LAist: Metro to Present Something to the Sea

Joshman

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 12:08:34 -0800

Purp -- if you want to blame somebody for killing the subway system in WLA for the last 20 years, you can thank Congressman Henry Waxman. He blocked federal funding to continue the subway line down Wilshire. He only recently ended his opposition.

db

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 07:33:07 -0800

I think you should have bolded racist Alex.

Alexcantsee

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 01:38:37 -0800

People need some fucking SENSE. Think about the Pablos, Joses, and Marias that travel all the way Eatside to Westside, and back, every single day to raise your kids, clean your plates, park your cars, build your structures, etc. Listen to what they have to go through on a regular basis, and trust me, if you won't fix/build any Mass transit after hearing that, then your a racist who prefers to keep their areas gentrified than to help the entirety of Los Angeles.

solange

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:54:40 -0800

I disagree, Pabst. Santa Monica is a nightmare to drive around on a weekend and honestly I will avoid going there (and spending my money) because of the traffic on the way there. Having a subway would be very helpful. Though for me, what would be more helpful is some kind of elevated route over the 405, but I can dream. But I suppose we should be taking our thoughts to the community meetings.

Pabst

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:30:18 -0800

Thank's Zach!!

Zach Behrens

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:56:36 -0800

bold me!!!!]]>

Pabst

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:37:08 -0800

I'm 100% pro-subway [b]BUT[/b] (I too just wanted to try out the bold HTML)imo while subway to the sea is a cute moniker it's really a poor use of dollars. Going as far as Westwood/UCLA is enough. WEHO, Beverly Center and Century City all attract huge numbers of drivers but unfortunately it's tough to kill so many birds with one stone. An off the wall NIMBY route would be up 3rd to Santa Monica Bl. That route could hit the Grove, Park La Brea, the Bev center and CC. I suppose though UCLA is the neediest destination so maybe scrap the CC part. I don't know if I see the utility of a straight down Wilshire route.

Militant Angeleno

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:18:41 -0800

Actually the little kids have better common sense around railroad tracks than adults do. About 89% or so percent of people involved in Blue Line accidents were adults.

db

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:02:17 -0800

Actually, I'm not as concerned about the dipshits who ignore the crossing gate as much as I'm concerned about anyone else involved in the accident, including passengers. Saying "He deserved it" doesn't get the system back and running any quicker after an accident. And I'm not saying light rail is necessarily a bad idea or that deaths (that one's for you Jeremy) will be prevented by any final choice, only that any increased danger to pedestrian or surface-level traffic needs to be seriously considered when making choices. I'm certainly no expert on the pros and cons of light rail. My entire experience with them here in L.A. is watching the Gold Line travel down the middle of the 210 or on the elevated tracks near Chinatown. Folks who live along the Blue Line are probably better able to answer questions about how it affects their neighborhoods when trains run at surface level. And yea, I am concerned about the kids. And little old ladies. And even stupid idiots, a little.

morrissey

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:32:50 -0800

The bluff is mostly sandstone as is most of Santa Monica. There was a good amount of shift down there during the Northridge Quake. You can build there but you cannot cut corners. James

Jeremy

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:09:53 -0800

And QuietTristan, that's not true. There isn't going to be a stop at the beach itself. The maps above show the last station at 4th street. Next time you're down at the pier, look at the bluff. That's solid rock they'll be digging in.

Jeremy

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:07:24 -0800

I'm all for the subway alternatives too, db, but you can't let ignorance and law-defiance determine the course of actions. That's like saying that they shouldn't build toasters, because somebody could drop one in the bath and die. Could it happen, yeah. Will it happen, probably. Am I giving up my toaster, no. But there's nothing like bolding up text to work a good scaremonger into a conversation. And, at least somebody's thinking of the children.

Militant Angeleno

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:02:39 -0800

Actually Obama's V.P. choice knows what it is.

thegodofthor

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:57:52 -0800

BTW: Stupid people will figure out how to get killed by mass transit weather it's above ground or below ground. Man dies after being hit by subway train in Los Angeles http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-subway7-2008aug07,0,388565.story I think its pretty simple. You might die if you run a red light or go around crossing gates. If you can't understand this, you should die before you take somebody else with you. Everyone would love a subway. that would be grand. But ill take any improvement to what we have.

QuietTristan

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:52:15 -0800

I heard somewhere that the ground near the beach is not strong enough to support a subway underground. Is there any truth to this ?

morrissey

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:45:39 -0800

"Never mind the increased chance of death for pedestrians and drivers who ignore the crossing gate." It is for these people we have the Darwin Awards - http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/ Cheers, James

db

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:39:42 -0800

If it's regular bus service, on regular surface streets, it will fail flat out. And calling it Rapid or Dash won't make it any faster when traffic is heavy. Any above ground solution, such as a bus expressway or light rail, will run into serious right-of-way and (probably) eminent domain issues. Never mind the increased chance of death for pedestrians and drivers who ignore the crossing gate. I guess an elevated train would limit the latter, but create it's own issues and raise costs considerably. So in the end it seems a subway is the best way to go, not that it doesn't have it's own HUGE issues (expense, time to build, business disruption during construction, etc). But when it's all done, it will give the region a solution for the future, rather than shoe-horning in something from the past.

morrissey

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:35:04 -0800

Now that most people in SaMo and Bev(Mo)Hills are stuck in traffic like the rest of us they are beginning to see the light. Thank you, James

Purp

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:55:20 -0800

Wow, a useful subway, in LA, that would be amazing. I heard a rumor that they tried this before but Santa Monica and Beverly Hills blocked it because they didn't want "common people" (read:poor) coming to their part of town. Is there any truth to this? The next step is having the subway open late enough that you can ride them home from the bar when you're wasted.