I am so sick of the "extend the Goldline to Whittier" nonsense

As the East LA goldline extension begins to look near completion (more proof of the MTA's incompetence: that the train gets to wealthier whiter and much less transit dependant Pasadena before East LA gets a train line) folks are now getting excited about what to do next in the area if funding becomes available. It seems as if the folks (and the MTA) making the decisions are letting their excitement of having anything come into East LA muddle their rational thought process and memory of why we are getting a 2nd rate train line as well as the corridors and communities they will serve. This is really frustrating, as the "fit whatever the hell we can" mentality seems to be taking over people, and is scary to think nobody in the MTA has the training and knowledge to recognize the situation or corridors in question.

A bit of history on the ELA goldline extension:

The train line was a comprimise option, since funding for a full subway Redline extension through ELA to the city of Whittier was scrapped because of corruption and shoddy construction on the redline to Hollywood (once again the barrio got screwed for something that had nothing to do with it). Politicos and local leaders scrambled to get something on the table again, and the goldline LRT extension thru East LA was born.  Amazingly, in the time it took for ELA reps to beg for federal transit money (which almost didnt happen due to jerkoff Oklahoma rep. Darrell Istook thinking ELA didnt need better transit service) a train line was built from Downtown to Pasadena so that South Pasadena NIMBYs could bitch about everything that had to do with it and rich snobs could not ride the train (leading to lackluster ridership numbers).  The Eastside goldline alignment was chosen to go through the least dense portions of Boyle Heights and East LA, avoiding several major activity centers and destination points in order to save money and get whatever we can built into the barrio (which is the best place to cut corners in terms of transit service and investment, right?), which was a far cry from the original alignment of the ELA redline extension, but I digress...

So now we are getting a lightrail line that is squeezed into obscenely narrow streets (Indiana portion and 1st around Aliso Village) that are generally packed to begin with, but still not as packed as the activity centers the train avoids.  Since the train had to be designed around a lack of money, large portions of it are at-grade in dense areas where it should not be; already leading to ridiculous traffic, a loss of street front parking for dozens of business that rely on the curb as their sole parking, the demolition of historic structures and degredation of streetscape quality, a harsh impact on pedestrian and vehicular mobility, and lazy mitigation for the contruction going on. I bet that this crap would happen the day they broke ground, and the MTA is fullfilling my prophecies and then some. The MTA is putting a street running trolley through areas with population densities between 16-45k per square mile in the 2nd largest city in the country, makes a lot of sense.

Back to my topic...

Although I commend any transit upgrade in my community, I am concerned with the inadequacy of the ESGoldline extension's design and how that will interact with its surrounding environments. Furthermore, I find it ridiculous for the MTA or local leaders to even think of extending this line to supposedly service the busiest corridor east of Downtown LA (Whittier Blvd./ I-5). I hope the initial ESGoldline performs better than I expect it to in such a comprimised environment, but the alarm bells in my head (which were right with the Pasadena goldline) have been going off full gear since I saw the design plans and renderings.

So Here is a list of why the goldline LRT line should not extend down to the Whittier Blvd corridor:

It is impossible for the train to head south at Atlantic Blvd (its end terminus) to Whittier Blvd as the station runs right up to Atlantic, the area is heavilly built up and the boulevard is too narrow and super congested most of the day.

Continuing the train east of Atlantic to some other southern leaning route to get to Whittier Boulevard means you bypass the most dense activity centers along the corridor with the highest ridership rates, which are west of Garfield Avenue, what a waste of investment into the community!

In fact, there are several HUGE activity centers that any transportation planner would agree should be prioritized in terms of destination accesibility for rail on the Eastside. Whittier Bl./Lorena, Whittier/Indiana, Whittier/Ford-Arizona, and Whittier/Atlantic are all major activity centers surrounding dense communities full of transit dependant residents; and they would all be missed if we try to connect the ESGoldline to Whittier. Isnt the point of creating rail service in any major corridor to reach dense activity centers? Why is the MTA and local officials trippin to service strip malls in Pico Rivera while ignoring ridership rich areas of East LA? Isnt that upside down transportation planning?

The Whittier Boulevard Corridor is one of the busiest bus routes in they city, despite decades of inadequate transit service. On top of that, the Olympic and Beverly/3rd St busses are also heavilly used and within walking distance of Whittier Blvd. Wouldnt you want the highest capacity service for such a heavilly travelled corridor with TONS of untapped ridership waiting to be served? A little rinky dink Lightrail line that runs in narrow roads for much of its route is not a good fit if we are seriously talking about transit service upgrades that match the communities they run through.

The Whittier Blvd. corridor is so congested and built up that anything below a grade seperated rail line is impossible. LRT and Heavy Rail (like the redline or BART) actually cost almost the same when they need to be grade seperated, which is the case along this corridor. If we are going to seperate this rail alignment at such high cost in such a ridership rich area, why not make it the WAY better mode of transportation? If you dont believe me test the efficiency level between the Red and Gold lines.

Now More Positive reasons why the ES Goldline shouldnt go to Whittier as well as solutions that create the best transit coverage for the Eastside with the least amount of cost:

Extending the Goldline along the 60 freeway corridor through Montebello, South San Gabriel, Whittier Narrows, South El Monte, Bassett and La Puente is the best solution as to were the best extension would go.  The slow travel time in ELA would be mitigated by the train running through a large empty area (which also costs much less to build) like Whittier narrows, which creates better service to transit dependant areas in the central and eastern San Gabriel Valley (SGV) such as Bassett, Valinda and La Puente.

The communities the 60 fwy alignment (not on the freeway, but nearby) would hit, have high transit ridership and the potential to improve transit for those dependant on public transit as well as demographics that may become new riders as well (asian and latino middle class). Plus a train that zooms through a big chunk of open space across the southern SGV seems like a great alternative to driving and will attract a lot of commuters.

Although there is a lot of ridership potential, the 60 corridor is not as packed as the Whittier Boulevard Corridor, and LRT seems like the perfect fit for the area.  The area east of Downtown LA is the connection between the I.E./O.C./S.G.V. and the central city, meaning it is super congested/dense and can definitely sustain more than 1 rail line. The area already holds 3 freeways (I-10, SR-60, I-5 fwys.) and several dense boulevards so the notion that it is rail coverage overkill is not applicable to anyone familiar with the area.

The Whittier Boulevard Corridor deserves a competent rail line that can service the area as well as serve as the backbone of LA's east/west rail connection. Right now Whittier Bl. is the Eastside's version of Wilshire, and the 2 corridors should be connected to form a seamless east/west rail spine. Because of this, a 7th St/  Whittier Blvd. purple line extension to at least Atlantic or Garfield is the best option for this corridor.  This rail alignment competently serves the Whittier Corridor, creates a badly needed seamless east/west rail spine for LA, and creates opportunities to hit major activity centers in SE Downtown LA as well as Boyle heights.

Here's a narrative of the purple line ES extension path and some pics

The alignment thru DTLA:

(This is the portion from the 7th Metro Center to the western edge of Boyle Heights)

The entire alignment from DTLA to Whittier (the EM Busway rail line is extra in red)

(The rail line would travel southeast from the 7th street Metro station to the area of Olympic/Maple for a South Broadway/Santee alley station (BIG destination center), then directly east to the intersection of San Pedro and 7th. There it will go from subway to elevated (to cut costs when feasable without comprimising service and speed) down the middle of 7th with a stop between the east end of Skid row and Alameda/greyhound station. The train continues eastward down the middle of 7th elevated to the LA river where it veers southward down the riverbed (cheap Right of Way) and then veers directly east at the Olympic Boulevard bridge to a subway station at Soto/Olympic, which is already a major activity center and has a lot of development potential as well. From there it travels directly east underground to a station at Lorena and Whittier Blvd., from then on the alignment travels along Whittier. with stations at Indiana/Ditman, Ford/Arizona and Atlantic/Goodrich.  East of Atlantic the train can rise to elevated to wherever east its terminus will be.

This concept was basically the same as the old MTA redline extension thru ELA with a few minor adjustments for better service. It creates an alignment that both saves money whenever possible while providing excellent service to almost every major activity center along the corridor as well as Southeast Downtown LA. When presented to MTA officials and civic leaders, as well as locals, it recieved overhwhelming positive feedback. A lot of time was also spent analyzing hte corridor and communities to ensure an optimal transit extension.

So in conclusion: No goldline extension to whittier, YES purple line extension down 7th/Whittier

by Art