When Will They Build A Subway/Monorail On The Westside? (Los Angeles: construction, earthquake)

[xyzxyz]

I simply don't understand Los Angeles city officials. The westside of the city is really the "pulse" of the city now yet there are no subways or monorails, and to my knowledge, there are no plans for it. It would seem to me we could really use something here. It is nice that there is a subway that runs from downtown to North Hollywood in LA, but what about something that would say connect the Valley to the South Bay along the 405 or Sepulveda? I guess at this point, it would take 30 years to build and it wouldn't even make a dent in the traffic problems we'll have in 2038!

[Jonah1979]

With what money are they gonna build this monorail with? Let's hope they can get a huge federal grant or something. But one thing I will say is I don't understand why they don't build a monorail system? A subway seems waaaay too expensive, plus who wants to be underground when a huge earthquake hits?

[xyzxyz]

Originally Posted by Jonah1979

With what money are they gonna build this monorail with? Let's hope they can get a huge federal grant or something. But one thing I will say is I don't understand why they don't build a monorail system? A subway seems waaaay too expensive, plus who wants to be underground when a huge earthquake hits?

Well, I wouldn't want to be on a monorail in an earthquake either. Someone once told me a story that Walt Disney offered to design a monorail system for the city of Los Angeles in the 1950s or somewhere around that time. The bus union got a hold of it and got the city to shoot it down.

One of the problems in this city with public transportation is it is all owned by one provider. How can you let a major city be owned by one company like that? Is it true that Metro or whatever the bus and subway system is a private company headquartered in another state?

[BRinSM]

good news is that the initial studies for the "subway to the sea" are currently under way. however, once a route(s) is/are determined, there is still the actual design and construction that need to be completed. my belief is that with enough public/political support the process can be accelerated, but unfortunately the status quo is so strong here that it will probably be atleast 20 years before you can ride a train from santa monica to downtown. my guess would be that LA will be dominated with scooters (like in europe) or bicycles (like in china) before it ever has a fully functioning metro system.

[xyzxyz]

Originally Posted by BRinSM

good news is that the initial studies for the "subway to the sea" are currently under way. however, once a route(s) is/are determined, there is still the actual design and construction that need to be completed. my belief is that with enough public/political support the process can be accelerated, but unfortunately the status quo is so strong here that it will probably be atleast 20 years before you can ride a train from santa monica to downtown. my guess would be that LA will be dominated with scooters (like in europe) or bicycles (like in china) before it ever has a fully functioning metro system.

well, they are also extending the subway from downtown to Culver City. Is the Santa Monica thing something else?

[BRinSM]

Originally Posted by xyzxyz

Is it true that Metro or whatever the bus and subway system is a private company headquartered in another state?

That is not true. Metro is the transportation agency of the county of LA. It is part of the government.

[BRinSM]

Originally Posted by Jonah1979

A subway seems waaaay too expensive, plus who wants to be underground when a huge earthquake hits?

from my understanding, monorails are not that much cheaper and also subway tunnels/stations are some of the safest places to be during earthquakes. Take for instance Tokyo, which is in one of the most seismically active area in the world. Tokyo also has one of the most extensive subway systems in the world. I've never heard of any tunnel or station collapses in Japan.

[BRinSM]

Originally Posted by xyzxyz

well, they are also extending the subway from downtown to Culver City. Is the Santa Monica thing something else?

currently, a new light rail line is being constructed to culver city. phase 2 of this project should bring the line to santa monica, but that is not what i was referring to. there is currently a subway in la that runs from union station to wilshire/western in koreatown. the mta is trying to have this line extended under wilshire (or thereabouts) all the way to downtown santa monica.

[matt345]

Originally Posted by BRinSM

from my understanding, monorails are not that much cheaper and also subway tunnels/stations are some of the safest places to be during earthquakes. Take for instance Tokyo, which is in one of the most seismically active area in the world. Tokyo also has one of the most extensive subway systems in the world. I've never heard of any tunnel or station collapses in Japan.

Exactly. Let's think back to 1989 and the earthquake that occurred in the Bay Area. Where did most of the fatalities occur? On freeways that collapsed. The subway system up there reminded perfectly intact during the quake. During a major earthquake, I would much rather be in a subway than sitting in gridlocked traffic on top of one of those interchanges. The whole "who wants a subway in earthquake country" argument shows just how uneducated Angelenos are about transit and how it's working quite well in the rest of the world.

[matt345]

Originally Posted by xyzxyz

One of the problems in this city with public transportation is it is all owned by one provider. How can you let a major city be owned by one company like that?

That's the case with pretty much every major transit system. You are able to build a large scale integrated system because it is all owned by one company. The Washington DC subway and buses are all owned by WMATA. The New York subway and buses are all owned by one company. The Philadelphia transit system is owned by SEPTA. You actually tend to get more problems when there are multiple transit agencies dividing up the metro area. For example, in Detroit, one agency runs the buses in the city, while another runs the buses in the suburbs. As a result, transit is Detroit is constantly ranked among the absolute worst in the country since these two systems are not integrated in anyway and have trouble coordinating to get any projects off the ground.