Post by bennyp81 on Jun 20, 2005 12:03:06 GMT -8
Joe
User ID: 9704903 Mar 11th 5:00 AM
The MTA will be coming out later this year with a new updated Long Range Plan for L.A. County. Anyone care to guess what exactly this new Long Range Plan might include? Does anyone think that perhaps heavy rail will play a bigger role than before or will light rail continue to be the prefered mode of rail transit for L.A. County?
Michael M.
User ID: 0310794 Mar 11th 10:13 AM
Joe, that's easy. Heavy rail will be barely mentioned, if at all, because MTA ain't got the $.
Their main thrust will be Rapid Bus - offering us more and more bus service at a lower level of service than in the city where modern BRT started (Curitiba, Brazil), and expecting that we will wet our pants with excitement at what we're being offered.
crzwdjk
User ID: 0122954 Mar 11th 11:03 AM
Being optimistic, I would guess that they will include more heavy rail, or at least the much needed extension of the Red Line to Westwood. It's a place with real demand, and probably enough to justify a heavy rail extension. It may well double ridership in the same way that the North Hollywood extension did.
Another thing that they probably want to add is the Downtown Connector, which they will need that much more once they finish the Eastside Gold Line, and realize that the Union Station transfer is not a very good one.
Another thing that they might want to put in is the Green Line to Norwalk Metrolink, and possibly Green Line to the airport in some form. That would make the Green Line that much more useful.
This is in addition to the Gold Line Foothill extension and Expo, which they are already planning for, and the Eastside Goldline, which they've started building.
Joel C
User ID: 1084044 Mar 11th 1:28 PM
Will this revise the current LRTP, which was supposed to last until 2025? Or are we doing a new 25-30 year plan starting now? That'll make a huge difference.
I think first off, you're right, Michael M, that unfortunately the focus will continue to be on Rapid Bus.
If we're talking rail, the plan will include projects already in the pipeline, including Eastside to Atlantic, Expo to Culver City, and Foothill to around Azusa.
It will probably also include Expo to Santa Monica and Foothill to Montclair/Claremont or whatever.
Anything else is anyone's guess. I'd like to see the Downtown Connector in there, followed by the Westside Subway. Somewhere in there should also be extensions of Green Line to LAX, Norwalk and/or the South Bay. A cloverleaf at Rosa Parks station would be great. And of course, the "Regional Rail" LAX-Downtown Metrolink train.
There are plenty of other rail projects we'd all like to see. As for me, if we had all of the above, I'd be a pretty happy camper!!!
Hopefully, the plan will also include allocations for improving security and fare-collection at rail stations, as I just mentioned in another thread. And reasonable fare-hikes, as necessary, to fund this.
Michael M.
User ID: 0310794 Mar 11th 2:16 PM
Here's one more point: We need to focus a lot of effort on getting more funding,
- possibly including tax increment financing (that is, bonds that are repaid by part of the increased sales and property taxes generated by new developments near transit stations),
- perhaps a small increase in local sales taxes,
- perhaps a state transportation bond measure,
- perhaps a county bond measure
So that MTA has $ to offer us more than some red buses.
Robert
User ID: 9092003 Mar 11th 7:22 PM
TEA-21, California on short side again! What else is new?
Bob
User ID: 9704903 Mar 11th 5:00 AM
The MTA will be coming out later this year with a new updated Long Range Plan for L.A. County. Anyone care to guess what exactly this new Long Range Plan might include? Does anyone think that perhaps heavy rail will play a bigger role than before or will light rail continue to be the prefered mode of rail transit for L.A. County?
Michael M.
User ID: 0310794 Mar 11th 10:13 AM
Joe, that's easy. Heavy rail will be barely mentioned, if at all, because MTA ain't got the $.
Their main thrust will be Rapid Bus - offering us more and more bus service at a lower level of service than in the city where modern BRT started (Curitiba, Brazil), and expecting that we will wet our pants with excitement at what we're being offered.
crzwdjk
User ID: 0122954 Mar 11th 11:03 AM
Being optimistic, I would guess that they will include more heavy rail, or at least the much needed extension of the Red Line to Westwood. It's a place with real demand, and probably enough to justify a heavy rail extension. It may well double ridership in the same way that the North Hollywood extension did.
Another thing that they probably want to add is the Downtown Connector, which they will need that much more once they finish the Eastside Gold Line, and realize that the Union Station transfer is not a very good one.
Another thing that they might want to put in is the Green Line to Norwalk Metrolink, and possibly Green Line to the airport in some form. That would make the Green Line that much more useful.
This is in addition to the Gold Line Foothill extension and Expo, which they are already planning for, and the Eastside Goldline, which they've started building.
Joel C
User ID: 1084044 Mar 11th 1:28 PM
Will this revise the current LRTP, which was supposed to last until 2025? Or are we doing a new 25-30 year plan starting now? That'll make a huge difference.
I think first off, you're right, Michael M, that unfortunately the focus will continue to be on Rapid Bus.
If we're talking rail, the plan will include projects already in the pipeline, including Eastside to Atlantic, Expo to Culver City, and Foothill to around Azusa.
It will probably also include Expo to Santa Monica and Foothill to Montclair/Claremont or whatever.
Anything else is anyone's guess. I'd like to see the Downtown Connector in there, followed by the Westside Subway. Somewhere in there should also be extensions of Green Line to LAX, Norwalk and/or the South Bay. A cloverleaf at Rosa Parks station would be great. And of course, the "Regional Rail" LAX-Downtown Metrolink train.
There are plenty of other rail projects we'd all like to see. As for me, if we had all of the above, I'd be a pretty happy camper!!!
Hopefully, the plan will also include allocations for improving security and fare-collection at rail stations, as I just mentioned in another thread. And reasonable fare-hikes, as necessary, to fund this.
Michael M.
User ID: 0310794 Mar 11th 2:16 PM
Here's one more point: We need to focus a lot of effort on getting more funding,
- possibly including tax increment financing (that is, bonds that are repaid by part of the increased sales and property taxes generated by new developments near transit stations),
- perhaps a small increase in local sales taxes,
- perhaps a state transportation bond measure,
- perhaps a county bond measure
So that MTA has $ to offer us more than some red buses.
Robert
User ID: 9092003 Mar 11th 7:22 PM
TEA-21, California on short side again! What else is new?
Bob