PREVIEW REGIONAL CONNECTOR STATION DESIGNS
The Source provides links to PPTs with designs for three underground stations along the downtown LA Regional Connector's 1.9-mile route: at !st and Central, 2nd and Broadway and 2nd and Hope. The Regional Connector will link the Gold, Blue and Expo Lines, providing more "one-seat rides" (no transfers!) through downtown. More evidence that LA is on the verge of becoming a transit metropolis.
Read more.
Read more.
THE BUZZ ABOUT FREEWAY TEAR-DOWNS
The declining interest in driving and the increasing desire for walkable mixed-use neighborhoods has boosted land and property values in downtowns, where it’s difficult to integrate new construction into existing development. The success of these neighborhoods is causing an increasing number of cities to ponder the idea of taking down their innercity freeways. Milwaukee, Portland and San Francisco have all taken down innercity freeways, the U.S. Department of Transportation has funded freeway teardown studies in New Orleans, New York City and New Haven, and a dozen other cities are also considering demolitions. The Urban Land Institute, a national nonprofit representing the interests of developers, called a freeway teardown in Providence, Rhode Island, which freed up 40 acres of land for development, “the best economic development opportunity in the state.”
In this link national columnists Neil Peirce writes about the "freeway free" future discussions at the Rockefeller Foundation's conference in Bellagio, Italy.
Read Neil Peirce here.
In this link national columnists Neil Peirce writes about the "freeway free" future discussions at the Rockefeller Foundation's conference in Bellagio, Italy.
Read Neil Peirce here.
THE STANDARD 30 MINUTE COMMUTE
Why is it that average commute times hover around 20-30 minutes, here as well as elsewhere in the world, and what does this mean for urban planners? Tim de Chant muses on these questions on the Per Square Mile blog.
Find out on the Per Square Mile blog.
Find out on the Per Square Mile blog.
ORANGE COUNTY'S MEASURE M TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX COMES UP SHORTR
Orange County's Measure M2 transportation sales tax is expected to produce $8.8 billion less than the $24.3 billion expected. But that's less than the $10.6 billion shortfall that had been projected in 2010.
Read more in the Orange County Register.
Read more in the Orange County Register.
LOTS OF RAIL CONSTRUCTION NEWS
According to The Source:
Work on the second phase of the Expo Line between Culver City and Santa Monica is ramping up. Read more.
The draft environmental study for the Gold Line Foothill Extension from Azusa to Montclair is released. While this project is in Metro's long range plan it is not a fully funded project and does not have a planned opening date. Read more.
An underground blast for New York City's Second Avenue Subway broke through the surface yesterday causing some property damage but no injuries. LA Metro notes that there is no blasting planned in Los Angeles for either the Westside Subway Extension or the Regional Connector, which both require tunnels. Read more.
Work on the second phase of the Expo Line between Culver City and Santa Monica is ramping up. Read more.
The draft environmental study for the Gold Line Foothill Extension from Azusa to Montclair is released. While this project is in Metro's long range plan it is not a fully funded project and does not have a planned opening date. Read more.
An underground blast for New York City's Second Avenue Subway broke through the surface yesterday causing some property damage but no injuries. LA Metro notes that there is no blasting planned in Los Angeles for either the Westside Subway Extension or the Regional Connector, which both require tunnels. Read more.
MEASURE J BALLOT LANGUAGE; AND A Q&A
The Source's Steve Hymon provides the Measure J ballot language and answers questions on The Source blog.
CA SENATE APPROVES FEUER LEGISLATION TO EXPEDITE LA COUNTY TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS
FROM ASSEMBLYMAN MIKE FEUER'S OFFICE: The California State Senate has approved AB 1446 by Assembly Member Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles). The measure would, with voter approval, fund Los Angeles County rail, highway, bus and local transportation improvement projects more quickly, jumpstarting those projects and getting Angelenos back to work.
Specifically, the bill would authorize the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) to ask County voters to extend the term of the Measure R sales tax authorization. This extension would enable Metro to bond against future Measure R revenue and build transportation projects much sooner than originally contemplated, relying only on local funds.
“We need to get these transportation projects underway now,” said Feuer. “By passing AB 1446, we are empowering L.A. County voters to jumpstart 160,000 jobs and break through traffic congestion that chokes our region.”
In Los Angeles County, 336,000 jobs have been lost since 2007, and 582,900 people were unemployed as of October 2011. The construction industry has been hit especially hard; over 53,300 construction jobs have been lost in recent years.
In his first term as an Assembly Member, Feuer authored legislation that allowed Metro, L.A. County’s transportation planning agency, to put Measure R on the 2008 Los Angeles County ballot. Measure R asked voters to approve a 30-year one-half cent sales and use tax dedicated to construction and operation of a specified list of transportation projects. More than 67 percent of voters approved the measure, which commits approximately $40 billion to traffic relief and transportation upgrades throughout the county over the next 30 years. These upgrades will include westward extension of the subway and adding north/south routing to the San Fernando Valley's Orange Line bus way. AB 1446 would provide an ongoing local source of funding to build projects in Measure R and in Metro’s Long Range Transportation Plan.
The measure will next be heard in the Assembly to approve amendments taken in the Senate, and will then go to the Governor for consideration.
Assembly Member Feuer’s website: http://www.assembly.ca.gov/feuer
Specifically, the bill would authorize the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) to ask County voters to extend the term of the Measure R sales tax authorization. This extension would enable Metro to bond against future Measure R revenue and build transportation projects much sooner than originally contemplated, relying only on local funds.
“We need to get these transportation projects underway now,” said Feuer. “By passing AB 1446, we are empowering L.A. County voters to jumpstart 160,000 jobs and break through traffic congestion that chokes our region.”
In Los Angeles County, 336,000 jobs have been lost since 2007, and 582,900 people were unemployed as of October 2011. The construction industry has been hit especially hard; over 53,300 construction jobs have been lost in recent years.
In his first term as an Assembly Member, Feuer authored legislation that allowed Metro, L.A. County’s transportation planning agency, to put Measure R on the 2008 Los Angeles County ballot. Measure R asked voters to approve a 30-year one-half cent sales and use tax dedicated to construction and operation of a specified list of transportation projects. More than 67 percent of voters approved the measure, which commits approximately $40 billion to traffic relief and transportation upgrades throughout the county over the next 30 years. These upgrades will include westward extension of the subway and adding north/south routing to the San Fernando Valley's Orange Line bus way. AB 1446 would provide an ongoing local source of funding to build projects in Measure R and in Metro’s Long Range Transportation Plan.
The measure will next be heard in the Assembly to approve amendments taken in the Senate, and will then go to the Governor for consideration.
Assembly Member Feuer’s website: http://www.assembly.ca.gov/feuer
EXPO RIDERSHIP UP 55%
LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky writes that the opening of the Culver City and Farmdale stations in late June and the reconfiguration of bus lines to make connections easier has boosted ridership by more than 175,000 between May and July.
Read more on Streetsblog.
Read more on Streetsblog.
PLANS BEGIN FOR WESTSIDE CICLAVIA
CicLAvia wants to expand the number of CicLAvia events, and is considering Santa Monica, South LA and Pomona among other possible locations.
Read more on Streetsblog.
Read more on Streetsblog.
WALKING RATES IN AMERICA: "PITIFUL"
The Centers for Disease Control just released a report that finds nearly 40 percent of American adults hadn't walked for a 10-minute period in the previous seven days -- and that's an improvement over the results of a similar study in 2005.
Read more on Streetsblog.
Read more on Streetsblog.