSyn, iTunes, Google Play, or Overcast.