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Expo Light Rail |
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The Expo line will have far-reaching impacts, both positive and negative, on West L.A. Only two proposed routes are currently being studied, although many believe that a third or fourth needs study as well. The first route is along the Exposition right of way, which starts at Venice and Robertson, proceeds along the south side of the 10, then crosses under the freeway near Motor Avenue. It then proceeds on the north side of the freeway past Overland Elementary, across Overland, Westwood, Military and Sepulveda. It continues along the remainder of the right-of-way to the Santa Monica pier. In the second route, the train proceeds along Venice until Sepulveda, at which point, it jogs back up to the right of way along Sepulveda. A third route that has support among many homeowner groups has the train proceed down Venice all the way to Lincoln, just as the former Venice Short Line did decades ago. Several serious questions have been raised with regard to using the Exposition route. First and foremost is that the rail line would represent a “virtual wall” blocking access to the 10 from the north. The time from gates down to gates up when a train goes by is approximately two minutes. and up to 24 trains pass by during peak hours. Consequently, Overland, Westwood and Sepulveda might be blocked 50 to 60 percent of the time. While a “grade separation,” meaning a bridge or tunnel, is being considered for Overland, such a separation is not being considered for the other streets. The second route solves the problem of blocking traffic to the 10 from the north but introduces a longer train ride and a potential for impacts on Sepulveda. The third route which uses Venice Blvd. to go all the way to Lincoln Blvd. (and perhaps to Santa Monica) does not impact access to the 10 but may be more costly as more streets may need grade separation. This route also passes through areas which have populations that need access to mass transit. The route includes a higher residential density, a higher employment density, and its residents own fewer vehicles than the residents along the other two routes. If the right-of-way is not used for the Expo line(and Venice Blvd. is used instead), then some have suggested that the sale of the right-of-way land could potentially pay for much, if not all of the project. This could save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Each route has its benefits and drawbacks. What is essential is that MTA study all alternatives so that the best possible decision can be made. |
Resources Note: Many of the presentations shown below mention Transit Oriented Development(TOD). An L.A. Times article has questioned the validity of TOD claims of reducing traffic by building mixed-use development near transit. This study should cause many decision-makers to re-think development and claims made of reduced traffic. YouTube:
Concrete Mixer Truck & Car Caught In Gold Line Crossing Gate Neighbors For Smart Rail/Westside Transportation Partners Presentation Tract 7260 scoping comments (April 2007) Map of proposed mass transit corridors. Link to the Venice Short Line story Link to Venice Short Line pictures. Link to a paper on mass transit KPCC Pictures
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