The LA Weekly just published an excellent article by Patrick Range McDonald entitled, "$9 Billion Subway-to-Sea Rip-Off."
McDonald hammers home a point the other local journalists have glossed over: the "subway to the sea" is not worth the money because, per the EIR study, it will have little if any impact on traffic. McDonald quotes, among others, USC professor and transportation expert James Moore as saying, "I didn't need an Environmental Impact Report to know that."
You know who else didn't need an Environmental Impact Report to tell you that? Yours truly, three years ago. Villaraigosa and the City Council just wasted three years. Here's your blast from the past:
My plan -- detailed in my platform but not the video -- was to buy, or acquire through eminent domain, properties every few blocks along major traffic arteries; build underground parking at each of those sites, with parks on top; use those parking facilities to eliminate street parking; and then convert the lanes previously used for street parking into the "bus only" lanes.
This would boost employment immediately -- without a 10 or 20 year wait -- and would get traffic moving.
It's time for Villaraigosa and the Spring Street Gang to dump the hole in the ground and adopt a plan that will get traffic moving throughout L.A. They've already wasted three years, despite being told by two different Moore's that the "subway to the sea" would be a complete waste of money.
Who cooks up these dumb ass proposals? As an escapee from beautiful L.a. it seems that the whole city council has lost whatever minds they had. This madness is catching, and needs to be stopped!
ReplyDeletePeople appear to not realize that Los Angeles already has a subway, from downtown L.A. to North Hollywood via Vermont Ave. and Hollywood Blvd. 17 miles long. Took 14 years and billions of (1990's) dollars to build, from 1986 to 2000. Do people know it exists? Do people ride it? Does it "help" traffic? Is the Hollywood Freeway less congested because of it? Some fascinating videos about this Los Angeles transportation "crown jewel" on youtube. Some by amateur videographers. Some by professionals. Especially check out the youtube video on the "60 minutes" story on the Hollywood Blvd. subway sinkhole. Then draw your own conclusions about LACMTA, the politicians that control it, their plans for a subway under Wilshire and what to expect.
ReplyDelete