LAist: MTA to Issue IOU

netwerk01

Wed, 15 Sep 2004 22:51:50 -0800

Some ideas for the Red Line Extension(and other spurs) can be found here: http://www.friends4theredline.com/future/expansion/concept.php3

Scott Garner

Wed, 15 Sep 2004 21:28:57 -0800

Cool site netwerk01...

netwerk01

Wed, 15 Sep 2004 20:18:36 -0800

http://www.metrosilverline.com/

Asparagirl

Wed, 15 Sep 2004 12:47:10 -0800

Well, I responded to this post over at my blog... http://www.yuppiesofzion.com/archives/001054.php ...but it looks like LAist has turned off its Trackbacks feature, so how would anyone know? Why not turn it back on?

Scott Garner

Wed, 15 Sep 2004 10:55:45 -0800

David, you are right that a subway extension would cost more than a billion dollars. However, the Blue, Green, and Gold light rail lines were all constructed for less than a billion per (not adjusted for inflation). The MTA is unlikely to purchase more buses, as they have fought their obligation to do so under the consent decree at every turn. HOV lanes are problematic as well, since commuters may resent giving up a lane to non-existent carpoolers. It seems to me that the best use of those fund would be light rail extensions, or to fund an engineering study that would decide once and for all whether it is safe to tunnel through the Miracle Mile area.

David Greenberg

Wed, 15 Sep 2004 09:55:21 -0800

Excuse me, I mean discretionary budget.

David Greenberg

Wed, 15 Sep 2004 09:54:51 -0800

If you think you're going to buy any of the prior three projects with a billion dollars, you're completely kidding yourself. Any of the options you spelled out for mass transit run into the tens of billions of dollars for any kind of widespread system. Basically the only things you can do with a billion are carpool lane expansions, get more buses, or -very- small light rail extensions. For comparison's sake, the entire non-discretionary budget of the City of Los Angeles is about 3.5 billion per year. A billion just doesn't buy what it used to.