Light Rail Finally Rolling 

Darrell Clarke

Special to the Mirror

   At a March 23 public meeting on Lincoln Boulevard, where a Caltrans representative proposed adding yet more lanes of traffic, four different people spoke up that we should be planning light rail instead. What a concept...planning alternatives to traffic rather than adding yet more noise, pollution, and pavement!
   If you've lived in or visited a city with good transit, you know the freedom of not being stuck in traffic, not worrying about the cost of parking or when your meter is going to expire, and walking, knowing you can return from a different station. And you look at Los Angeles with exasperation.
   Light rail has become very popular...every major western U.S. city has it or is planning it. Portland and San Diego are well-known. San Francisco's popular new downtown baseball stadium is largely served by light rail instead of having lots of parking, Light rail serves "Silicon Valley" jobs, the California state Capitol in Sacramento, Salt Lake City, and Denver. It's popular even in Texas...Dallas is building more, and Houston is planning light rail to its new stadium for the NFL team that Los Angeles didn't get. And Phoenix voters just overwhelmingly approved funding for light rail this spring.
   The good news is, the MTA is finally planning a light rail line from downtown Los Angles to Santa Monica (more about Lincoln at the end), and the Governor's new transportation plan will help fund it. 
Over ten years ago the City of Santa Monica had the foresight to begin planning use of the old Exposition railroad line for light rail transit, and the L.A. County Transportation Commission (predecessor to the MTA) bought it from the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1990. 
   An old "Big Red Car" and freight line, it was originally built in 1875 by Senator John P. Jones, the founder of Santa Monica. You've probably noticed the tracks on the south side of Olympic Boulevard by Bergamot Station and between USC and Exposition Park. 
   The MTA began considering Exposition again for transit in late 1998, after Proposition A ended local funding for future subway extensions, leaving Federal money that had been allocated for a short Red Line subway extension to Pico/San Vicente. At the beginning of this year, the MTA's consultants recommended a short list of Westside projects to begin detailed planning and an EIR: dedicated bus lanes along Wilshire Boulevard, and light rail and busway alternatives along Exposition.
   The route adopted by the MTA Board follows Exposition from Santa Monica to USC/Exposition Park, where it would turn north to join the Long Beach Blue Line, with a detour around Cheviot Hills along Venice and Sepulveda Boulevards. Major street crossings would be on bridges; others would use signal control to give priority to trains. The MTA will also be planning a bikeway along the mostly 50 or 100 foot wide right-of-way.
   Exposition serves the new "Digital Coast" jobs from Culver City to Santa Monica as well as downtown L.A. jobs, providing an alternative to jammed-in-both-directions traffic on one of the busiest freeways in the world. If you've thought of fighting gridlock to Staples Center on a weekday evening, think of riding a train instead! Exposition also provides the Westside link to the Red, Blue, Pasadena, and Eastside Lines downtown, for the many cross-town commuters.
   Of course we need light rail's speed, capacity, and comfort, not a busway! Exposition's population (12,200) and jobs per square mile are greater even than the Long Beach Blue Line...the most successful light rail line in the United States, carrying nearly 60,000 people per dayóand 2 to 3 times San Diego (6,000) or Portland (4,600). One 3-car train equals six busesí capacityóimagine a noisy bus every minute in both directions, blocking cross traffic or slowed by red lights.
   The MTA has scheduled its first-round public meetings on the Exposition light rail/busway and Wilshire busway EIR. Be sure to come to learn their preliminary plans, make specific suggestions (especially station locations, street crossings, and neighborhood amenities), and show support for Exposition light rail.
   All meetings will have an open house format -- come any time between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. 
Tuesday, May 23, Peterson Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd., L.A.; Wednesday, May 31, Veteran's Administration Hospital of West L.A., 11301 Wilshire Blvd., L.A.; Tuesday, June 6, Ken Edwards Center, 1527 Fourth Street, Santa Monica; Wednesday, June 7, California African-American Museum, 600 State Street -- Exposition Park, L.A.; Thursday, June 8, Veteran's Memorial Complex, 4117 Overland Ave., Culver City.
   Call the MTA project hotline at 310-366-6443 for information, to be placed on their mailing list, or to leave verbal comments. To send your written comments (due by June 23, 2000), contact David Mieger, Project Manager, Los Angeles County MTA. One Gateway Plaza, Mail Stop 99-22-5, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Phone 213-922-3040; Fax: 213-922-3060. 
   So how about Lincoln Boulevard? As long as Lincoln is an alternate to the clogged 405 freeway, I'd expect any widening of Lincoln to be quickly filled with more cars. Instead, how about a light rail line down to LAX? It's not on any official plans, but with enough support it could happen after Exposition.
   Darrell Clarke is a founder of the East-West Transit Coalition, volunteering for effective transit and livable communities. He is also a Santa Monica Planning Commissioner. See HYPERLINK http://www.exporail.net www.exporail.net for more information or to offer your support!