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Two fairly large, but non-deadly crashes in the Valley, first on the southbound 405 in Sherman Oaks, then on the westbound 101 in Tarzana, snarled morning commuters today. Needless to say, traffic backed up to the 101/405 interchange which is the busiest freeway interchange in the United States.
This brings up the question: where are the alternative options to traverse the 8.5 mile Sepulveda Pass between the Valley and metropolitan Los Angeles?
There are currently three options, listed here from ridiculous to most ridiculous:
1. 761 Metro Rapid
2. Bicycle
3. Walk/Run
Actually, the 761 Metro Rapid bus is not that ridiculous. It's a comfortable rush hour ride over the hill. Travelers spread out on the long accordion bus, sometimes taking a couple seats to themselves. The line runs from Sylmar, down Van Nuys to Sherman Oaks and over the hill to UCLA. 40 minutes from Sherman Oaks alone, if there is a traffic back up, that timing extends. And speaking of timing, the 761 doesn't run late into the night, nor with frequent service compared to lines like the 720 on Wilshire Blvd. Two City of LA Commuter Express routes, two Santa Clarita Transit and and one Antelope Valley bus take the same route over the hill.
It's a good and tiring workout to use a bicycle up and over the hill, and a fun cruise downhill. Bike lanes line some of the Sepulveda Blvd. and the tunnel is not very accommodating, but has a bicycle button before you enter warning cars there is a bike in there. Such a ride is going to work up a sweat, so if you work at a place that is over 10,000 ft. (and built after the law went into effect), they are required, maybe only until recently enforced, to provide shower and changing facilities (additionally, if your employer employs more than 50 people and you opt of parking, that means extra money for you).
And if you want to spend most of your day getting to work, you can walk or run commute it. It's healthy, of course, only until you think about it being next to the freeway.
Monorails, double decker freeways, a train tunnel and dedicated bus lanes/freeway on-ramps have all been discussed. Nothing solid has come out of it other than nothing has happened. Until then, god speed and good luck. Here's to no more crashes on the roads and future planning -- stay safe out there.
Photo by alforque via Flickr
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The next phase of commuter help needs to be an extention of the Red Line to at least the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink Station, if not into the heart of Santa Clarita... followed by a new line (lets see what we've got left.... I guess its gotta be Yellow... but that damn Gold Line might get confusing) that leaves Sylmar/San Fernando and follows Sepulveda down through the Valley, through the Sepulveda Pass, and down all the way through Redondo and into Long Beach to meet up with the Blue Line.
Oh and MTA or "Metro" or whatever you're calling yourself this week.... this time make it stop at LAX and not some lame station where you have to jump another shuttle or something.
Wait -- why couldn't you be trapped *outside* the valley and needing to get back?
There are some small side streets that snake around the 405 that I've used when the freeway becomes grid locked but yes there should be some form of subway running in that area.
As a daily metro rider (who owns a car), I can say that most drivers who have the option to take the train to work - still decide to sit in traffic for hours every day because they feel they are too good to do so.
When I took the Blue Line it was a miserable experience, but the Red Line is excellent, never late and the 15 minute ride is a nice change from the 1 hour+ ride from Long Beach.
My job pays for the monthly passes and I even use it on days I don't work. My car normally sits in the garage until the weekend and ever since moving to Hollywood, I've gone from filling my gas tank once a week to once a month.
What about a sneaky LADOT sized shuttle bus to roll up Beverly Glen and over into the 'Hills and UCLA. There's usually some cement truck or equally cumbersome large vehicle on Beverly Glen in the mornings so a short stock bus cant be that big a deal. Especially when there's folk guiding traffic at Ventura / Beverly Glen to ensure the bus could get on Beverly Glen with minimal hassle
You could then free up the 761 to go further down towards passing Sunset and possibly terminating at Wilshire - thus hooking up the valley with 3 major Metro Rapid routes west OR east bound (920 720 along wilshire & one on SMonica Blvd who's number escapes me)
LA's bus system is great but it could always be just that bit better :)
hows about if you live in the valley stay in the valley!
I was born and raised in the car culture of LA, and after visiting NY for the first time last month I was motivated to use the Metro here in LA. My son and I went on a city adventure this past MLK Day where we took the Green Line near our home in the South Bay to the Blue Line and then onto the Red Line to get to Hollywood. I LOVED the experience and wish the rails went everywhere else in the Southland. Unfortunately, most of the places I would like to see a rail would never get one because of the elitist NIMBYism. I do hope LA catches up with other Alpha World Cities in the area of public transportation.
Extending the Green Line to LAX up to/through/over the Sepulveda Pass up to Metrolink seems a no brainer to me. Red Line to Sylmar, turning the Orange Line to rail and extending it to Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena to the east and up Canoga on the Northwest is a good idea. Hooking in the Burbank Airport is important. Long-term, a ventura blvd. subway is a good idea.
The glory days of the car culture and solo-motoring are behind us. We must invest as heavily in our public transportation infrastructure over the next five decades as we invested in freeways and road building over the last five in order to keep Southern California economically and environmentally sustainable.
And we will need to pay for it and it will be expensive. The economic and environmental cost of not doing it is even greater.
there is alternete bus route to adviod the 405
thats metro 218 bus that starts in Stuido City
(Laurel canyon and overs over laurel canyon
then via fairfax to 3rd then its heads over to
cedar-sini hopspital