Metro Board approves free subway and Orange Line service during 405 closure weekend

Posted June 23, 2011 by Steve Hymon

As expected, the Metro Board of Directors on Thursday approved free fares on the Red and Purple Line subway and the Orange Line busway for July 16 and 17, the weekend that the 405 freeway will be closed over the Sepulveda Pass for the partial demolition of the Mulholland Bridge.

The Board also gave Metro CEO Art Leahy the authority to offer free rides on other Metro bus and rail lines in the transit system, if he deems it necessary upon further examination. Metro will keep the public updated about any of those decisions.

I know that many readers have asked about 761 Rapid Bus service on the weekend of the closure. When we have solid information from Metro officials, we’ll pass it along.

In other Board actions today:

*Diane DuBois was elected the Board’s second vice chair. L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will take over as Board Chair on July 1. He will be followed by Supervisor Mike Antonovich and then DuBois.

*The Board also reaffirmed its selection last month of the 7.7-mile option for the Wilshire bus lanes project. The L.A. City Council last week also selected the 7.7-mile option but in a resolution asked the Metro Board to reconsider and instead opt for the 8.7-mile option that would have included bus lanes in the Condo Canyon section of Westwood. The Board today declined to do so.

Ridley-Thomas introduces new Crenshaw/LAX Line motion on construction impacts

Posted June 23, 2011 by Steve Hymon

Below is the news release from Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas’ office about the motion he introduced to the Metro Board on Thursday:

Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas Calls for Safety, Economic Protections for the Crenshaw/LAX Light Rail Corridor

Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas introduced a Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board motion Thursday calling for Metro to create a fund for business losses caused by construction of the Crenshaw/LAX light rail line, and for the agency to devise plans for safety, local worker hiring and streetscape improvements along the route.

“The Crenshaw/LAX line project is moving fast ahead. As it is being built we must also make sure the community doesn’t pay too high a price for its long-overdue rail service,” Ridley-Thomas said.

“The rail line is meant to cut traffic and improve safety, so I want Metro to come up with solid plans to make sure that happens. The line should also be built with workers from the community, and businesses disrupted by the construction need to be compensated,” he said.

Continue reading →

Transit-oriented Spielbergs take note, Transit Flicks Video Contest is back

Posted June 23, 2011 by Fred Camino

Faye Kingslee’s “Heartbeat of L.A.” (above) took grand prize in last year’s Transit Flicks Video Contest with its pristine production, easy-on-the-eyes actors and charming story about finding love on the Metro subway.

Transit Flicks is back for another year and transit savvy auteurs are invited to get their cameras rolling for a chance to win a year of free transit. That’s right, best picture gets an EZ transit pass good for one year – that’s $1,008 worth of unlimited rides on participating transit systems in Los Angeles.

What is a Transit Flick? It’s a two-minute (maximum) video that explains how transit helps and encourages others to try it. That doesn’t mean we’re looking for a dry Power Point presentation with bullet lists and clip art. This is a chance to get creative and have some fun! Entries will be judged on their originality, believability and how well they promote public transit.

We received some great entries last year, and I’m hoping to see even better productions this year. After all, video equipment keeps getting cheaper and more accessible – many people now have phones that double as video cameras, so there’s no excuse not to enter. In fact, I’d like to see budding directors use our “art of transit” series as inspiration and produce some visually stunning video submissions that put the static pictures we’ve been posting to shame.

The entry deadline is September 2, so get those camera’s rolling. Learn more at: http://www.metro.net/transitflicks

After the jump, I’ve scoured the net for some inspirational and stylish transit videos to get the creative juices flowing, check them out! Continue reading →

Transportation headlines, Thursday, June 23

Posted June 23, 2011 by Fred Camino

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 blog.

405 closure: Westside businesses to go about their business (NBC LA)

NBC offers a fresh take on the 405 close in July, straight from the mouths of the local business owners who will be affected. These locals feel that not only is the media overreacting, but that local politicians dire warnings to “stay away” could hurt business. In fact, the media blitz has already hurt business. According to one local leader Brentwood Village has seen a 40% drop in traffic since the closure announcement. On behalf of local businesses near the 405, here’s a reminder: the 405 will be closed the weekend of July 15-17, and only that weekend.

In Transit: From S.F. to L.A. via public transportation (S.F. Weekly)

If you’ve got the time, make sure to read this story (it’s a long one). Inspired by a San Francisco transit blogger who figured out a public transit route from San Francisco to L.A., S.F. Weekly writer Joe Eskenazi decided to undertake the journey. Now, when I say public transit I don’t mean long-distance transit like Amtrak or Greyhound – that’s easy – what Mr. Eskenazi undertook was a journey of connecting local transit lines. That’s a bit harder. The trip duration: 32 hours. Number of transfers: 14. But the fascinating people and stories along the way made the unique road trip worth it. Here’s a link to a map and pictures from the journey.

High-speed rail poised to alter China (N.Y. Times)

China’s high-speed rail construction is in full swing. The entire system – a 10,000 mile network (!) – is scheduled to be completed by 2020. Just like in the U.S., the system is not without controversy – there are worries about the system’s cost and fares. But unlike the U.S., the system is actually being built, and it’s being built with the promise of a bright future. The Times compares China’s high-speed rail investment to that of the U.S. Interstate Highway system, and expects it to have a similar boon to the Chinese economy.

The art of transit

Posted June 23, 2011 by Steve Hymon

photo by Tetsuya Ishiyama, via Flickr

Nice photo of a train along the Keihin Electric Express Railway Company, taken in Kawasaki, Japan, with an iPhone, using the HDR function to better capture the different ranges of light in the scene. The train connects the Haneda Airport to nearby cities.

To submit a photo for the Art of Transit, post it to Metro’s Flickr group, email it to sourcemetro@gmail.com or Tweet it to @metrolosangeles with an #artoftransit hashtag. Many of the photos we’ve featured can be seen in these galleries on Flickr.

Transit forecast for Thursday, June 23

Posted June 23, 2011 by Fred Camino

For a complete list of planned service advisories please visit the Service Advisories page on Metro.net. And for the latest service alerts follow @MetroLAalerts on Twitter.

Blue Line

After 8:15pm, Blue Line trains run every 30 minutes due to construction work for the future Expo Line. Please see schedule here.

Dates: today only.

Red Line

Due to maintenance work after 8pm, inbound trains to Union Station may be delayed 1-2 minutes.

During this time, trains will share ONE track at Universal City Station. Please check train destination signs and platform announcements before boarding.

Dates: today only.

Lines 445, 460, 550, Metro Silver Line

Due to system maintenance, Harbor Transitway Station will be bypassed by all freeway bus services from 10am-12pm ONLY.

Slauson Transitway passengers may use these alternatives:

Silver Line to El Monte, 445 & 460 to Downtown LA, 550 to West Hollywood: Proceed to Figueroa @ Manchester, then board Line 81 Northbound, then transfer at Figueroa/Slauson (to Slauson Transitway Station).
Silver Line to Artesia Transit Ctr, 445 to San Pedro, 460 to Disneyland, 550 to San Pedro: Proceed to Figueroa @ Manchester, then board Line 81 Southbound, then transfer at Figueroa/Green Line Ped Xing (to Harbor Fwy Green Line Sta). -OR- proceed to Broadway @ Manchester, then board Line 745 or 45 Southbound, then transfer at Figueroa/Green Line Ped Xing (to Harbor Fwy Green Line Station).
Please allow extra travel time when traveling to/from Manchester Transitway Station during this time

Dates: 10am-12pm, today only.

Green Line

Due to track maintenance from 10am to 2pm, eastbound trains to Norwalk will run 2 minutes earlier than regular schedule. Trains to Norwalk will depart Redondo Beach at 10:02am, 10:17am, 10:32am, 10:47am and every 15 minutes until 1:47pm, then regular schedule.

During this time, trains in both directions will share ONE track at El Segundo & Douglas Stations. Please check train destination signs and announcements before boarding.

Dates: through Friday.

After the jump: service advisories for Lines 2, 233 & 761 and Line 48. Continue reading →

Remembrance of trains past: the Santa Monica Air Line

Posted June 22, 2011 by Carter Rubin

Tracks from the original Santa Monica Air Line travel through an industrial part of Santa Monica

Ever since I learned about the Expo Line — and the path that trains used to travel a century ago — I’ve relished in stumbling across bits and pieces of the old infrastructure that still dot the Westside.

The original tracks were built by a predecessor to the Southern Pacific Railroad in the late 1800s and then turned over to Pacific Electric for daily passenger service in 1911. The line closed to the public for good in the early 1950s, while freight service continued intermittently into the 1970s.

To some the remaining infrastructure might just be pieces of rusty metal, but to me they are an interesting representation of our urban environment and history. So I grabbed my camera and hopped on my bike to document what was still left in the Phase II segment — focusing on the area between 17th Street in Santa Monica and the 10 Freeway.

Why go to all the trouble?

First, there’s the sense that what is old is new again. For several decades in the 20th Century, we seemed to collectively forget the benefits of mass transit in Los Angeles. But now, thanks in part to Measure R, we are seizing the opportunity to go back to those historic corridors and breath new life into them, transforming them back into the vital connective tissue they once were.

Second, I enjoyed seeing how L.A. has grown up around the old rail corridor with little bits of track peeking through in random places such as parking lots and medians along the Exposition Boulevard right-of-way.

And lastly, much of this infrastructure will be torn out and replaced by the new Expo Line, so this is my contribution to the historic record. For more information on the history of the Santa Monica Air Line, the website Abandoned Rails has a good introduction, as does the Electric Railway Historical Association.

Check out the photos in the gallery below and the dozens more on the Metro Flickr page.