if you could rebuild LA's subway/light rail system from scratch (Los Angeles: transfer, construction)

[Lifeshadower]

Originally Posted by Chatteress

Personally, folks who think such as you are short-sighted and it is good that you live in Alabama versus LA. Only someone so far removed from LA's congestion would ever advocate for less mass transit.

While I definitely agree with your point, I still do think that LA County and CalTrans could do a much better job in maintaining the roads. You can see the HUGE difference once you cross into Orange County on the 5 or the 405.

However, Orange County is a much more suburban area than Los Angeles County is, and the voters there want to maintain the roads vs. LA County's plan for rail-based mass transit. I will say that Metrolink is a start though.

Personally speaking, I would take mass transit a lot more were it not for the limited options that I have right now. As a resident of the San Fernando Valley, I have limited access to my job interviews (mostly on the West side) using PT, and I still will. However, once more lines open I will probably be a more prolific rider, as my odometer just recently passed 100,000 miles and I don't want to add that much more if I don't have to.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Chatteress

Even better, the Green Line should extend into OC

That would be awesome; However, if the Green Line was extended to the Amtrak Station in Norwalk, a person in OC could use rail from Carlsbad, SJC, MV, etc all the way to El Segundo. Wouldn't that be nice?

(Note: I think there is a shuttle that runs between the Norwalk Amtrak and the eastern terminus of the Green Line.)

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Chatteress

Only someone so far removed from LA's congestion would ever advocate for less mass transit.

You're 100% correct. Too bad it is irrelevant with regard to my post. I never advocated for less mass transit.

(P.S. I'm a lot less removed than you think.)

[Chatteress]

Originally Posted by Charles

That would be awesome; However, if the Green Line was extended to the Amtrak Station in Norwalk, a person in OC could use rail from Carlsbad, SJC, MV, etc all the way to El Segundo. Wouldn't that be nice?

(Note: I think there is a shuttle that runs between the Norwalk Amtrak and the eastern terminus of the Green Line.)

There's a shuttle but it is so limited that most riders I know personally utilizes the Norwalk #4, which makes all stops and takes 10-15 minutes to get to the station. By the way, Amtrak does not stop in Norwalk (except a few sporadic times) so us Metrolink riders have to stick with Metrolink service, which is extremely limited when folks from the north is travelling south to work. My transit options would broaden considerably if the green line would just go into OC. Add a north/south freeway express bus in OC and I would have no need for the costly, limited Metrolink service.

[Chatteress]

Originally Posted by Charles

You're 100% correct. Too bad it is irrelevant with regard to my post. I never advocated for less mass transit.

(P.S. I'm a lot less removed than you think.)

Sorry if I misunderstood you but that was the tone I was getting from your posts.

[sunray]

LA should take a page out of San Francisco book on making their rail/bus system better. This is something about LA I don't like, is the inadequate public transportation system.

[the one]

Originally Posted by JDRCRASHER

Here's the problem: we need to avoid have too many lines heading to Downtown, because LA is not a monocentric city like NYC or Chicago. It's a polycentric city like Tokyo, London, etc.

maybe hub was the wrong word. dtla could be the center of a doughnut. and a series of larger doughnuts ring the center? doughnuts

[uptown_urbanist]

Originally Posted by sunray

LA should take a page out of San Francisco book on making their rail/bus system better. This is something about LA I don't like, is the inadequate public transportation system.

Funny, I'd say San Francisco could take a page out of LA's current work. BART works great IF you're going where it wants to go, but it doesn't cover most of the city. Not all that different from LA's current rail/subway, really. For most trips the rapid bus system in LA served me far better than does most of SF's muni. Not to mention that SF has drastically increased fares and reduced routes in recent years, with more cuts probably to come. Meanwhile, while SF's buses are always packed (and even more so as routes get cut or frequency lowered with budget cuts), slow, dirtier than those in LA, more expensive, at least LA is actively working to roll out new and improved rail and bus routes.

Don't get me wrong, I love San Francisco and love that it's a very easy city (in many areas) to live in without a car (in part because you can walk so many places and avoid public transportation altogether), but at least for me, someone who moved to SF fully believing the "San Francisco's public transportation is so fabulous" line, the reality was a sore disappointment. Conversely, I had bought into the "LA's public transit is so terrible" argument, and was pleasantly surprised. Not that there's not a LOT of work to be done in LA, but at least it's moving in the right direction, while in SF things seem to be going downhill.

[K 22]

This might interest you guys.

Metro had a meeting on the Wilshire Subway extension the other day. They posted the Power Point for that meeting. It even includes all the proposed stations - including the West Hollywood ones along Santa Monica Blvd.

http://www.metro.net/projects_studie...April-2010.pdf

[nickdahammer]

You'd have to lay Los Angeles out from scratch, and start all over again. The cities just aren't similar enough for SF template to work here, IMHO. Ironically, it was the vast streetcar system that made the greater Los Angeles so spread out to begin with.

Originally Posted by sunray

LA should take a page out of San Francisco book on making their rail/bus system better. This is something about LA I don't like, is the inadequate public transportation system.