Category Archives: Uncategorized

Other actions taken by the Metro Board of Directors today

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•The Board approved a $33.2-million, five-year contract with the California Vanpool Authority, Enterprise Rent-a-Car Company of Los Angeles and VPSI, Inc., to provide vanpool services to Metro. Metro staff report

•The Board voted to accept $26.1 million from the state of California’s Prop 1B to help fund the I-405 Sepulveda Pass Improvements Project. Metro staff report

•The Board did not take a position of support of state bills that would lower the threshold needed for voters to pass a transportation sales tax from two-thirds to 55 percent. Although there were not seven votes (a majority) against supporting the bills, a motion to move the item to next month failed, meaning that a Board Member would likely need to make a motion to bring it back.

The yes votes came from Board Members Richard Katz, Ara Najarian, Pam O’Connor, Mel Wilson and Zev Yaroslavsky. The no votes came from Michael D. Antonovich, Diane DuBois John Fasana and Don Knabe. Absent for the vote were Jose Huizar, Mark Ridley-Thomas, Antonio Villaraigosa and Gloria Molina.

Metro staff had recommended supporting the bills as a possible way to help accelerate transit projects in the future; several Board members had issues ranging from lack of public input to an unwillingness to seek a change because of the narrow loss of Measure J last fall. Metro staff report

•The Board approved a revenue-generating contract with InSite Wireless to install equipment in the Red and Purple Line subway and other underground portions of the Metro Rail system to provide cell phone service and, eventually, wi-fi service for Metro riders. Metro staff report and recent Source post

Board agrees on contract modification for further engineering work for Westside/Purple Line Extension

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The Metro Board approved on a 7 to 2 vote a contract modification worth about $30.5 million dollars for Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc., to provide preliminary engineering services and other work on the first and second phases of the Westside/Purple Line Extension, as well as final design services for modifications to the Division 20 subway rail car maintenance yard.

The modification brings the contract total for Parsons Brinckherhoff, Inc. to $120.6 million. The first phase of the project will extend the subway from Wilshire/Western to Wilshire/La Cienega and the second phase to Constellation and Avenue of the Stars in Century City.

Board Members Don Knabe and John Fasana voted against the modification, saying that spending money on the subway extension's second phase at this point was not consistent with construction timelines listed in Metro's long-range plan.

Click here for a Metro staff report (pdf).

 

ExpressLanes set to debut on 110 freeway on Saturday night, weather permitting

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Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas shows off his FasTrak transponder. Los Angeles transportation chief Jaime de la Vega (at left) and Metro Board Member John Fasana are in the background. Photo by Luis Inzunza/Metro.

UPDATE, SATURDAY 9:45 a.m.: The ExpressLanes will open at 10 p.m. Saturday. Related post: ExpressLanes basics.

With the clock ticking down toward the scheduled opening of the ExpressLanes on the 110 freeway, Metro officials held a news conference this morning to help spread the good word that Los Angeles County's first toe-dip into the Land of Congestion Pricing is now now imminent.

I'll cut right to the chase:

•Tolling on the ExpressLanes is set to begin Saturday night, weather permitting. Rain could get in the way of work that needs to be done on signage before the opening, thus the tenative date.

•CHP officials asked motorists to be mindful of safety and to enter and exit the ExpressLanes only at the designated places on the freeway. Do not cross double white lines.

•Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas called this a “historic moment in Los Angeles County's transportation history.” He's right — this has never been tried before here. Motorists need to get used to them and Metro will need to make any necessary adjustments. Please be patient and take the long view — this is a one-year demonstration project to determine if there is perhaps a better way to manage some of the most crowded freeways in the nation.

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Cyclist killed in incident involving Metro bus

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A female cyclist was killed Saturday afternoon shortly before 2 p.m. when she and a Metro bus on Line 534 made contact on southbound Pacific Coast Highway and Civic Center Drive in Malibu. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department is leading the investigation with Metro participation.

 


Getting around Carmageddon — how to reach this weekend's events on transit

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One big difference between Carmageddon II and the original: there are several big events around town this weekend that were scheduled before the 405 closure was on the docket.

I know there will be the temptation to drive to the events. But we also remind you that all the following events are accessible via Metro buses, trains or other shuttles.

The Metro Rail and busway map is above. And here’s a map of the entire Metro system. Single rides are $1.50 and day passes $5. In order to board Metro trains, you will need to purchase a Metro TAP card at a ticket machine — it costs $1 — and then load either single fares ($1.50), day pass ($5) or a variety of cash amounts on the card. The cards are reloadable and last for three years.

Don Giovanni at the Los Angeles Opera at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Friday 7:30 p.m. and Sunday 2 p.m. The Red and Purple Line subway Civic Center station is one block from the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion — and a nice stroll through the new Grand Park. Plus you get points for taking the subway to the opera.

Herbalife Triathlon Los Angeles, Sunday morning, Santa Monica to downtown Los Angeles. The Expo Line’s Culver City Station is adjacent to the Venice Boulevard section of the bike route. The running race part of the course in downtown Los Angeles is easy to reach via the Red/Purple Line subway, the Expo Line and Blue Line.

West Hollywood Book Fair, Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the West Hollywood Library and West Hollywood Park at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. From the fair’s website:

Complimentary shuttles will run between Plummer Park and the West Hollywood Library from 9:30a-6:30p
Shuttles will depart every 15 minutes and will pickup or drop off at all MTA stops along Santa Monica Blvd between Plummer Park and San Vicente.

Please be aware of the continuous construction and closures on various Los Angeles freeways and the surrounding areas during this time and allow extra commuting time. Thank you.

Plummer Park can be reached from the 4 or 704 buses that run along Santa Monica Boule vard between downtown L.A. and Santa Monica. The 4/704 also stops at the Red Line subway’s Vermont/Santa Monica station. Here’s the timetable for the 4 and for the 704.

Los Angeles Dodgers versus Rockies, Friday 7:10 p.m., Saturday 6:10 p.m. and Sunday 1:10 p.m. The Dodger Stadium Express shuttle runs between Union Station and the stadium and is free to those holding tickets to the game. All the details are here. Union Station is easy to reach via Metrolink, the Red/Purple Line subway, the Gold Line and Silver Line.

The Go-Gos (Saturday night) and Wilco (Sunday night), Hollywood Bowl. The Bowl offers park-and-ride shuttles from locations across Los Angeles County, including Westwood, Santa Monica, Westchester and Culver City on the Westside. Here’s info on the shuttles and departure times for the Go-Gos and here’s the info for the Wilco show. The Red Line station at Hollywood/Highland is about a .9-mile wlk to the Bowl. The Hollywood Bowl shuttle also serves the Hollywood/Highland Station and the Universal City station.