Road to nowhere?

What do you think of the new Crenshaw rail line proposal? The Times' Victoria Kim says it's getting a mixed reception:

The proposed $1 billion line would start on Crenshaw Boulevard at Exposition Boulevard and end at the 105 Freeway in El Segundo. MTA officials call the route a cost-effective way to connect the Expo Line, which is under construction between downtown and Culver City, and the Green Line, which runs from Norwalk to El Segundo.

But some transportation experts question the logic of the route, noting that it would require several different rail legs for the most basic commutes, such as from the South Bay to downtown or from Hollywood or the Mid-Wilshire area into Inglewood.

"They're connecting a place where no one lives to where no one works," said Jim Moore, a civil engineering professor and director of the transportation engineering program at USC.

The proposed line is also getting mixed reviews from officials in the cities it would serve. In Inglewood, officials wanted the line to run through its central commercial district and new development planned around Hollywood Park. Instead, the route bypasses those areas and hits the less dense west side of the city.

Comments

[JW]

There are two items in the article I want to address; the first being, since when has Jim Moore been an expert on transportation? By Jim stating "They're connecting a place where no one lives to where no one works," shows how little he knows about transportation or urban planning. I guess Jim doesn't recognize, the Crenshaw Plaza, Leimert Park Village, Downtown Inglewood and LAX are places people work, the latter one of the top ten regional job centers. Nor does Jim recognize the residential density of Leimert Park and Crenshaw Boulevard where the existing transit dependent and middle class all live together which is a key element in building high capacity transit projects.

The other is the funding aspect, Crenshaw Corridor is already on Metro's Long Range funding plan ahead right after Expo is completed to Santa Monica. It would not be fighting with any other projects, it's already in line. What's missing from the conversation though is a push to fund both Crenshaw Corridor and the Purple Line extension together so that there's greater regional pull and reduces infighting between the various electeds so that even a modest Purple Line extension to Wilshire/Fairfax or Cedars Sinai when connected to the Crenshaw corridor at an active location such as Wilshire/La Brea provides a solid network in which to build from and that people will actually use.

[Scott Mercer]

This line could be linked up with Expo, providing a one-seat ride from downtown to (almost) LAX.

If only they could get a people mover from the airport over to the rail line you could go from your airline terminal to downtown with only one transfer.

[ch]

Don't build it until after the Red Line is finished to Santa Monica. The Red Line should have a spur that goes south from SaMo to the airport.

[DW]

Why won't the MTA construct a rail line within LAX that connects all terminals? Ridiculous. Almost as bad as New York, which could have had a no-transfer ride from JFK to Penn Station decades ago.
Your present Green Line comes so close it's crazy.

[Woods]

I think building more light rail should be our goal. We should build it down as many streets as we can - we should connect as many lines together as we can - we have to start seeing public transport as something that needs to be made as accessible as humanly possible. Most people would rather transfer 3 times on a train then take a bus.

[Ken Alpern]

Those who are opposed to mass transit or who aren't interested in a true mass transit network will likely oppose this, but those who want a network will likely favor it.

Having attended the first meeting, I'd say the planning team wants a future extension to Wilshire/La Brea, but are opting for a first phase that connects the Green and Expo Lines as cost-effectively as possible.

I wish the City of Inglewood all the best in devising new ways to connect to this project, and I think the South Bay needs to figure out how it wants to be included in a growing mass transit network as well.

[Daniel OC]

Will this line necessarily terminate at the expo line or green line junctions? or (since it's light rail) have the ability to turn onto these tracks and continue onwards to downtown/inglewood? this is all preliminary i imagine.

[lsm]

Perhaps we should name this the George Santayana Line?

Not remembering the past, Metro proposes building a lne which runs tantalizingly close to--but stops frustratingly short of--LAX. Metro ignores Inglewood's plea to run the line through its developed central core and instead routes it through its lower density west side. Metro decides not to hook up to the Wilshire corridor. If only Metro had completely ignored serving the busy Crenshaw corridor and avoided linking to the Expo Line, Metro could have condemned us to repeat the past by giving us yet another line from nowhere to nowhere. Even as it is, if we fail to name it the Santayana Line, we should at least name it the Green Line Two.

Although Metro made this inadequate proposal, Metro is not the short-sighted one. Metro--with no discernable funding for developing mass transportation infrastructure on the horizon--is avoiding Wilshire and the commercial core of Inglewood because serving these important areas would cost much more than the low-ball proposal on the table. Rather, those of us who will be victims of inadequate transportation infrastructure are also primarily responsible for this disaster. Until and unless we decide to pony up the money it will take to develop adequate transportation infrastructure, the best we will get will be rail lines that serve very few, but do it on the cheapest possible right-of-ways.

[Mike]

The Crenshaw line isn't a bad idea, but, it isn't a good idea either.

Pros: it does help connect to LAX. It does go past the Baldwin Hills mall.

The fact that it creates connections from the Green Line to the Expo Line is vital, because it help transform the rail lines into an actual, interdependent system.

Cons: It misses the opportunity to pass Inglewood's central district.

[Dan W.]

Obviously people are disappointed when it doesn't go exactly where they wanted it to go. However, it is a valid option chosen and will offer a way to get to the airport to/from downtown on a one-seat ride.

The line HAS to go to LAX. If they can argue a better route to LAX, that's fine and they should do so.

The anti-rail forces out there will no doubt use any excuse necessary to stop the project.