Post by crzwdjk on May 31, 2005 23:58:05 GMT -8
I took a trip across the Westside and Santa Monica recently, and looking at Wilshire Blvd, it is clear that the area desperately needs a subway. The main clusters of tall buildings in the LA area can all be connected by a single straight line. It's too convenient, and should have been done long ago. Either congestion will become unbearable, or gas prices will start taking a major toll on the economy, but in any case, alternative transportation is called for, and not just some bus painted red, but a real bona-fide Rapid Transit line. So here's my proposal. The line is quite long, so it would make sense to build it in segments and open the segments as they are completed.
MOS-1: Wilshire/Western to Wilshire/Fairfax
Stations would be at Crenshaw, La Brea, and Fairfax. This first segment would expand the reach of the subway to the office buildings in that area, as well as LACMA. The station at Fairfax would have a transfer to a streetcar line that would run up Fairfax to Third Street and then down Third to Cedars Sinai. A streetcar line of this length would cost relatively little compared to the cost of the subway and provide a useful feeder service. Also, possibly a streetcar extension up Fairfax to Melrose could be built, since that's another area where there are many pedestrians.
MOS-2: Fairfax to Century City
Stations would be at La Cienega, somewhere around Robertson, Beverly Drive, then curve onto Santa Monica Blvd and stop at Century City. The usefulness of this extension is obvious, Beverly Hills has lots of tall buildings, as does Century City, and they're both popular attractions. The line in Century City would have to be built deep in preparation for the next phase.
MOS-3: Century City to Bundy Dr in Santa Monica. This phase would run in a deep tunnel from Century City and have a station near Wilshire and Westholme, in the middle of all the tall apartment buildings. Yes, it's an affluent area where everyone can afford an SUV or three, but that doesn't mean it's any less annoying for them to sit in traffic. The next station is at Wilshire and Westwood. Perhaps a streetcar line could be built up Westwood to connect to UCLA, or there could be a shuttle bus, but in any case the station would serve both UCLA and the Westwood district of tall buildings. After that, there would be a junction to a branch line that will be MOS-4, and the line will continue westward to a station on Wilshire, around Barrington and San Vicente, which serves a small cluster of tall buildings as well as the surrounding area. The last station of this segment would be at Bundy and Wilshire, which is the last cluster of tall buildings in the area, and almost close to the final goal of the ocean. At this point, the western half of the 720 Rapid will likely become unnecessary, unpopular, and discontinued.
MOS-4 Wilshire/Westwood to Van Nuys/Ventura
This line would branch from the junction built just west of Westwood in MOS-3, turn northward under the 405 freeway, and have a station at Sunset, to serve that area as well as the Getty Center. The line would then run in a deep tunnel under the mountains to a station at Ventura and Van Nuys, which would provide some much-needed capacity in the Sepulveda Pass, and would probably cost less than other proposed solutions like double decking the freeway.
After this part of the line is built out, there are two further extensions possible:
Extension 1:
Down Wilshire from Bundy to 3rd Street, with stations at 26th, 14th, and 3rd. Subway to the Sea! It would be a major attraction for tourists and locals alike, and probably provide a great boost to the economy of Santa Monica.
Exension 2:
Down Van Nuys from Ventura to the Metrolink line, with stations at the Orange Line and the Metrolink station. This would greatly improve the transit connectivity of the Valley, as well as allowing commuters from Ventura County to reach the Westside by transferring from the Metrolink.
MOS-1: Wilshire/Western to Wilshire/Fairfax
Stations would be at Crenshaw, La Brea, and Fairfax. This first segment would expand the reach of the subway to the office buildings in that area, as well as LACMA. The station at Fairfax would have a transfer to a streetcar line that would run up Fairfax to Third Street and then down Third to Cedars Sinai. A streetcar line of this length would cost relatively little compared to the cost of the subway and provide a useful feeder service. Also, possibly a streetcar extension up Fairfax to Melrose could be built, since that's another area where there are many pedestrians.
MOS-2: Fairfax to Century City
Stations would be at La Cienega, somewhere around Robertson, Beverly Drive, then curve onto Santa Monica Blvd and stop at Century City. The usefulness of this extension is obvious, Beverly Hills has lots of tall buildings, as does Century City, and they're both popular attractions. The line in Century City would have to be built deep in preparation for the next phase.
MOS-3: Century City to Bundy Dr in Santa Monica. This phase would run in a deep tunnel from Century City and have a station near Wilshire and Westholme, in the middle of all the tall apartment buildings. Yes, it's an affluent area where everyone can afford an SUV or three, but that doesn't mean it's any less annoying for them to sit in traffic. The next station is at Wilshire and Westwood. Perhaps a streetcar line could be built up Westwood to connect to UCLA, or there could be a shuttle bus, but in any case the station would serve both UCLA and the Westwood district of tall buildings. After that, there would be a junction to a branch line that will be MOS-4, and the line will continue westward to a station on Wilshire, around Barrington and San Vicente, which serves a small cluster of tall buildings as well as the surrounding area. The last station of this segment would be at Bundy and Wilshire, which is the last cluster of tall buildings in the area, and almost close to the final goal of the ocean. At this point, the western half of the 720 Rapid will likely become unnecessary, unpopular, and discontinued.
MOS-4 Wilshire/Westwood to Van Nuys/Ventura
This line would branch from the junction built just west of Westwood in MOS-3, turn northward under the 405 freeway, and have a station at Sunset, to serve that area as well as the Getty Center. The line would then run in a deep tunnel under the mountains to a station at Ventura and Van Nuys, which would provide some much-needed capacity in the Sepulveda Pass, and would probably cost less than other proposed solutions like double decking the freeway.
After this part of the line is built out, there are two further extensions possible:
Extension 1:
Down Wilshire from Bundy to 3rd Street, with stations at 26th, 14th, and 3rd. Subway to the Sea! It would be a major attraction for tourists and locals alike, and probably provide a great boost to the economy of Santa Monica.
Exension 2:
Down Van Nuys from Ventura to the Metrolink line, with stations at the Orange Line and the Metrolink station. This would greatly improve the transit connectivity of the Valley, as well as allowing commuters from Ventura County to reach the Westside by transferring from the Metrolink.