Metro to host industry forum on May 1 to discuss public-private partnerships to help build the Sepulveda Pass Transit Corridor

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Sepulveda Pass Event Invitation

On May 1, Metro will host an industry forum for potential concession partners to discuss public-private partnerships that could be used to help build the Sepulveda Pass Transit Corridor project. The forum, to be held at Union Station, is a chance for invited officials from the development, investment, finance and construction industries to meet with Metro and learn more about the project.

Several potential concepts have been studied previously for this corridor, including bus rapid transit, light rail and managed lanes. One scenario involved building a tunnel or tunnels that would carry tolled lanes for motor vehicles and a transit facility. See this earlier Source post that includes a chart on the different concepts.

Very preliminary estimates indicate that the tunnel scenario could cost at least $6 billion, and likely more, depending upon the length of the tunnel. Measure R is scheduled to provide about $1 billion for the Sepulveda Pass Corridor, and under Metro’s long-range plan this money would not be available until 2030 with the project not completed until 2039. If Metro waits until the 2030s, when the Measure R funding becomes available, it will probably be too little, too late to build a project that could really make a difference for commuters.

Therefore, to accelerate much-needed additional capacity in the Corridor, Metro is investigating a public-private partnership, in which a consortium of private firms would design, build, finance, operate and maintain a project. Because of the significant investment required to build a project, the facilities would be privately operated so that the concession could generate sufficient revenue to repay their investment.

The forum on May 1 is an opportunity for interested parties to discuss the project and financing concepts with Metro. Attendance is expected to be high, with partipants coming from across the United States and the world.

Transportation headlines, Wednesday, April 17

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Here is a look at some of the transportation headlines gathered by us and the Metro Library. The full list of headlines is posted on the Library’s Headlines blog, which you can also access via email subscription or RSS feed.

Our response to So Cal Connected’s segment on pedestrian safety (L.A. Walks)

The pedestrian advocacy group wasn’t happy with the piece that focused on new high-visibility crosswalks and where they are installed in the city of Los Angeles. My three cents: I thought the segment was interesting; I also think poor pedestrian infrastructure and the almost complete lack of enforcement of motorists encroaching on crosswalks could be the subject of many more hours of media coverage.

Here’s the KCET piece:

Tabloid columnist calls for bicycle ban in Toronto (The Urban Country) 

The Urban Country spends a few hundred words completely taking apart the argument that traffic congestion in Toronto, the largest city in the Great White North, is caused by cyclists. It’s a very satisfying taking apart/takedown.

Smart tips for building a better subway car (The Atlantic Cities) 

More doors, better spread is the way to avoid crowding and get people to the seats they covet, so says this blog post.

New bicycle friendly universities announced (League of American Bicyclists)

One local school makes it: the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. I bike through there all the time and it is a bike friendly campus — mostly because it’s small and cars are mostly kept out of the two main east-west paths through it. Of course, CalTech is in Pasadena, which hasn’t done much for cyclists in recent years. On the east side of campus is Hill Street, where the city of Pasadena could easily install bike lanes but has decided that providing street parking for cars is more important despite the fact that homes on the street all have big driveways. On the west side of campus is Wilson Avenue, which has bike lanes that are dangerously close to the parking lane and where it’s very easy to get doored.

March ridership numbers; Expo Line continues to climb and numbers remain strong for Metro Rail

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March ridership graphs

Ridership estimates for Metro buses and rail lines in March have been released; the above charts show the current trends. The takeaway in one sentence: ridership for the Expo Line continues to climb, ridership across the rail system remains strong and bus numbers continue to be flat.

If you would like to see charts with stats recorded in March of the past three years for the rail lines and bus system, please click here.

Metro Rail saw 359,855 average weekday boardings in March 2013 compared to 294,801 in March 2011 — a significant increase. The record for average weekday ridership was 362,091, set in November of last year 362,904 set in June of last year.

Sheriff’s patrols target customer safety and other issues on the Blue Line

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The Blue Line's Willowbrook/Rosa Parks station. Photo by Sean_Marshall via Flickr creative commons.

The Blue Line’s Willowbrook/Rosa Parks station. Photo by Sean_Marshall via Flickr creative commons.

Earlier this month, from April 8 to 10, the Transit Bureau Service of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department began a new operational concept to improve safety on the Blue Line.

The concept is called TRUST (Transit Rail Urban Saturation Team) and it consists of deputies saturating parts of the Blue Line and conducting conducting zero tolerance patrols on the trains and station platforms. It’s a combination of fare enforcement, train patrols, fixed posts for police and mobile, random foot patrols — and the LASD is saying more of these type of operations will be done in the future.

During the three days that the operation took place: 895 citations were issued as well as 142 misdemeanor arrests and 11 felony arrests, according to the LASD. This initial iteration focused on the part of the line between the Firestone and Rosa Parks stations. 

“Our goal is to reduce the conditions that breed crime, disorder and insecurity. Operation TRUST is the first in a series of targeted enforcement efforts to improve security and enhance the riding experience for transit patrons and transit employees,” wrote the Sheriff’s Department in a news release.

The Blue Line had an average of 88,023 weekday boardings in February, the latest ridership statistics available. Also from the Sheriff’s news release:

Each day 350,000 passengers ride the Metro Rail system in Los Angeles and 1.2 million passengers ride Metro Buses. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) is responsible for securing the Metro system and is committed to ensuring a low level of crime and disorder.

Partner to prevent or report crime by contacting your local sheriff’s station or police department. Or, if you wish to remain anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org

Please remember, if you SEE SOMETHING that you believe is suspicious or doesn’t look right to you, SAY SOMETHING by calling: (888) 950-SAFE (7233), or your local police department.

@Metrolosangeles Twitter Tuesday, April 16 edition

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Welcome to Twitter Tuesday, our roundup of the latest Metro related tweets. To get our attention, add the #MetroLosAngeles tag to your tweets and subscribe to our feed if you haven’t already. For specific complaints and customer service, please use the Customer Comment Form on metro.net.

If having problems viewing this post on your browser, please see part one and part two on the Storify website.


Many more tweets posted after the jump!


This Sunday: Go Metro and Go CicLAvia to the sea!

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Click above to see larger version.

Click above to see larger version.

The 6th CicLAvia is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Sunday, April 21, so time to oil your bike chains, lace up your walking/running shoes or break out the rollerblades! The route this time around is 15 miles and is strikingly different from earlier CicLAvias — this time it will be possible to travel back and forth between Venice and downtown Los Angeles, largely on Venice Boulevard.

Some highlights:

Longest route ever: Because this is the longest CicLAvia route so far, we encourage participants to approach the event with careful planning. Keep track of the time, noting that streets will begin re-opening to automobile traffic at 3:00 p.m.. You may not want to find yourself too far from where you started when the event ends.

Getting to CicLAvia on Metro: It is also worth noting that the Festival of Books is happening at USC this weekend so if you plan to take the Metro Expo Line, leave yourself plenty of time as trains will likely have large crowds (Expo trains will be operating every six minutes). The Long Beach Grand Prix is also happening this weekend, meaning the Blue Line will likely be even busier than usual.

With CicLAvia running through downtown Los Angeles, the course is accessible from the Metro Red/Purple Lines (Union Station, Civic Center, Pershing Square or 7th/Metro Center stations), the Metro Gold Line (Union Station or Little Tokyo stations), the Blue Line (Pico or 7th/Metro Center stations) or Expo Line (Pico or 7th/Metro Center stations). The Expo Line also has a station along Venice Boulevard in Culver City — as mentioned above, the Expo Line will be very busy this weekend.

Continue reading →

New Metro website stresses safety

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Here’s the news release from Metro:

New Metro Web Site Stresses Safety

Riders Should Be Aware of their Surroundings Following Boston Bombings

Heightened transit security remains in effect a day after a pair of bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon killing at least three and injuring scores. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) officials continue intensifying patrols and encouraging riders to be aware.

“We are reminding rail passengers that if they see something they should say something,” Sheriff’s Commander Pat Jordan of the Metro Transit Services Bureau said. “We want every rider to know they are empowered to help keep our system safe.”

To give riders tools for increasing transit awareness, the L.A. County Sheriff’s department has launched a new web site, TransitWatchLA.org. It is full of up to date information on safety and security enhancements. TransitWatchLA.org was funded by a grant from the Department of Homeland Security and uses a wealth of the department’s resources.

“Our signature initiative is See Something Say Something,” Jordan said. “It means involving every passenger in safety and security efforts.”

Most travelers keep their luggage near them. “If you see a bag left unattended, that is when you should say something,” Jordan noted.  “Also, if a stranger asks you to watch a bag while they go somewhere else. You should report that.”

If riders see a suspicious package or witness a crime, the easiest way to contact the sheriff’s department is to call 9-1-1. You can also contact Metro sheriff’s deputies and security personnel by calling (888) 950-SAFE (7233). Be ready to give the dispatcher a description of the unattended item or suspicious behavior, the exact location, the bus or train number and direction you are traveling. Riders can also alert Metro security by pushing the button at the emergency intercom in stations or on trains.