This Week In Livable Streets

Regional Connector grand opening, CicLAvia South L.A., Metro meetings, and more

• Monday 6/12 and continuing – Metro will host a series of community meetings on the project soon to formerly be known as the West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor. Metro is in the process of coming up with a different name. Metro approved an initial build alternative that would start with just the southern 15 miles of the line – from the A Line Slauson Station to Artesia (with the full connection into Union Station to follow later). Now Metro is studying how that first section would proceed, including environmental clearance (EIS/EIR), first/last mile planning, and more. Details at Metro meeting flier or WSAB project page.
  The public is invited to get updates and give input at these four June meetings:
  • Monday 6/12 – tonight from 6-8 p.m. at the Bell Community Center at 6250 Pine Avenue in the city of Bell
  • Wednesday 6/14 – from 6-7 p.m. via Zoom
  • Thursday 6/15 – from 6-8 p.m. at the Albert O. Little Community Center at 18750 Clarkdale Avenue in Artesia
• Wednesday and Thursday 6/14-15 – Metro board committees will convene to discuss and vote on various items in advance of next week’s full board meeting. Find meeting agendas and staff reports at Metro meeting page.
• Friday 6/16 – The new Metro Regional Connector subway project will open this Friday, tying together varied parts of Metro’s light rail system. There will be a grand opening event that morning, but it’s not open to the public. The general public can start using the new stations and riding the trains at noon. (Last week Metro social media had noted the connector would be open from the first ~4 a.m. train runs, but today revised that to say that riders won’t be allowed on connector trains and stations until noon.)
  Metro is offering free transit rides systemwide all day Friday through Sunday. Details at The Source.
• Sunday 6/18 – Celebrate Juneteenth at CicLAvia – South L.A. Vermont Avenue. The free, fun, family-friendly festival will close 6 miles of Vermont and Century Boulevard, opening those for bicycling walking, scootering, skating, and more. The event is very easy to access via the Metro E Line (Vermont Station is the north end of the route) and a short bike distance from the Metro C (Green) Line (Vermont Station). It’s also a fairly easy ride from the Metro K Line (about 2 miles from Fairview Heights and all stations north of that) and the Metro A (Blue) Line (about 2.5 miles from Watts Towers/103rd Station and several stations just north of that).
  Alongside and part of CicLAvia, L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell will host her 3rd Annual Juneteenth Celebration & Resource Fair which includes live performances, food trucks, activities, and access to community and county services – including on-site record expungement, mental health services, support with tenant protection and more. Pre-registration is requested for attendees interested in accessing on-site services.
  More detail at the CicLAvia event page.

Did we miss anything? Is there something we should list on future calendars? Email joe [at] streetsblog.org