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Post by LAofAnaheim on Aug 7, 2011 22:13:23 GMT -8
Gosh...I wish this guy could be Mayor much longer or at least somehow be involved with Metro much longer after he's termed out in 2013. We were lucky to have his leadership since 2005 with his helping to overturn the federal subway drilling ban and passing Measure R so that a subway to the Westside was no longer a fantasy, but a reality. Here's an article he wrote promoting American Fast Forward. He brings out some great points about LA's addiction to the single passenger automobile and jobs located around transit centers. I can't remember the last time we had a Mayor this dedicated to transit discussions. www.dailynews.com/news/ci_18631246?source=rss
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Post by tonyw79sfv on Aug 8, 2011 12:03:18 GMT -8
Of course, lets not forget about the late great Mayor Tom Bradley that got the ball rolling on our modern urban rail system.
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Post by Dan Wentzel on Aug 8, 2011 12:14:12 GMT -8
It's just sad to think of how much farther we'd be along if Waxman hadn't slowed us down.
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Post by masonite on Aug 9, 2011 13:46:05 GMT -8
Gosh...I wish this guy could be Mayor much longer or at least somehow be involved with Metro much longer after he's termed out in 2013. We were lucky to have his leadership since 2005 with his helping to overturn the federal subway drilling ban and passing Measure R so that a subway to the Westside was no longer a fantasy, but a reality. Here's an article he wrote promoting American Fast Forward. He brings out some great points about LA's addiction to the single passenger automobile and jobs located around transit centers. I can't remember the last time we had a Mayor this dedicated to transit discussions. www.dailynews.com/news/ci_18631246?source=rssFrom a transit standpoint, he has certainly been a godsend. I shutter to think where we would be without him. Soon we will start seeing the benefits of Measure R and I think overall, he will be remembered as a transformational mayor. It is hard to believe it wasn't that long ago that the LA Times bashed Tom Bradley in his obituary for spearheading the subway. My how times have changed. The good news is that by 2013, we'll be so far along with many of transit initiatives, it will be hard for a new mayor to reverse them even things like biking and so forth.
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Post by thanks4goingmetro on Aug 9, 2011 19:06:48 GMT -8
I'm a Villaraigosa fan, if only for the amazing efforts put into transit initiatives. Symbolically Wilshire/LaBrea Station could also be Antonio Villaraigosa Station
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Post by LAofAnaheim on Aug 9, 2011 21:25:54 GMT -8
I'm a Villaraigosa fan, if only for the amazing efforts put into transit initiatives. Symbolically Wilshire/LaBrea Station could also be Antonio Villaraigosa Station Antonio deserves a station just as much as Kenneth Hahn or Julian Dixon received one!
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Post by Transit Coalition on Aug 9, 2011 22:07:30 GMT -8
I'm a Villaraigosa fan, if only for the amazing efforts put into transit initiatives. Symbolically Wilshire/LaBrea Station could also be Antonio Villaraigosa Station Antonio deserves a station just as much as Kenneth Hahn or Julian Dixon received one! Kenneth and Julian both got stations named for them after death. Antonio's got a good 25 years or more to go.
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Post by tonyw79sfv on Aug 10, 2011 22:02:23 GMT -8
Kenneth and Julian both got stations named for them after death. Antonio's got a good 25 years or more to go. Nick Patsaouras got a transit center at Union Station named after him and he's still alive. Antonio shouldn't have to wait to be honored.
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Post by erict on Aug 11, 2011 5:58:19 GMT -8
I agree - maybe the entire purple line can be renamed for AV. Or from Western to the VA.
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Post by LAofAnaheim on Aug 11, 2011 9:37:58 GMT -8
I agree - maybe the entire purple line can be renamed for AV. Or from Western to the VA. Personally, I think he should be named after either Wilshire/La Brea or one of the new Downtown Connector stations. Or a renaming of the Civic Center station to "Antonio Villairaigosa/Civic Center" station. But, since he was the main guy who got Waxman to overturn the federal subway drilling ban and positioned Measure R to give the most money possible to the Westside Subway Extension, it would make sense one of the new Purple Line stations be named in his honor. For that, Wilshire/La Brea makes the most sense.
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Post by masonite on Aug 11, 2011 10:31:48 GMT -8
I agree - maybe the entire purple line can be renamed for AV. Or from Western to the VA. Personally, I think he should be named after either Wilshire/La Brea or one of the new Downtown Connector stations. Or a renaming of the Civic Center station to "Antonio Villairaigosa/Civic Center" station. But, since he was the main guy who got Waxman to overturn the federal subway drilling ban and positioned Measure R to give the most money possible to the Westside Subway Extension, it would make sense one of the new Purple Line stations be named in his honor. For that, Wilshire/La Brea makes the most sense. Wilshire/La Brea sounds good. Renaming the Civic Center station would be pretty disrespectful to Tom Bradley who did get the whole subway started, which was not an easy task.
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Post by LAofAnaheim on Aug 11, 2011 11:32:53 GMT -8
^ I didn't realize Tom Bradley's name was attached to that station. It's not like Julian Dixon/7th street or Kenneth Hahn/103rd street. I don't hear that.
Totally, I didn't mean that. But, therefore interesting, that Tom Bradley already has our international terminal named after him as well. Lucky guy.
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Post by masonite on Aug 11, 2011 12:38:36 GMT -8
^ I didn't realize Tom Bradley's name was attached to that station. It's not like Julian Dixon/7th street or Kenneth Hahn/103rd street. I don't hear that. Totally, I didn't mean that. But, therefore interesting, that Tom Bradley already has our international terminal named after him as well. Lucky guy. Not sure how they announce it, but it definately is the Tom Bradley Civic Center Station from a formal name perspective. There is even a picture of him at the opening of the station (or at the groundbreaking) in the station (at least there used to be). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civic_Center_(LACMTA_station)
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Post by transitfan on Aug 12, 2011 11:13:16 GMT -8
^ I didn't realize Tom Bradley's name was attached to that station. It's not like Julian Dixon/7th street or Kenneth Hahn/103rd street. I don't hear that. Totally, I didn't mean that. But, therefore interesting, that Tom Bradley already has our international terminal named after him as well. Lucky guy. Not sure how they announce it, but it definately is the Tom Bradley Civic Center Station from a formal name perspective. There is even a picture of him at the opening of the station (or at the groundbreaking) in the station (at least there used to be). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civic_Center_(LACMTA_station)I remember the picture, it showed Mayor Bradley grinning, standing next to then-Governor Pete Wilson, who was holding up a California license plate with the letters "GO METRO". I forget if it was at the entrance on the SW corner of 1st/Hill, or the mid-block entrance on the east side of Hill.
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Post by masonite on Aug 12, 2011 13:17:08 GMT -8
Not sure how they announce it, but it definately is the Tom Bradley Civic Center Station from a formal name perspective. There is even a picture of him at the opening of the station (or at the groundbreaking) in the station (at least there used to be). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civic_Center_(LACMTA_station)I remember the picture, it showed Mayor Bradley grinning, standing next to then-Governor Pete Wilson, who was holding up a California license plate with the letters "GO METRO". I forget if it was at the entrance on the SW corner of 1st/Hill, or the mid-block entrance on the east side of Hill. Yep. That was the one. I suppose it is not there anymore? Funny thing, I was in the Civic Center station quite a few years ago when I noticed that picture and it was on a weekend and I was the only person in the station in the middle of the day. Last time I was on the Red Line on a weekend, I noticed how many people were in the Civic Center Station when I went by. Our rail system has come a long way as far as ridership (as has our Downtown as far as a center).
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Post by James Fujita on Aug 12, 2011 14:57:01 GMT -8
I'm a huge fan of Antonio Villaraigosa, for all of the reasons already mentioned, but we do have to be careful about naming things.
I don't think any politician deserves a whole subway or light rail line, but a station would do. I'm not a huge fan of political station names either, but that wall has been breached several times, and we've gotten used to it.
Tom Bradley International Terminal is an interesting situation because the name actually gets used. There aren't that many international airport terminals in existence (plenty of domestic airports), and Bradley is essentially THE international terminal for Los Angeles (sorry, Ontario).
I don't ever use the full "Julian Dixon/ 7th/ Metro Center" name or "Tom Bradley/ Civic Center"; the name just doesn't have the right ring to it, and the person's name ends up as a fifth wheel.
But I wouldn't be opposed to giving Antonio one of the Purple Line stations, since he has been a huge booster for the project.
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Post by tonyw79sfv on Aug 12, 2011 14:58:11 GMT -8
I remember the picture, it showed Mayor Bradley grinning, standing next to then-Governor Pete Wilson, who was holding up a California license plate with the letters "GO METRO". I forget if it was at the entrance on the SW corner of 1st/Hill, or the mid-block entrance on the east side of Hill. Yep. That was the one. I suppose it is not there anymore? Funny thing, I was in the Civic Center station quite a few years ago when I noticed that picture and it was on a weekend and I was the only person in the station in the middle of the day. Last time I was on the Red Line on a weekend, I noticed how many people were in the Civic Center Station when I went by. Our rail system has come a long way as far as ridership (as has our Downtown as far as a center). The Metro Librarian YouTube channel has video of the Red Line groundbreaking at Civic Center on 29 September 1986 with Mayor Tom Bradley, which BTW will mark 25 years since that event (next month).
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Post by James Fujita on Aug 13, 2011 2:34:35 GMT -8
There's a tiny little, nearly non-existent, pedestrian street called the Gilbert W. Lindsay Mall in Little Tokyo which links Second Street with Anime Jungle.
I never really knew who Gilbert Lindsay was, but thanks to this video I know he was a giant ham (he appears at about 12:00)
Also, that Metro Rail car looks pretty sleek in RTD red and orange stripes. ;D
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