Bad day for Gold Line

The Pasadena Star-News reports a setback for the Gold Line Extension plan to Montclair:

Top regional transit officials voted unanimously Thursday to leave the Gold Line extension off a critical funding list, dealing a setback to plans for a 24-mile rail link between Pasadena and Montclair. The 13-member Metropolitan Transportation Authority board effectively delayed construction of the $1.4 billion project until at least the end of 2009, subject to final approval of the regional funding list by mid-year. Supporters of the extension had hoped to break ground before year's end, with initial service to Azusa and Glendora by late 2009, said authority CEO Habib Balian. "But all this will add time to the project, causing a six-month to a year delay," said Balian. "We won't be able to get started when we wanted to."

Comments

[John M.]

To Scott Mercer -

If people really believed in shades of grey, I'd be on board with you in supporting the Gold Line. If, however, we can't even get the 5 widened through southern Los Angeles County from three lanes to four, where is the political will to take on two major projects concurrently? Even with every resident of the San Gabriel Valley lining up and buying shares in a stock company (now, there's an idea!) to build the Gold Line extension, I still think the STTS is the better choice between the two.

But that does bring up an interesting idea - could part of the project be privatized so that the public could directly buy bonds to support one project or another or both? Some guaranteed return on investment close to savings bonds, and private dollars infused into a cash-starved system to get things jump-started.

[Tom A.]

I hope you're happy, EmptyA. Thanks to you self-serving d-bags, the 210 will soon break the Guiness World Record for the world's longest parking lot (open 24 hours, of course).

[Paul]

"The Gold Line's environmental studies and preliminary designs have been completed and all rights-of-way have been acquired, unlike the mid-Wilshire-to-Santa Monica subway plan."

A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

[Scott Mercer]

The Gold Line will happen.

No other potential transit project in LA County has an organized bureaucracy dedicated to getting it completed.

No other potential transit project has the political support of this line. That means, words of support coming out of the mouths of politicians.

It goes through multiple municipalities, which all support it. Some of them have already spent (relatively small) amounts of money on surrounding infrastructure projects, like railroad bridges and transit-oriented developments.

Whether it is a good idea, or a less-than-good idea, it will happen because of all this wide-ranging support, over a wide geographical area and a wide spectrum of political views.

The MTA is resisting it because they KNOW it won't carry as many passengers as the Subway to the Sea will. But that's okay, we need both. And, the Gold Line will only cost A SMALL FRACTION of what the Subway to the Sea will cost ultimately.

Maybe these city councils and mayors should put their money where their mouths are, and pony up some dough. I'm not talking about a few measly million here and there, I'm talking about 50 or 60 million dollars per city here. Then, the money would be right there and construction could start!

Glendora, Irwindale, Arcadia, LaVerne, Pomona, I'm looking at you!