Transcript DTRC-01-2005-09-09-Downtown Regional Connector

The
Regional
Gap
Pasadena / San Gabriel Valley
West LA / Santa Monica
East LA / Whittier
“Make the Right
Decisions to
Connect
the LA County’s
Light Rail
Network”
Long Beach
Pasadena / San Gabriel Valley
Downtown
Regional
CONNECTOR
West LA / Santa Monica
“Filling the
Gap”
Long Beach
East LA / Whittier
Filling the Gap:
The Need and Purpose
•
This connector will bring the
currently unconnected Expo,
Blue and Gold Light Rail Lines
together into one Regional
system, by bridging the 1.5
mile gap between 7th St Metro
Center (Blue / Expo Line)
Station and Alameda / 1st St.
(Gold Line) Station.
•
By bridging the gap, two extra
transfers between the
Red/Purple, Blue, Expo and
Gold Lines are eliminated.
•
Eliminating these extra
transfers reduces travel times.
•
Reducing travel times makes
the rail system more user
friendly for current and future
users.
•
A user-friendly transit system
promotes and encourages
people to use the bus and rail
system as an alternative to the
automobile.
Filling a Regional Gap
The connector is more than a rail line serving Downtown
Los Angeles, it is a regional transit link that will stretch
from the Inland
Empire to the Pacific Ocean!
Filling a Downtown Gap
The connector will allow residents and visitors access to
cultural, commercial and civic attractions such as:
•
•
South Park /
Staples Center /
LA Live /
Convention Center
•
Financial District /
Central Library
•
Bunker Hill / Grand
Avenue / Disney Hall
•
Los Angeles City
Hall / Historic Core
•
Little Tokyo / Artist
District.
Thus changing the perception that Los Angeles is 88 towns
in search of a city.
•
Filling a Downtown Gap
• The South Park (between Pico/Chick Hearn Station and 7th Street Metro
Center) and Little Tokyo (around future 1st/Alameda Gold Line station)
areas are undergoing major transformations that are turning sleepy
caterpillars of industrial zones into beautiful vibrant butterflies of urban life
and 24 hour activity with projects such as LA Live, the mixed-use
supermarkets, St. Vibiana Center and other residential buildings. These
areas are primed to become active and thriving neighborhoods that
would require regional access. The Connector would help fill that
gap.
•
Filling a Downtown Gap
• With new residents moving into the Pegasus and the Standard Hotel as
well as the renovation of the Arco Towers and Shopping Center (now
called 505 Flower), the Lower Financial District (between the existing 7th
Street/Metro Center and a future station near 4th and Flower) anchored
with noted landmarks such as the LA Central Library and the
Bonaventure Hotel is primed to be another attraction that will transform
the region.
• Imagine a visitor or resident being able to fly into LAX and with a single
transfer from the Green Line being able to reach to their hotel or
apartment Downtown. This can happen and The Connector would
help fill that gap.
•
Filling a Downtown Gap
• The Bunker Hill/Music Center area (Future Station on Grand Avenue)
with the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Museum of Contemporary Art and
the high-profile Grand Avenue project, aspires to bring the people back
to the Civic Center and generate the excitement of world class
landmarks. But can these buildings do this by themselves?
• What are Times Square in New York, the Champs Elysees in Paris and
Piccadilly Circus in London without the maze of subway and transit lines
linking people from various areas without a car to these attractions?
• Los Angeles’ world class civic attractions require access to mass transit.
The Connector would help fill that gap.
Filling a Lifestyle Gap
The connector will also allow existing regional residents and
growing Downtown residents access to an urban lifestyle.
•
There is a rapidly growing population living Downtown in areas near future
station locations such as Staples Center, Bunker Hill, Historic Core, Little
Tokyo and Artist District. Now is the time to sustain this momentum and
prepare for future growth with the tools of rail.
•
Filling a Future Gap
The connector will maximize future Transit Oriented Development
(T.O.D.s) potential along the light rail corridors.
• Instead of having every LRT corridor utilize a rail yard and maintenance
facility which requires a minimum of 20 acres of valuable land.
• These facilities can be shared through out the region. Allowing more space for
dense “smart growth” development and green space, promoting better landuse and zoning. The connector will fill this gap.
•
Filling an Operations Gap
The connector will simplify Rail operations
• By eliminating the current turn back set-up at 7th Street Metro Center,
this would allow for through-running of LRT services providing faster
operations and better schedule adherence thus reducing costs.
• This also provides potential opportunities in creating more direct routes,
which reduces transfers and increases new transit customers. The
connector would fill this gap.
Closing Gaps
By Working Together
•
Constructing this connector can be
relatively easy and cost-effective,
when it is coupled with planned
dense developments surrounding
the corridor creating public–private
partnerships in which both parties
win!
•
The parties can coordinate and
preserve easements and rights-ofway that can allow grade separating
trains from crossing vehicle traffic
while remaining pedestrian friendly
and inviting.
•
A local example is the Memorial
Park Gold Line Station, that allowed
for a below-grade station to be built
at a reasonable cost in conjunction
with a condo development.
•
Street running of the connector will
interfere with possible 90 second
headways to be required for future
service demands.
Memorial Park Gold Line Station
East Los Angeles
Our Vision:
We strongly support building the Expo Line to
Santa Monica, Crenshaw Corridor Light Rail, Gold
Lines east to Azusa/Citrus College and Whittier
and Green Line to LAX as regional priorities.
Long Beach
To advance The Connector, we would like to:
* Fast track the Major Investment Study (MIS), since
per Metro’s LRTP draft analysis this was the most
cost-effective project.
* Lobby for local support from the L.A. City Council
L.A. County Board of Supervisors and Metro Board
to begin funding the required Environmental Impact
Reports (EIR) for this vital project.
* Look at creative financing and funding methods in
order to build and operate the connector.
West LA/
Santa Monica
Pasadena/
San Gabriel
Valley
Downtown
Regional
CONNECTOR
“Filling the Gap”
Post Office Box 567 * San Fernando, California 91341-0567
V: (818) 367-1661 * F: (818) 367-1633 * [email protected] * www.transitcoaltion.org
Designed and Prepared by Jerard Wright
DTRC-01-2005-09-09-Downtown Regional Connector 14 page (Updated: 17 March 2007)