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| May 27, 2007 - June 2, 2007 »
 CHP plans stepped up patrols this Memorial Day weekend:
The California Highway Patrol will begin its "maximum enforcement period" for the Memorial Day weekend today, deploying all available officers to help keep roadways safe, authorities said. "This is the time of year when thousands of families begin to pack up their vehicles and head out on vacation," said CHP Commissioner Mike Brown. "For most, it will be filled with happy memories," Brown said. "However, some road trips will end in tragedy." The maximum enforcement period begins at 6 p.m. and extends through midnight Monday. During last year’s Memorial Day weekend, 36 people died on state roadways, 12 of them in crashes within the CHP’s Southern Division. CHP officers arrested 244 motorists in Los Angeles County for driving under the influence.
 Another good-news-bad-news situation with gas prices this week. Prices down a bit, but it's still bad: "This Memorial Day holiday will be the most expensive holiday weekend ever for gas fill-ups in the Southland, both in terms of real and inflation- adjusted price," said Jeffrey Spring, a spokesman for the Automobile Club of Southern California.
Southland gasoline prices fell for the second consecutive week this week, but motorists will still shell out more money at the pump this Memorial Day weekend than during any previous holiday weekend, the Auto Club said today. The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular unleaded in Los Angeles County fell 3.9 cents this week and now stands at $3.423, 11 cents more than last month and 4 cents more than at this time last year. The price fell two cents from May 11-18 after rising for 14 consecutive weeks. The Orange County average price dropped 4.6 cents over the past week to $3.405. It had fallen 2.6 cents from May 11-18 after rising for 14 consecutive weeks. (CNS)
 Advocates of the Subway to the Sea gathered in Westwood this week hoping to boost interest in the Wilshire Boulevard project. Of course there's the price tag and the political problems expected. But the Daily Bruin reports the mood was upbeat. And there was some news: The MTA plans some new studies beginning in June:
At the meeting, the advocacy group passed out pamphlets on contacting state and federal legislators, and provided maps of congressional and assembly districts. Though Los Angeles Metro is still in preliminary research on the project, Richards said she believes it is important to build support early. Los Angeles Metro spokeswoman Jody Litvack, who was present at the event, said Metro will begin analyzing options for the Wilshire corridor in June and hopes to finish its analysis by summer of 2008. She added that Metro currently does not know whether the Wilshire corridor expansion would take the form of a subway or an above-ground rail system.
 Would widening sidewalks and halting car traffic on Broadway through downtown help? Sounds very controversial. But Blogdowntown reports that L.A. officials are chatting about turning the famous business district into a transit mall:
Just got back from a Transportation Committee meeting at City Hall. This wasn't the matter I was there for, but during discussion of the Metro Connections program it came up that Metro is studying the idea of Broadway as a transit mall. This isn't a new idea -- various people and agencies have talked about it for years. It's interesting to hear that it's still a topic in active discussion.
 Looks like the high gas prices are not hitting summer travel plans. But The Times' Peter Pae says that experts predict people will be sticking somewhat closer to home:
Studies "show that the majority of consumers expect to continue to see high gas prices this summer, but they seem to be taking this much more in stride than they have in the past," said Suzanne Cook, senior vice president of research for the Travel Industry Assn. But families are making adjustments. They are planning to stay fewer days at less-pricey hotels that are closer to home and they'll dine at cheaper restaurants, said Sandra Hughes, vice president of travel for the Automobile Assn. of America. The action will start in earnest Friday, the AAA said, as the number of travelers trekking 50 miles or more for the holiday weekend is expected to rise about 2% from last year. It was up about 1% in 2006
 
Here are the fare increases, and here are the crowds. The Times' Rong-Gong Lin II and Jeff Rabin say the MTA meeting was notably also for the political theater: During a heated exchange, Yaroslavsky said Villaraigosa had indicated that he would support a fare increase in a closed session last summer after the MTA board agreed to a new contract with bus drivers and mechanics. A visibly angry Villaraigosa shot back, accusing Yaroslavsky of mischaracterizing private conversations and then lashing out at the supervisor for sitting in his office while the mayor was in Sacramento on Wednesday trying to get more transportation funding. Villaraigosa then said Yaroslavsky didn't have the courage to propose his own fare increases, calling him a "sheep who walks in wolf's clothing."
 Steve Lopez says that the MTA's fare hike decision is standard for L.A. government: Postponing the problem until it gets worse:
Everyone knew the ridiculously high rate hike proposal by the MTA would never happen, just as they knew Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was trying to win cheap political points with an equally improbable counter that involved more borrowing. So the MTA board compromised in the end. Big surprise. Crisis averted. Long-term problem ignored. In Southern California and nationally, transit systems are hurting because of flat federal and state funding while operating costs go up. But honest fixes are seldom debated. MTA chose the standard course: Wait until the crisis could no longer be ignored, pander and posture, patch things over with a compromise that fixes nothing but allows the agency to muddle through.
At least 200 demonstrators crowded into the marble lobby of the MTA building, two floors below the board room, where the MTA's 13 directors were hearing speaker afer speaker object to the agency's proposed fare increase. Under the watchful eye of MTA security officers and Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies, the demonstrators in the lobby clapped, chanted and shouted their opposition.
Many wore yellow stickers saying "Stop the Racist Fare Hikes" in both English and Spanish. They chanted under a multi-colored banner that says "Go Metro."
-Jeff Rabin
Maria Elena Durazo, secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, called the MTA's proposed rate increase "outrageous" and said it would hurt "the low-income working people in the county who struggle to put food on the table for their families."
-Jeff Rabin
In an MTA bus yard a block from the MTA's highrise headquarters, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa made a last-minute media pitch prior to the board meeting for his alternative proposal to shrink the fare increase recommended by MTA Chief Executive Officer Roger Snoble. The mayor, flanked by representatives from the Los Angeles Federation of Labor, AARP, the Coalition for Clean Air and others, said the MTA's predominantly poor bus and rail riders cannot afford a large increase in fares and the cost of daily and monthly transit passes over the next 19 months.
"For the vast majority of these Angelenos every penny counts," Villaraigosa said. He noted that a significant number of bus riders earn only $12,000 a year per household and increasing the monthly pass from $52 to $120 by January 2009 would represent a "an untenable sum."
The mayor insisted that his proposal for a 5% fare increase during each of the next five years was reasonable. And he suggested that the MTA reduce the frequency of rail service and borrow to buy new buses rather than pay for them upfront.
He acknowledged that the county transportation agency may have to slow down construction of new light rail lines as part of his proposal, including phase two of the Expo and Gold lines.
-Jeff Rabin
 The Times' Ron Lin lays out the high stakes surrounding today's vote on the MTA fares. He says its a crossroads for MTA financing, and perhaps a choice on a direction for the agency:
Officials say the increases are needed to close a projected deficit created, in part, by the court-ordered expansion of bus service, as well as by the expansion of the rail network. Rising fuel prices and employee benefits have also hit the agency hard. The MTA is also struggling with $4.7 billion in debt accrued over the years to build rail lines and other capital projects, including its $300-million, 26-story downtown headquarters. For the current fiscal year, the MTA is budgeted to spend $360.6 million paying down its debts — more than its entire $229-million budget for operating the rail system. The MTA is pushing for the higher fares as officials construct new rail projects to East Los Angeles and Culver City at a combined cost of about $1.5 billion. It is also planning new routes from Pasadena to Azusa and from Culver City to Santa Monica. Today's hearing "is a big day for L.A.," said MTA spokesman Rick Jager. "We are at a point now where something has to give."
 Caltrans is making a quick (and hopefully effective) fix to one of the many bottlenecks that face commuters on the 91 Freeway between Riverside and Yorba Linda, according to the PE:
Motorists facing morning gridlock at Green River Road and Highway 91 should see some relief this week. On Monday, Caltrans made some temporary changes to the westbound ramp of the freeway to ease congestion. The ramp's previous configuration included two lanes -- one for general use and the second for carpools only. The changes have made the carpool lane a free-flowing one so that all drivers can use it, said Shelli Lombardo, a Caltrans spokeswoman. This is a temporary fix during ongoing construction at the ramp, Lombardo said. The transportation agency also has adjusted the meter on the westbound ramp so that if the entrance gets clogged with cars, the meter will go green and the entire ramp will be emptied, she said.
The American Spectator takes on the issue of traffic in Los Angeles and beyond. And we can be assured they would not like to drive through Cheviot Hills, which is famous (or infamous) for it's traffic control measures: But there were plenty of eco-minded locals who advocated "traffic calming" devices on the streets, forcing cars into single lanes, eliminating curbside parking and the like. If you've ever had to drive in a place with such visionary devices, you know they are better called "traffic infuriating."
Below is The Times' Martha Groves 2005 examination of traffic calming in L.A.
Continue reading "Calming traffic? Maybe not" »
 A man who was hurt in an accident on an L.A. bike trail lost his attempts to get damages, the Metro News reports. He claimed the train was defective:
The City of Los Angeles has absolute immunity for injuries suffered by a cyclist who collided with a chain link fence upon exiting the Los Angeles River Bikeway in Griffith Park, the Court of Appeal for this district ruled yesterday. Div. Eight rejected David Prokop’s contention that the city can be held responsible for damages resulting from its defective design of a class I bikeway. ...Justice Paul Boland, writing for the Court of Appeal, said the trial judge was correct, noting that a series of cases have held that bike paths, both paved and unpaved, are trails and that absolute immunity applies as a result.
 The U.S. Senate still has not taken up the proposal to lift the ban on subway tunneling over Wilshire Boulevard. Today, the City Council urged quick action, which is necessary before planning for the long-dreamed Subway to the Sea can begin:
The Los Angeles City Council went on record today in support of federal legislation that would lift tunneling restrictions along Wilshire Boulevard, making it possible to extend the Metro Purple Line west. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Los Angeles, was approved by the House of Representatives on Feb. 7, and is now being considered by the U.S. Senate. The House of Representatives also approved the same bill last September, but the Senate failed to act before Congress adjourned. "To deal with the traffic that we have here in Los Angeles, we are going to have to look at a variety of ways in which we increase public transportation," said Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, chair of the council’s Transportation Committee. "The time has come, and we’re looking forward to this being approved." (CNS)
 On the eve of the MTA fare hike vote, the mayor is in Sacramento fighting for more transportation money from the governor. It's unlikely, however, that a shift in the state budget would mean the fare hike proposal would go away:
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will be in Sacramento today to lobby for public transportation funds on the eve of a scheduled vote on proposed fare hikes for Metropolitan Transportation Authority buses and trains. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s revised budget proposal calls for diverting hundreds of millions of dollars of gas tax dollars to pay for non-transit expenditures. Villaraigosa will urge legislators to restore the funding for transit, according to a statement from the mayor’s office. MTA officials estimate the agency will lose nearly $230 million in funding under the budget proposal, it said. (CNS)
 The British tabs are eating this up. One half of L.A.'s new celebrity couple was pulled over by an LAPD traffic cop in Hollywood. The Daily Mail has many photos of what turned out to be a routine traffic stop (except for all the paparazzi):
Victoria Beckham is getting lots of attention in LA - but not always the kind she'd hoped for. The star has had a run in with the law on the streets of Los Angeles, where she was pulled over outside a Hollywood shopping complex by a Beverly Hills officer, who ran checks on her British driver’s license. Beckham put a cheeky strategy for buttering up police to the test - a yellow lacy bra was peeping out of her figure-hugging black shirtdress. But she needn't have bothered - she was eventually given the green light, and continued on her shopping trip.
 A 2005 fatal accident on the 55 Freeway in Orange County has turned into an international incident. The alleged driver is a South Korea car executive who left for his native country a few days after the crash. Authorities recently charged him with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, according to The Times' Christine Hanley, but they can't find him: Motorcyclist Ryan Dallas Cook was taking the 55 Freeway home after practicing with his band, but he didn't know a disabled SUV loomed ahead of him in the carpool lane. Within moments, he was dead. About 24 hours later, the Hyundai executive who was driving the SUV had left for his native South Korea, according to investigators. Now, 1 1/2 years later, an arrest warrant has been issued for Youn Bum Lee, and the victim's family told prosecutors that they want other Hyundai executives held liable, believing they helped him leave the country before police could track him down. Orange County prosecutors last month charged Lee in absentia with three felonies in the death of 23-year-old Cook: gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated; driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs with injury; and hit-and-run with injury or death. .... "We don't know where he's at right now," said CHP spokeswoman Jennifer Hink.
 On the eve of a possible vote by the MTA on a massive fare increase, the DN editorial board come out (again) against the plan. The editorial manages to make another swipe at the Subway to the Sea proposal:
The real solution is for California to make a substantial investment in practical public-transportation projects. And not just in overpriced Westside subways. Freeways will always be a part of California's landscape. But they do not have the ability to serve as the backbone of the state's transportation system throughout the 21st century. And until elected officials and policymakers understand that, they will continue to go the wrong way.
 A bad chain-reaction crash overnight involving an MTA bus in the Crenshaw district has left 16 people with injuries:
A city bus collided with a car at an intersection, then slammed into a parked tow truck and through a fence before coming to a rest against a building, authorities said. At least 16 people were injured, including two hospitalized early Wednesday in critical condition. The accident happened shortly before midnight when one of the vehicles ran a red light in South Los Angeles, police Sgt. Clarence Perkins said. He said inconsistent witness accounts were making it difficult to determine which driver erred. The car was totaled. The bus continued on in a chain reaction crash, hitting a traffic control box, the empty tow truck and a fence. That impact sent the tow truck crashing through a fence outside a McDonald's restaurant. Ambulances took 16 people to hospitals, most with minor injuries. The car's driver and passenger were in critical condition, said Fire Department spokeswoman D'Lisa Davies. (AP)
The Times' Only in LA column Steve Harvey has some fun with the unusual parking sign found in Santa Monica: Carrying liberalism too far? In the People's Republic of Santa Monica, Sal Lombardo of West L.A. noticed what appeared to be a special parking area for insurgents. Actually, it's the name of a film company.
 Those trying to recall Councilman Jack Weiss because of growth and traffic concerns were hoping for a typical gridlocked conditions for their protest. But The Times Steve Hymon reports the Motor Avenue was not cooperating:
About 36 homeowners gathered on Motor Avenue during the Tuesday morning rush hour to announce the recall. Motor is often clogged as a southern gateway into Fox Studios and Century City, but on Tuesday vehicles were flowing freely as people waved signs saying "sick of overdevelopment?" and "traffic getting worse."
Traffic jammed in the Hancock Park/Koreatown area because of a restaurant shooting that has stretch of Western Avenue closed south of Beverly Boulevard.
 The Times' Steve Hymon reports that recall effort against Jack Weiss is moving forward. Opponents are complaining about traffic and development:
Three dozen angry Westside homeowners announced this morning that they plan to serve Los Angeles City Councilman Jack Weiss today with a notice to recall him later this year because he's too welcoming of development. The flare-up that ignited the recall effort occurred last year when some homeowners fought with Weiss over a $5-million mitigation fund for two proposed 47-story residential towers in Century City. In the recall statement released at a news conference this morning along Motor Avenue south of Fox Studios, the homeowners said, "The primary grounds for recall are your extraordinary disdain for the process of governing, your complete lack of respect for constituents, and your failure to conduct city business in a transparent manner that allows constituents the same access and consideration given to special interests."
 Here's a bizarre and disturbing road rage incident out of Costa Mesa, reported by The Times' Ashley Powers:
Two people were arrested Monday in Costa Mesa on suspicion of beating a man unconscious with a 2-foot-long steel pipe, in an assault that police described as a road rage incident. Officers were called to the intersection of Adams Avenue and East Mesa Verde Drive about 5:25 p.m. by reports of two men fighting. Authorities said Marco Rodriguez, 28, of Westminster had struck a man, whom they did not identify, with a pipe from his car's trunk. Police said they also found methamphetamine outside the vehicle. They did not describe what might have precipitated the incident.
California wants to go it alone in reducing pollution caused by cars -- but automakers don't like it: Top California officials implored federal environmental regulators Tuesday for permission to unilaterally impose reductions on greenhouse gases from cars and other vehicles. An auto industry official dismissed the state’s approach as "counterproductive." If California gets the federal waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency that it needs to implement its emissions law, at least 11 other states are prepared to follow its lead. "This is more important than any issue that EPA’s going to have to face," California Attorney General Jerry Brown told an EPA air quality hearing board. Brown asked the regulators to relay a message to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson. "We want him to speak truth to power," said Brown. "There is a tremendous influence of the oil industry. We know (Vice President) Cheney and (President) Bush are oilmen, they think like oil folks. ... We say grant the waiver." (AP)
 The mayor now has his own -- more modest -- MTA fare hike plan. The Times Steve Hymon and Duke Helfand report "Villaraigosa offered his plan as part of a larger strategy to address the agency's estimated $104-million deficit for the coming fiscal year, a figure that Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials fear could balloon without new revenue." Here are details:
-Cash fares would remain untouched at $1.25.
-Other prices would rise about 5% annually to keep up with labor and fuel expenses.
-Day passes would rise from its current level of $3 to $3.31 in 2009 — compared with MTA's proposal of a hike to $8 in that span.
-Monthly passes would increase from $52 to $57.33 in 2009, far less than the MTA proposal of reaching $120 by that year
 Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez (D-Los Angeles) and three of his Democratic colleagues announced bills to broaden oversight of California refiners. But The Times' Marc Lifsher reports there are questions about whether Sacramento can do much to deal with rising gas prices:
Gas prices at California pumps teetered at near-record highs again Monday, as politicians at the state Capitol scrambled to scrutinize oil company practices and profits. Lawmakers — especially at election time — have railed for years about the budget-busting cost of gassing up cars and trucks. Although they have had little success, they keep trying. Downtown Los Angeles diamond dealer Samir Shahrestan was skeptical but sympathetic to the Legislature's efforts. "The oil companies are a lot bigger and more powerful than they are. They affect politics at a much higher level than our Legislature," Shahrestan said as he pumped more than $40 of gasoline into his Jaguar sedan.
Cyclist Will Campbell doesn't think much of L.A.'s long-discussed plans for more bike lanes and bikeways (he thinks the new one on Santa Monica Boulevard between Century City and Westwood is downright dangerous) . Writing in The Times, he wants bicycles to share the roads with cars: Whether one sees that glass as half full or half empty, I personally wish the city would just stop filling it. Quit while it's behind and not stripe another inch of bike lane. And yes, this is coming from an avid recreational and commuter cyclist who has pedaled thousands of miles over 20 years. Here's why: By law, my bicycle is considered a vehicle with the same right to the road as your car or truck. Bike lanes provide an arguable buffer zone of safety (as well as a great place for people to put their garbage containers on trash day), but they marginalize cyclists and reinforce their status as second-class commuters who shouldn't be on the road.
 The idea of building a street car system in Long Beach will be the subject of a city-financed study, the City Council decided. That's a tiny step forward for the proposed trolley line, which would run from downtown Long Beach through the Belmont Shore area to Cal State Long Beach. But some issues are already emerging, the Gazette reports. One is costs. The other is whether the proposed trolley route ignores the vast northern neighborhoods of Long Beach:
Portland paid for its streetcar system in 1999 by taking money in the city generated by parking meters and dedicating it to the plan. That would be less feasible in Long Beach, where areas such as Belmont Shore already have systems set up for the use of parking meter money. Council members also said they wanted the streetcar to stretch to all parts of Long Beach, not just run between downtown and California State University, Long Beach. “We need to include the north part of the city, the west part of town,” said Ninth District Councilman Val Lerch. “We need to look at the entire city and connect it.”
 Rapid development in Oxnard (including two high-rise condos now proposed, at left) has prompted this push-back. It's a novel ballot measure that would require developers to fix traffic bottlenecks if they want to build. Backers say it's needed because of growing gridlock. City leaders calls it a "kneejerk" reaction, The Star says:
A group of citizens wants to give Oxnard voters a say on limiting growth and dealing with gridlock in the county's largest city. Oxnard Councilman Tim Flynn and attorney Richard Francis best known for writing the county's Save Open-space and Agricultural Resources laws announced plans Friday to gather signatures for a June ballot initiative that would tie any new construction to fixing congested traffic intersections first.
 Flyaway bus service -- which Bottleneck Blog readers say they love -- is coming to UCLA:
Nonstop FlyAway bus service between Los Angeles International Airport and UCLA will begin June 14, under a plan approved today by the Airport Commission. The commission agreed to pay $65,000 to the University of California Board of Regents to operate the shuttle service for one year between LAX and the Westwood campus, with two additional one-year options. The FlyAway stop will be located on Kinross Avenue, about two block west of Westwood Boulevard. Parking for immediate drop-offs will be available in UCLA Parking Structure No. 32, where overnight parking is available from 3 p.m. on Fridays through 7 a.m. on Mondays. Overnight parking will not be permitted Monday through Thursday. Buses will depart every 30 minutes between 5 a.m. and 1 a.m. The Westwood bus stop, like the Union Station and Van Nuys locations, will offer optional airline and baggage check-in service to passengers. (CNS)
 Some African-American activists have joined those in calling for the MTA board to reject proposed fare hikes:
"We reject MTA CEO Roger Snoble’s proposal to force working class bus riders of color to bear the burden of the MTA’s self-imposed budget crisis," said a statement issued on behalf of a number of black community leaders. "If approved, this fare increase would cause serious civil and human rights violations that South L.A. residents should not have to endure. We are united in the effort to defeat this ill-conceived and racially discriminatory fare policy. We call on our elected representatives to vote for the interest of the most vulnerable communities of South Los Angeles. The statement was issued on behalf of Ericka Smith of Strategic Concepts Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE/AGENDA); Marqueece Harris-Dawson of the Community Coalition; Rev William M. Campbell of Mount Gilead Baptist Church; and Minister Tony Muhammad of the Nation of Islam. (CNS)
  The mayor held a press conference last week to announce the city's new assault on global warming. But only the The Times' eagle-eyed Steve Hymon noticed the decidedly un-green moment that followed:
Upon its conclusion, when Villaraigosa climbed into his black GMC Yukon SUV and motored back to his Windsor Square home. Villaraigosa and the council members had arrived earlier aboard a chartered DASH bus. Look at us! We like mass transit! As for the GMC Yukon, imagine an oversize Darth Vader's helmet with a tailpipe. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rates it as getting about 17 miles per gallon and producing 10.6 tons of greenhouse gases a year. To put that in perspective, a Toyota Prius puffs out 3.4 tons of greenhouse gases a year. Mayoral press secretary Janelle Erickson said the bus was arranged for logistical reasons and that the mayor was using the vehicle that his security staff has asked him to use.
 Drag-racing has long been a dangerous problem in the Southland. But this horrible crash over the weekend, reports The Times' David Haldane, is likely to bring new attention:
Southern California's illegal drag racing culture took another bloody turn early Sunday in Lancaster, when a passing driver veered into a crowd of spectators, leaving two men dead and three men hospitalized. Some onlookers then jumped into their cars, chased down the driver and held him for deputies, authorities said. The driver was booked on suspicion of felony hit and run. "It was a pretty horrendous scene," Sgt. Greg Minster of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said of the early-morning incident in the 4500 block of West Avenue G in Lancaster.
 In the wake of 9/11, federal officials have wanted to create a national standardized driver's license. But now, according to the UT, California is balking, saying the feds are being too rigid:
California might join a growing nationwide rebellion against the Bush administration's directive to tighten identification standards for driver's licenses as part of its anti-terrorism campaign. George Valverde, director of the state Department of Motor Vehicles, describes the Department of Homeland Security's proposed regulations as “onerous” for California and its 23 million licensed drivers ... To implement the program, California would have to spend as much as $700 million over the next five years, force 2.5 million applicants to trudge to DMV offices annually and potentially expose vital personal information to identity theft, Valverde warned.
 The 210 Freeway extension through Rialto to Highway 30 -- probably the biggest new freeway project now going in Southern California -- should be done by the end of the year. But will it open to more traffic? The Sun says a host of new developments are already rising around the route:
Within the next few months, instead of coming to an abrupt end, the Interstate 210 extension will funnel motorists into areas ripe for upscale homes and businesses. The freeway, which was extended from Los Angeles County through Rancho Cucamonga and Fontana, has carried not only cars but economic energy through the area. As the extension is set to be connected to Highway 30 by the end of the year, Rialto is salivating about the goodies in store. Among them are a new Target, restaurants and upscale homes. Most of the buzz about I-210 in Rialto has focused on Renaissance Rialto, a massive retail and housing project that will replace the city's airport.
 Backers of the Gold Line extension from Pasadena to Azusa believe that if they route is built, it will have 9,500 boardings a day by 2030. Officials are now trying to get federal backing for the project, the Star-News says. As part of that, they've offered up some estimates about possible ridership for the $400 million project:
In 2030, residents near the Gold Line extension would be 39 percent low income, 44 percent medium income, and 17 percent high income, according to the SCAG. A survey released in November touted the Gold Line's ability to attract higher-income riders than other light rail lines in the county. The survey was designed to get the FTA to allow the Gold Line to count those people in the ridership model. The ridership model predicting 9,500 boardings - about 4,750 riders - also predicts that the 12-mile extension will save riders 7,300 traveling hours per weekday. It will also get 5,100 cars off the road each commuting day, according to figures pulled from the model by Cannell. The model also estimates that 51 percent of Gold Line Extension trips would be for work; 25 percent would be for errands and shopping; and 15 percent would be for school.
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CHP plans stepped up patrols this Memorial Day weekend:
