Metro Quarterly, Readers Enjoyed a Transit Account
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spring 2004 Metro Fights For la County’s Fair Share Of Transit Funding Find Out How You Can Help Chief Executive Metro is navigating di;cult >nancial straits as the ?ow of transportation funding mq spring 2004 O;cer d.c from Sacramento and Washington, . becomes more scarce. Still, it’s not Published by Roger Snoble all doom and gloom by any means. In fact, it’s an opportunity for Metro to craft Metro Communications new and better ways of moving people and goods. At the same time, we’re Department exercising a leadership role in mobilizing Los Angeles County stakeholders to Editor: contents >ght for the region’s fair share of available transportation dollars. gary wosk Los Angeles County could lose as much as $1 billion in state transportation Writers: funding in the next >ve years. Congress also is scrambling to >nd new monies for bill heard highway and mass transit projects against a backdrop of mounting federal warren morse budget de>cits. That’s the bad news. ed scannell 4 cean collier The good news is key Metro projects are moving forward. Metro’s Eastside light lisa huynh s 4 fast lanes rail project has emerged as one of the Federal Transit Administration’s top adrienne figueroa Exclusive lanes make Wilshire Boulevard Metro Rapid funding priorities, and the Metro Orange Line transitway in the San Fernando claudia keith Valley is under construction. trips even faster. Graphic Design: Metro is taking delivery of 300 high-capacity buses. Two more Metro Rapid lines metro design studio 6 getting there will debut on Soto and Vernon/La Cienega in June, and Metro is testing an Metro Orange Line transitway construction underway. exclusive bus lane on Wilshire Boulevard. Dozens of critical street and highway Account Executive: yvonne price improvement projects also are pushing ahead, funded in large part by local 7 relief transit sales tax dollars, which has been our mainstay during this >scal crisis. Photographers: john weiskopf Finding solutions for congested Long Beach Freeway. Investing in transit grows the economy and spurs more revenue for government greg mancuso at all levels. At the same time, getting more people to use public transit or try chris lovdahl Metro rideshare programs eases tra;c congestion and improves air quality. juan ocampo s 8 persuasion We lay it on the line in this issue of Metro Quaterly, our progress and our >scal laura woodward The push is on to convince state and federal legislators challenges, and we’ll tell you how you can help Metro sail safely through the kyung kim to keep vital transportation projects moving forward. roxanne tan tough times ahead. Circulation: karen kern 15 mobility role Sincerely, bob sanders Metro is responsible for a wide range of regionally dan colonello Roger Snoble signi>cant transportation projects. Metro Research: jim walker s 16 oasis (Dorothy Peyton Gray Metro Gold Line is becoming a destination for former Transportation Library) drivers and Chinatown a>cionados. Deputy Executive O;cer, 16 decision Public Relations: marc littman Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension in line for Chief Communications O;cer: federal funding. Board of Directors matt raymond Zev Yaroslavsky Board Chairman, Third Supervisorial District 18 more metro… Frank Roberts 1st Vice Chair, Mayor of Lancaster James Hahn 2nd Vice Chair, Mayor of Los Angeles > Bicyclists ride free May 20 > Gateway Cities new general manager Gloria Molina First Supervisorial District mq is the winner of >rst place Yvonne Brathwaite Burke Second Supervisorial District Adwheels Award presented by > Smart cards debut later this year Don Knabe Fourth Supervisorial District American Public Transportation > New vanpoolers irresistible proposal Association. Mike D. Antonovich Fifth Supervisorial District > Metro honors the great Chick Hearn All comments concerning mq > All out assault on graffiti declared Tom LaBonge City Council Member, Los Angeles or requests to be added to Martin Ludlow City Council Member, Los Angeles the mailing list, free-of-charge, Antonio Villaraigosa City Council Member, Los Angeles should be directed to: John Fasana Mayor of Duarte mq, Metro Media Relations Beatrice Proo Mayor of Pico Rivera Mail Stop 99-2-30h 15 One Gateway Plaza Pam O’Connor City Council Member, Santa Monica Los Angeles, ca 90012–2952 Ron Wong Non-voting member or by e-mail to [email protected] Chief Executive Metro is navigating di;cult >nancial straits as the ?ow of transportation funding mq spring 2004 O;cer d.c from Sacramento and Washington, . becomes more scarce. Still, it’s not Published by Roger Snoble all doom and gloom by any means. In fact, it’s an opportunity for Metro to craft Metro Communications new and better ways of moving people and goods. At the same time, we’re Department exercising a leadership role in mobilizing Los Angeles County stakeholders to Editor: contents >ght for the region’s fair share of available transportation dollars. gary wosk Los Angeles County could lose as much as $1 billion in state transportation Writers: funding in the next >ve years. Congress also is scrambling to >nd new monies for bill heard highway and mass transit projects against a backdrop of mounting federal warren morse budget de>cits. That’s the bad news. ed scannell 4 cean collier The good news is key Metro projects are moving forward. Metro’s Eastside light lisa huynh s 4 fast lanes rail project has emerged as one of the Federal Transit Administration’s top adrienne figueroa Exclusive lanes make Wilshire Boulevard Metro Rapid funding priorities, and the Metro Orange Line transitway in the San Fernando claudia keith Valley is under construction. trips even faster. Graphic Design: Metro is taking delivery of 300 high-capacity buses. Two more Metro Rapid lines metro design studio 6 getting there will debut on Soto and Vernon/La Cienega in June, and Metro is testing an Metro Orange Line transitway construction underway. exclusive bus lane on Wilshire Boulevard. Dozens of critical street and highway Account Executive: yvonne price improvement projects also are pushing ahead, funded in large part by local 7 relief transit sales tax dollars, which has been our mainstay during this >scal crisis. Photographers: john weiskopf Finding solutions for congested Long Beach Freeway. Investing in transit grows the economy and spurs more revenue for government greg mancuso at all levels. At the same time, getting more people to use public transit or try chris lovdahl Metro rideshare programs eases tra;c congestion and improves air quality. juan ocampo s 8 persuasion We lay it on the line in this issue of Metro Quaterly, our progress and our >scal laura woodward The push is on to convince state and federal legislators challenges, and we’ll tell you how you can help Metro sail safely through the kyung kim to keep vital transportation projects moving forward. roxanne tan tough times ahead. Circulation: karen kern 15 mobility role Sincerely, bob sanders Metro is responsible for a wide range of regionally dan colonello Roger Snoble signi>cant transportation projects. Metro Research: jim walker s 16 oasis (Dorothy Peyton Gray Metro Gold Line is becoming a destination for former Transportation Library) drivers and Chinatown a>cionados. Deputy Executive O;cer, 16 decision Public Relations: marc littman Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension in line for Chief Communications O;cer: federal funding. Board of Directors matt raymond Zev Yaroslavsky Board Chairman, Third Supervisorial District 18 more metro… Frank Roberts 1st Vice Chair, Mayor of Lancaster James Hahn 2nd Vice Chair, Mayor of Los Angeles > Bicyclists ride free May 20 > Gateway Cities new general manager Gloria Molina First Supervisorial District mq is the winner of >rst place Yvonne Brathwaite Burke Second Supervisorial District Adwheels Award presented by > Smart cards debut later this year Don Knabe Fourth Supervisorial District American Public Transportation > New vanpoolers irresistible proposal Association. Mike D. Antonovich Fifth Supervisorial District > Metro honors the great Chick Hearn All comments concerning mq > All out assault on graffiti declared Tom LaBonge City Council Member, Los Angeles or requests to be added to Martin Ludlow City Council Member, Los Angeles the mailing list, free-of-charge, Antonio Villaraigosa City Council Member, Los Angeles should be directed to: John Fasana Mayor of Duarte mq, Metro Media Relations Beatrice Proo Mayor of Pico Rivera Mail Stop 99-2-30h 15 One Gateway Plaza Pam O’Connor City Council Member, Santa Monica Los Angeles, ca 90012–2952 Ron Wong Non-voting member or by e-mail to [email protected] Metro is now testing exclusive bus Bus-Only Lanes Exploring Metro Rapid Automation Technologies lanes on Wilshire Boulevard. Demonstration Underway Imagine riding a Metro Rapid bus that safely drives itself Bus operators would operate the bus under manual along a special lane of tra;c. control while going to and from automated road sections. On Wilshire Boulevard All this will be possible with electronic guidance systems “This technology and others hold promise for speeding now being developed by the California Partners for service while not compromising safety,” says mta The curbside lane on each side of Wilshire Boulevard Advanced Transit and Highways (path), a research Director of Regional Planning Rex Gephart. “We’re always between Federal and Centinela avenues is now program from the University of California, Berkeley. Metro on the lookout for technologies like these that will designated as a bus-only lane. is working with path and others on e=orts to introduce help improve the transit experience for our customers.” • Metro Rapid, Metro Local and municipal carriers are these technologies for Bus Rapid Transit applications in using the bus-only lanes, which are in e=ect during peak la County in the coming years. Automated Bus periods from 7 am to 9 am and from 4 pm to 7 pm.