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Post by Gokhan on Jul 28, 2010 17:49:19 GMT -8
Although it appears that our item #14 has been moved from the Consent Agenda to the Regular Agenda. Yes, I somewhat vaguely noted this on my post as well. This was the same way with the FEIR certification for the station by CPUC. The commissioners will praise the new at-grade, therefore conveniently accessible, station before they approve it unanimously.
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Post by darrell on Jul 29, 2010 11:12:28 GMT -8
So far the CPUC meeting has been public comment and energy matters (#41, 44, 42). The chair just said #14 will be done under transporation; don't know how long that'll be.
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Post by Gokhan on Jul 29, 2010 11:33:10 GMT -8
So far the CPUC meeting has been public comment and energy matters (#41, 44, 42). The chair just said #14 will be done under transporation; don't know how long that'll be. It's amazing how many people still live in dark ages in California. They made the light-rail NIMBYs look innocent. Many dozens of people spoke against the wireless electric meters (which let you monitor energy usage in real time on your computer, greatly helping you make wise decisions to save energy) with extraordinary passion, saying how they are making people sick and they will bring an end to the world by killing all the human race with electromagnetic fields. We desperately need science education in this country. People don't realize human body is not effected by low levels of EMF, to which we are continuously exposed through many natural and man-made sources.
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Post by metrocenter on Jul 29, 2010 11:46:47 GMT -8
The arguments about EMF from the electric meters are not honest arguments. Clearly the concern of people is for loss of entry-level jobs among the community. They would do better to simply make that argument, rather than speculating about EMF.
Anyway, the Expo agenda item is now being considered...
[EDIT] The Farmdale settlement has been approved, the issue is now history. Finally. Now lets finish Expo Phase 1 and move on to Expo Phase 2.
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Post by Gokhan on Jul 29, 2010 11:50:39 GMT -8
BREAKING NEWSFarmdale at-grade crossing and station approved, all Phase 1 proceedings closedCalifornia Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) unanimously approved the Farmdale at-grade crossing and station 5 - 0 today, closing all the Phase 1 proceedings for the Expo grade-crossing applications, marking the end of legal challenges for Phase 1 of the Expo light-rail to Culver City. The ruling immediately authorizes the construction of the at-grade crossing and station. The rail grade-crossing across Farmdale is expected to be installed this weekend. Video clip of the approval: The last photo, as of yesterday, of the original, circa-1916 Pacific Electric rail tracks across Farmdale, which will be torn out this weekend and replaced with a modern, double-track at-grade crossing (photo credit: Gokhan):
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Post by bobdavis on Jul 29, 2010 12:34:12 GMT -8
Metrocenter and Gokhan: Thanks for the update on the Farmdale decision. I think we were expecting this outcome, but one can never relax until the PUC "puts the hammer down". In the department of coincidences, today is my older daughter's birthday, and she is an alumna of USC, which will finally get rail transit service back after a hiatus of over half a century. Highball the Expo Line! Now we just have to get into active construction on the Gold Line Foothill Extension so I'll have news to report.
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Post by Gokhan on Jul 29, 2010 15:12:27 GMT -8
Article in Curbed LAArticle in LAistStatement by Karen Leonard and Sarah Hays, Cochairs of Light-Rail for Cheviot: "Those who have been following this know that this at-grade resolution sets an important precedent for the Overland/Westwood crossings further west, with a station between those streets and closer to Westwood. We hope this victory for all (a station for the students and nearby residents, a safe at-grade crossing for efficient use of public funds, an equitable grade-crossing decision according to the Expo criteria for crossings all along the line) will preclude similar costly delays and conflicts as the line goes west along Phase II."
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Post by Gokhan on Jul 29, 2010 16:31:39 GMT -8
I just drove by the Expo Line. The only place construction activity was taking place at this hour was Farmdale. They are working around the clock at Farmdale. They are installing a sewer line. We will see when they will actually get to installing the grade crossing.
Another thing that is interesting is that they have now removed the fences and K rail in large sections in Mid-City.
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Post by darrell on Jul 29, 2010 16:37:11 GMT -8
Finally!! And thanks especially for the video capture, Gokhan (I had to leave watching it before they got to #14). Here's the Curbed link.
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Post by jeisenbe on Jul 29, 2010 23:21:46 GMT -8
It's over!
Any chance of Damien Goodmon popping up on here to say something?l
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Post by darrell on Jul 30, 2010 7:47:41 GMT -8
Last night Exposition Blvd. was closed on the west side of Farmdale Ave., with digging seeming to be for pipe installation.
La Brea was also closed. I saw four bucket crane arms raised underneath, not sure what they were doing.
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Post by darrell on Jul 30, 2010 12:41:47 GMT -8
It's over! Any chance of Damien Goodmon popping up on here to say something?l His latest "spin" is posted on Streetsblog LA, so far without comments.
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Post by Gokhan on Jul 30, 2010 13:43:15 GMT -8
It's over! Any chance of Damien Goodmon popping up on here to say something?l His latest "spin" is posted on Streetsblog LA, so far without comments. Now, this is the best time that Fix Expo needs to be ignored. Simply ignore and don't respond to Fix Expo, and don't make any comments. It's over. Nothing can obstruct the Expo Line anymore.
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Post by Gokhan on Jul 31, 2010 18:38:21 GMT -8
I just drove by Farmdale Ave. There is no grade-crossing installation this weekend. According to a previous notice, sewer work will take place through August 9; so, it could be ten more days from today at least.
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Post by spokker on Jul 31, 2010 22:58:31 GMT -8
The Metro grade crossing policy obviously applies before you construct the rail line, but does it apply after?
Let's say that a light rail line is built at-grade across a street because it does not meet the criteria for grade separation. The city decides to take advantage of its light rail station by zoning for higher density residential and commercial areas. Now the streets reach the threshold where grade separation would be necessary according to Metro's grade crossing policy.
What happens then?
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Post by darrell on Jul 31, 2010 23:10:45 GMT -8
Metro's Grade Crossing Policy is really a formalized step in the environmental process to determine if a light rail grade crossing would create significant traffic impacts.
If light rail didn't create such traffic impacts under current conditions (which include projected future developments), but a big new development did create such impacts, I presume it would be up to that development to mitigate those impacts. But I doubt that would include rebuilding the rail line.
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Post by Gokhan on Aug 2, 2010 11:23:49 GMT -8
No grade-crossing installation today but someone was doing serious photography at Farmdale while FFP was working on the utilities, not Greg from Expo or someone I know. Is he someone from this board? If so, give us some details about the utility construction and expected date for the grade-crossing installation.
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Post by Gokhan on Aug 2, 2010 20:51:09 GMT -8
According to the board agenda posted today, they need to relocate the overhead power lines to underground before any track installation can take place at Farmdale. This may very well mean that there will not be grade-crossing installation at Farmdale in the foreseeable future.
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Post by darrell on Aug 2, 2010 21:47:30 GMT -8
Google Maps Streetview gives some good views of the power poles west of Farmdale along the south side of the Exposition right-of-way. You can see what must need to be removed for the eastbound station platform.
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Post by Gokhan on Aug 3, 2010 18:37:38 GMT -8
Latest on Farmdale:
A new lighted street sign posted at Exposition and Farmdale is saying that "Expo will be closed at Farmdale -- 08/07 - 08/16."
Most of this is very likely sewer construction but perhaps they will build the grade crossing during this time as well.
Also note that there will be overhead-power-line relocation at the Expo right-of-way by Farmdale starting soon. This may also delay track installation there.
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Post by bluelineshawn on Aug 3, 2010 19:35:57 GMT -8
According to this memo they must have already spent $2 million in fiscal year 2010 for Farmdale, with $13 million planned for 2011 and another $3 million for fiscal year 2012.
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Post by Gokhan on Aug 3, 2010 20:05:32 GMT -8
According to this memo they must have already spent $2 million in fiscal year 2010 for Farmdale, with $13 million planned for 2011 and another $3 million for fiscal year 2012. Thanks, very good document about added safety features. Wow, in short the Farmdale Station is costing $18.7 million, not including the millions of dollars in legal expenses. On the bright side, if they had to grade-separate Farmdale, they would have to grade-separate so many other intersections for both Phase 1 and Phase 2 that the project would cost several hundred million dollars more. As a result the savings are still great and light-rail has won big time in many ways. In the future things won't be like the Farmdale situation and will go very smoothly. Light-rail opposition did cause a lot of trouble but at the end these are the ones who ended up shooting themselves in the foot by making everyone realize how to deal with them. PS: I think lack of fencing on Exposition except between Denker and Western will cause a lot of problems because currently there is so much jaywalking happening across Exposition west of Vermont and east of Gramercy.
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Post by jeisenbe on Aug 3, 2010 22:00:50 GMT -8
PS: I think lack of fencing on Exposition except between Denker and Western will cause a lot of problems because currently there is so much jaywalking happening across Exposition west of Vermont and east of Gramercy. Most of what you are describing is not exactly jaywalking. In California, it is perfectly legal to cross a street mid-block, if one of the two nearest intersections lacks a traffic signal. So, if there is a stop sign or no signs at one or both of the nearest intersections, you can legally cross wherever you wish. However, I think you are expected to look both ways and not step out into traffic (unlike at a crosswalk, where cars and bikes have to yield to pedestrians at all times): 21955 CVC (Jaywalking) "Between adjacent intersections controlled by traffic control signal devices, pedestrians shall not cross the roadway at any place except in a crosswalk." However, Exposition will now have a railway in the middle, which may change things legally. So yeah, they should build a fence if they don't want people to cross the tracks between cross-walks.
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Post by jamesinclair on Aug 3, 2010 22:48:44 GMT -8
However, Exposition will now have a railway in the middle, which may change things legally. So yeah, they should build a fence if they don't want people to cross the tracks between cross-walks. Why restrict mobility for the sake of "safety". If someone can cross 4 lanes of traffic safely, they can cross 2 sets of tracks. Dont build a fence. Either let things be, or build a midblock crosswalk and make the track crossing flat. If people frequently cross there, it's because there's demand. This demand isnt going away, it will only increase as the area gets new development. Encourage it.
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Post by Gokhan on Aug 4, 2010 0:12:48 GMT -8
Dont build a fence. Either let things be, or build a midblock crosswalk and make the track crossing flat. If people frequently cross there, it's because there's demand. This demand isnt going away, it will only increase as the area gets new development. Encourage it. People have no business on private railroad rights-of-way at any time. Unlike city streets this is not a public property but MTA property and when they step there, they are trespassing, which simultaneously breaks several laws. Besides, that's how most light-rail accidents happen. This is rail, ties, and ballast, along with crossovers and various electromechanical equipment that we are talking about and nothing is supposed to be there other than the trains. If someone enters the private railroad right-of-way, he/she not only endangers his/her own life but also those on the train as well as those in the vehicles around the train.
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Post by darrell on Aug 4, 2010 8:33:41 GMT -8
The Final Decision for the Farmdale crossing was published by the CPUC today. It's slightly updated from the Proposed Decision. As a courtesy, the Commission notifies you that the text of Decision 10-07-026 Re Final Decision Approving Settlement Agreement was made available at docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PUBLISHED/FINAL_DECISION/121437.htm on August 2, 2010.
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Post by darrell on Aug 4, 2010 8:40:28 GMT -8
21955 CVC (Jaywalking) "Between adjacent intersections controlled by traffic control signal devices, pedestrians shall not cross the roadway at any place except in a crosswalk." However, Exposition will now have a railway in the middle, which may change things legally. So yeah, they should build a fence if they don't want people to cross the tracks between cross-walks. But you still couldn't legally cross the lanes to get to the tracks, right? Except that one could make the case that there are intermediate unsignalized (now right-turn-only) intersections that make this moot. In any case, I'd expect at least the level of solid fencing that was retrofitted along the center of the Eastside Gold Line.
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Post by metrocenter on Aug 4, 2010 11:15:30 GMT -8
No grade-crossing installation today but someone was doing serious photography at Farmdale while FFP was working on the utilities, not Greg from Expo or someone I know. Is he someone from this board? If so, give us some details about the utility construction and expected date for the grade-crossing installation. I was down there on Monday snapping pictures, but just with my iPhone (not serious photography). I am no expert on construction and I have no specific info other than what I saw. But it certainly seemed like they were grading for the station. (I haven't yet gotten my pictures posted to flickr yet, but I will as soon as I get the chance.)
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Post by metrocenter on Aug 4, 2010 11:33:53 GMT -8
Here are the pictures that I took on Monday. Low resolution (sorry), they are iPhone pics. All of the pictures are showing the west side of the crossing. There were a ton of kids at school, well over a hundred hanging out on Farmdale in front of the school. Not sure why, given that it is summer. Maybe it was for summer school or possibly for some special summer program to keep the kids busy. There were lots of illegal traffic maneuvers going on, including jaywalking, double parking, and even parking in mid-intersection. That sort of thing wouldn't fly in my neighborhood, the cops would be handing out tickets left and right. But the students at Dorsey seemed to be doing whatever they felt like, without an administrator or police officer in sight.
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Post by Gokhan on Aug 4, 2010 11:44:59 GMT -8
No grade-crossing installation today but someone was doing serious photography at Farmdale while FFP was working on the utilities, not Greg from Expo or someone I know. Is he someone from this board? If so, give us some details about the utility construction and expected date for the grade-crossing installation. I was down there on Monday snapping pictures, but just with my iPhone (not serious photography). That wasn't you, Joel. He was some tall blond guy with glasses and an SLR camera.
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