That's the latest SCAG estimate for fixing Southern California's woeful traffic problems, including more freeways, wider freeways and more mass transit. The Press-Telegram reports: Maintaining and boosting Southern California's transportation system over the next three decades could cost some $531 billion and require new taxes, tolls and user fees, a regional planning group said Friday. In its latest 30-year plan, the Southern California Association of Governments spelled out a range of projects that the region desperately needs to keep people and goods moving - from high-tech maglev rail lines to low-tech pothole repairs. And the region has to plan for at least another 6 million people in the next 30 years, said Gary Ovitt, immediate past president of SCAG and a San Bernardino County supervisor.
The Times' Lynell George explore the street art that has become something of a rage along the streets of Los Angeles. They have a message, George found:
IT COULD very well be a mirage: A trick of the glaring morning sun or something misread in the pre-caffeinated early morning haze. But no. Upon closer inspection, that brown-and-white sign, hanging just beneath the red slash of the "No Left/U-Turn" symbol on a sparsely landscaped traffic island, proclaims exactly what you first thought: "The Islands of LA Nat'l Park." The territory it demarcates along a busy stretch of Glendale Boulevard as it eases into Echo Park seems, at first, unremarkable: some California native brush; flattened and faded Diet Coke cans; Energizer batteries. Nearby, vibrant goldenrod poppies push up from the dirt. And sure, depending on the time of day, you'll find a few regular "campers" -- a couple of reliably resolute panhandlers: one with a dog, another alone and with his own sign whose message has become garbled, streaked and bloated from rain.
The Ventura County Star gives a big thumbs up to the widening of the 23 Freeway, calling it a Caltrans success story: Not only is the $65 million road-widening work, which is all but complete, nearly 14 months ahead of schedule and on budget, but the new lanes on this well-traveled pavement have also delivered the promised relief from bumper-to-bumper traffic during rush hour. For the most part, it is now smooth sailing for the steady stream of cars and trucks — estimated at more than 99,000 daily — flowing along the busy 7-mile stretch of the east county highway. As a bonus, the added road space has now lured back hundreds of motorists who had been clogging surface streets, such as Erbes, Lynn and Moorpark roads, in an effort to avoid the once-jammed highway.
The Alameda Corridor -- the super rail line system designed to move cargo from the ports inland and reduce truck traffic on local freeways-- reached a milestone recently, according to Progressive Railroading.com: Earlier this month, the six-year-old Alameda Corridor marked a six-digit milestone. The Los Angeles-area intermodal corridor logged the 100,000th train to use the high-speed freight-rail expressway since it opened in April 2002. The 20-mile corridor connects the ports of L.A. and Long Beach with downtown L.A. rail yards and the national rail system. The Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority owns and governs the corridor, which includes a 10-mile, below-ground and triple-tracked mid-corridor trench shared by BNSF Railway Co. and Union Pacific Railroad via trackage rights.
 The Santa Monica proposal to limit commercial development in an effort to ease growing gridlock has some strong opponents, according to the Lookout News:
The [Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce] has last month voted to oppose the measure, saying it could stymie much-needed projects and is based on a premise that has not been proven and may in fact be faulty -- that curbing commercial development relieves traffic congestion. “The definition of commercial development is extremely broad,” said Chamber President Tom Larmore. “This goes far beyond office development. The commercial development definition includes a whole raft of things.” Among the developments capped by the proposed initiative are hotels, which generate little or no additional traffic; medical facilities that complement the two major hospitals, and movie theaters to replace the outdated venues Downtown, Larmore said. In addition to curbing potentially beneficial projects, the initiative could discourage building the workforce housing its sponsors support, said Larmore, who is a real estate attorney. Because such housing cannot be deed restricted, it will most likely have to be subsidized by commercial development on site.
The vote could out to be a turning point in the years-old growth battles of the Westside. Santa Monica has rejected several big developments -- such as replacing the Santa Monica Place Mall with residential towers. But traffic there and across the Westside is a big problem. As Martha Groves wrote back in 2006: Customers calling in for their pizza deliveries from the Domino's in Westwood typically live within a mile or two of the parlor. But these days, Domino's drivers say they often endure wicked traffic from the moment they leave the store, turning what once was a quick delivery into a 30-minute, and sometimes a 45-minute, ordeal. "They usually want to carry two to three more orders because it takes so long," said Domino's manager Arnulfo Fernandez, adding that the eatery won't let them for fear of robberies.
The LADOT has a cool new website with more real-time traffic maps and more. LAist give it a good review, but suggest a few improvements including: A blog. Transportation is in the top three of hottest issues in the city. Why is there not constant communication with the citizens? For one, the current LADOT Public Information Officer works his ass off, but needs more resources and flexibility. A blog with its simple and instant push button press technology moves beyond controlling bureaucracies and gets information to the people in a timely manner. It will not only create a positive dialogue between residents and one of the most hated departments in the city (disliked both by residents, city staff and city council), but will improve the way the department thinks and works.
On LA Now, The Times Steve Hymon reports on 10,000 signatures vs. "out of control" traffic: This just in from the Republic of Santa Monica: A group calling themselves the Residents' Initiative to Fight Traffic said today that they turned in 10,295 signatures to the city to qualify a November ballot measure that would limit commercial development in the city for the next 15 years. "Out of control" is how one member of the group described development in the city-by-the-sea. Signatures still have to be counted -- and verified. The magic number: about 5,800.
More from Steve:
The effects of Earth Day keep trickling down. Our traffic guru, Steve Hymon, took time out from stop-and-go traffic to watch city officials squirt fizzy wine (Barefoot Bubbly, bought by Metrolink honcho Keith Millhouse) at a train. He explains why: Metrolink, the Southland's commuter rail service, celebrated the first of its new 'green' locomotives at its Taylor Yard facilities. Although this $1.9-million, 3,600-horsepower bad boy (or girl) only gets one half-mile to the gallon, its emissions of various ingredients that contribute to smog are 40% to 70% less than current engines, Metrolink officials said. They who challenged freight haulers to clean up their notoriously dirty choo-choos.
Still no money for the "subway to the sea." But the new austere L.A. city budget does offer minor bright spots for commuters, according to The Times' city-county team: "The transportation budget would receive 7% more money, some of which would be used to install left-turn signals. And the Bureau of Street Services would see its budget go up 3%, allowing it to repair 60 additional miles of streets."
According to the Associated Press, Modesto beats Las Vegas as the car-theft capital of the United States: A new ranking of vehicle thefts drops Las Vegas from the top spot it held in 2006, to second in 2007. The National Insurance Crime Bureau report still puts Las Vegas with four California cities on the list of the top five auto thefts per capita. But Modesto now tops the list, with the San Diego area third, followed by Stockton and the San Francisco-Oakland area.
A new Metropolitan Transportation Authority report suggests that there may be some hardships if the agency makes cuts to 29 bus lines. This has been a major debate: Of the 29 bus lines being targeted for partial or total elimination around Los Angeles, 17 are in high-crime areas, 24 are in transit-dependent communities and 20 run close to hospitals, according to a report that will be presented tomorrow to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board. Metro board members ordered the report last month in the wake of public outcry that the cuts -- many of which involve the elimination of night service hours in crime-ridden neighborhoods -- could put patrons at risk. Board members also called for a list of alternatives that would reduce the same number of service hours without cutting service to high-crime and transit-dependent areas. None of those alternatives are included in the report, with Metro officials saying no alternatives could be found. The proposed cuts, which would eliminate some 215,000 annual bus service hours, would mostly take effect in June. The cuts are just the first round in proposed reductions in Metro bus service. About 200,000 more service hours are scheduled for elimination by December. (CNS)
Just in time for Earth Day, Metrolink this week is unveiling a green train -- and is presenting it in a very green way. According to the commuter rail line agency's news release: Metrolink will unveil its newest locomotive -- the cleanest diesel-electric option available -- and stress that riding Metrolink even one day a week makes a difference to the environment. Metrolink also will debut its new paperless press kit.
Huntington Drive can be a nice shortcut from Pasadena/San Marino/South Pasadena into downtown L.A. Well, maybe a little less so for the next few weeks: Traffic on westbound Huntington Drive will be down to one lane during the morning rush hour for about a month starting today, San Marino police reported. Heavy traffic is expected on Huntington Drive between St. Albans and Old Mill roads during repairs to an underground sewer line, said Sgt. Robert Cervantes of the San Marino Police Department. The construction is slated to last until the end of May, according to Cervantes, who urged motorists to seek alternative routes. (CNS)
Officials are getting around to honoring a slain California Highway Patrol officer: A ceremony will be held this morning to dedicate a section of the Pomona (60) Freeway in Pomona in honor of a California Highway Patrol officer who was fatally shot four years ago on this day. CHP Officer Thomas J. Steiner, 35, was ambushed and killed April 21, 2004, outside the Pomona Courthouse, said CHP Officer Joe Zizi. CHP Commissioner Joseph Farrow will preside over this morning’s ceremony to dedicate a section of the freeway as the “CHP Officer Thomas J. Steiner Memorial Freeway.” (CNS)
The improvements for the interchange of the 60, 91 and 215 freeways in Riverside have experienced more than their share of troubles (delays and questions about efficiency among them). But a small step has been taken, according to the Riverside Press-Enterprise: A bypass separating trucks from the rest of traffic at the 60/215 interchange opened [last week], part of the state's largest freeway interchange project -- the 60/91/215 overhaul, now in its fourth year of construction. Caltrans District 8 Director Michael Perovich said at a morning ribbon-cutting ceremony that the growing Inland population has increased the number of large commercial trucks on the freeways. The bypass, which has been under construction for about a year and a half, will help alleviate traffic at the interchange, where trucks slow because of the incline, Perovich said. "It takes traffic off the freeway and speeds traffic on the freeway up," he said. Completion of the interchange project is already a year overdue. Caltrans expects the entire $368-million project, more than $50 million over budget, to be finished in October.
Inching my car through Chinatown this morning, I was lucky enough to be stuck behind one of those yellow-orange city trucks kitted out with ladders, road signs, traffic cones and the like. It helped pass the time. There were eight colorful stickers on the back, including one that admonished me to "Watch the Road." Plus a homemade, cardboard-and-Sharpie-pen sign on a side window that asked: "Got Hooters?"
And there was a bucket attached to the back, labeled "PERVO PLUS."
Not being a DIY type, I ask: What's "PERVO PLUS"? And what bright bulb came up with the name?
-- Rosie Mestel
There seem to be no perfect options for reducing the traffic bottleneck where the 55 Freeway ends in Newport Beach. But the Daily Pilot reports that at a recent Orange County Transportation Authority public forum, the expensive idea of taking the expressway underground got some support. Other ideas went nowhere: While OCTA says 100,000 vehicles use Newport Boulevard every day, residents at the meeting cited Caltrans as saying 180,000 vehicles use the thoroughfare. OCTA estimates its number could increase by 15% as early as 2030. The city has taken some short-term plans to alleviate the problem, including the addition of new lanes on the north- and southbound portions of Newport Boulevard, though a long-term solution has yet to be seriously articulated, said Director of Public Services Peter Naghavi. Tony Petros [of LSA Associates, the firm contracted to develop plans to ease the congestion,] repeatedly said the plans put forth by his firm were simply preliminary, and that the meeting was intended to elicit community input about which proposals should be further examined. He cited one such plan, the widening of Newport Boulevard to a 10- to 12-lane road, as one that his staff assumed would be quickly rejected by residents.
Remember the failed effort last year to get the Green Line rail system extended to LAX? Well, some of those same backers are trying again, according to the Argonaut. The MTA is now talking of a new rail line that would attempt to connect the Green Line to downtown via Crenshaw Boulevard. Here's details on the new rail-to-LAX push: Three influential Westside legislators are seeking to reconfigure a plan for light rail to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) that failed last year in its original form. Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, Assemblyman Ted Lieu of Torrance and State Senator Jenny Oropeza of Redondo Beach have put their support behind an extension to the airport of the Metro Green Line, which currently travels from Norwalk to El Segundo and Redondo Beach. Last year, Lieu sponsored Assembly Bill 889 that would have established a joint powers authority for the Green Line that would function as the lead agency in charge of hiring contractors and overseeing the construction of the proposed extension. The bill passed several legislative committees before it was tabled in the Appropriations Committee of the Assembly.
An Assembly committee today approved a bill sponsored by a Southland legislator who wants to make it easier to revoke the drivers’ licenses of people with long histories of excessive speeding. Assembly Bill 2669 would double the number of points added to a motorist’s record if the person is caught driving at least 26 mph over the posted speed limit. The Assembly Transportation Committee unanimously approved the bill today. Assemblyman Paul Krekorian, D-Burbank, said the death of a woman who was struck and killed by a driver going 65 mph in a 30-mph zone was one of the major reasons he proposed the legislation. “That driver had a long history of traffic violations, but still had his license,” Krekorian said. “We need to make it easier to take away the driving privilege from those who repeatedly flaunt the speed laws and endanger the lives of our citizens.” (CNS)
Good news for Ventura County commuters. The widening of the 23 Freeway is done, and the grand opening is Thursday. According to the Acorn: The $65-million project on State Route 23 between Thousand Oaks Boulevard and Los Angeles Avenue in the cities of Thousand Oaks and Moorpark was completed 14 months ahead of schedule. These improvements will help to relieve congestion, improve mobility and enhance safety.
Meanwhile, Ventura County's transportation chief is talking about a possible tax hike to pay for more traffic improvements in the county. The Acorn reports: [Darren] Kettle said he'd like to see a half-cent sales tax on the ballot by 2010. New to Ventura County, Kettle agreed to head the county transportation agency in October after having directed legislative affairs and freeway construction for the San Bernardino Associated Governments, a sister agency to the Ventura County Transportation Commission. The agencies set the policies, funding and priority for county transportation projects and services. Commissioners represent each county supervisor and cities within the county. Kettle is optimistic a sales tax measure to improve traffic in Ventura County can win voters' approval despite a failed attempt in 2004. Measure B, which would have provided funds for widening the 101, 118, 126 and 23 freeways, expanding commuter rail services and more, won only 42% of the vote, far short of the required 67% needed to pass. Kettle attributed the loss in part to proponents unveiling the measure five months before voters went to the polls.
The Times' Martha Groves reports that the corner of Wilshire and Santa Monica in Beverly Hills -- already a Westside traffic bottleneck (and that's saying something) could get worse with new development approved: If you hate to sit in traffic at the intersection of Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards, prepare to discover your inner reserves of patience. To the dismay of residents wary of overdevelopment, the Beverly Hills City Council has approved a high-rise condo and retail project for the eight-acre site of the defunct Robinsons-May department store. What's more, the council is expected Tuesday to approve an ambitious $500-million proposal by the Beverly Hilton to add condos and the West Coast's first Waldorf-Astoria Hotel to the mid-century Hilton's fabled site. The two projects would be next-door neighbors at Wilshire and Santa Monica, one of the busiest intersections in the region.
« Previous Posts
|
|
Our Blogger