Fight looms over Gold Line extension

San Gabriel Valley leaders are preparing for a fight Thursday, when they'll try to persuade the county transit authority to include funding for the Gold Line Foothill Extension as a priority in its long-range transportation plan.

[She better watch her back]

we need the stupid greedy metro.

[She better watch her back]

This train shoul have been finished in 2012, but greedy metro would give the gold line funding.

[WOW]

I've been a strong critic of the MTA and the dubious decisions making on things like the Breda cars-nothing but turkey's supported by the Mayor. But, the whining by the Gold Line Authority over extension to Claremont, or Ontario is growing a little bit shrill.

The Gold Line extension to Azusa is a good project. The often political local "promises" to take the line to Clarmont and the Ontario Airport are clearly not yet ready to take limited transit funding. It is a proposal for a future extension, using ight rail technology, that, as yet, indicates it would likely produce little in the way of strong transit ridership results, or transportation benefits.

The proposal to study additional Metrolink service as an alternative from Azusa to Claremont makes good sense for this segment, given the travel demands in that segment. Maybe, the Gold Line Authority would have more credibility, if it did more serious analysis of this segment's needs, and less "promising" or pandering to appease local Gold Line Board members from the east Valley? Whining and playing the victim on this issue is both unwarranted and undignified, however.

MTA should agree to fund operations for the early start up of the Gold Line to Azusa, if a financing scheme to build the line on an accelerated schedule, through an innovative finance design build contract. This would allow the Azusa extension to be built sooner, operate sooner, and create badly needed JOBS(!) now. So the MTA Board needs to sublimate, act like adults, and quit playing games, too.

So, instead of whining, the Gold Line Authority should be thankful for the Azusa Gold Line extension funding. The Authority should also agree to continue to study all of the viable and cost effective alternatives for future rail service in the East Valley, and see what makes more sense for your constituents?

[Warren]

I think the MTA has the right idea. Build an Mertolink line from from Claremont to Pasadena. The line would actually go from Pasadena to San Bernardino. I'm sure it would be less expensive and could be completed by 2013

[More study needed]

Gold line goes far enough for now. Let's not rush into any extensions until we see the long run effects on Pasadena and south Pasadena.

[kristin]

The real reason why the MTA won't extend the Gold Line is because the board is dominated by Los Angeles representatives, and they would rather use the money to build only in LA. They couldn't care less about the rest of the county.

[Sales Taxed]

Wow,

Your last paragraph above displays your ignorance of the facts. The Gold Line Authority was granted about 800 million dollars of funding by Measure "R", the sales tax measure passed last year. Our sales taxes returned to us - what a concept!

The language of that measure stated that the Gold Line was to be built TO, NOT TOWARD, Claremont. The sales tax dollars paid by us, SHOULD be used to fund transit projects in our area. MTA is not "giving" us anything, merely returning what is rightly ours and was PROMISED to us in legislation MTA wrote!

Your second paragraph ignores the history of MTA building projects that go nowhere. Witness the Green Line that fails to reach LAX - wasn't that brilliant? Los Angeles says they want to increase volume at Ontario Airport and reduce traffic air traffic at LAX. What better way than to have light rail going to Ontario. You also ignore the Billions of dollars of plans that have already been made for Transit Oriented Development along the Gold Line Right of Way. Speaking of the Right of Way, it is already owned by the GOLD LINE.

Finally, MTA, led by Villaraigosa and West Side interests, are pursuing the "Subway to the Sea" to the exclusion of other, less costly and more viable alternatives thrhoughout the county.

The subway in current dollars will cost about $700,000,000 PER MILE to build. The Gold Line will cost about $30,000,000 per mile. MTA could build EVERY OTHER TRANSIT PROJECT in Los Angeles for what they want to spend on the SUBWAY.

We need to get people out of their cars and create jobs NOW, not in 15 or 20 years.

[Lawrence]

Anyone who thinks the Gold Line extension to Claremont is of greater importance than the Westside subway is completely oblivious to how transit really works.

As a Pasadena resident I think a line out to Claremont and beyond would be great, but the ridership is weak, especially when compared to a westside subway that will connect the two largest employment centers in the entire county - Downtown L.A and the Westside including Westwood, Miracle Mile, and eventually Century City. There simply isn't enough density along the foothill corridor to make the line a high priority at this point.

I'm also sick of hearing about the "L.A agenda" and L.A is screwing us over bla blah. L.A county operates as a region and people traverse it everyday for work and play. No one city in the county exists in a vacuum and the whining by SGV politicians is parochial and short sighted.

There are plenty of people who live in the San Gabriel valley and work in Downtown or the Westside. I'm one of them - and I still support the subway and downtown connector being built before the gold line foothill extension. I do believe all of the proposed lines will be built, but the subway should take precedence. It along with the downtown connector are the only two projects that would be considered viable for federal funding at this point anyway as they are backed up by strong ridership projections.

[jwmckims]

This is the same ploy all over again. MTA saying they did not have funds to provide service, Until the Blue Line Construction authority took the funds away from them. Then the line started rolling.

[WOW]

In don't defend the MTA's behavior on this, the corrupt and self serving decision making by some factions is obvious, and I stated that. I'll let Sales Taxed lecture me on facts, when you actually have facts to lecture me on?

The Azusa extension is ready, it's relatively cheap, and it performs well, for that money. The extension to Claremont or Ontario is still nothing but a political fantasy for the SGV. It is not "yet" ready to be supported, by any credible ridership estimate. Metrolink does make sense for the long distance trips that segment would attract, so study it.

Adopt the LRTP and let's start doing the work that is needed now.

[More study needed]

We need transportation to LAX and ONT not tract homes in Claremont.

[Should da]

Your over studied at UC Davis poster person, get off the pot and let the people at the helm get somewhere with his Goldline project. Local political leaders (?) who have been stalling this extension for far to long.

Those that stalled this have special interests friends and their own pocket to line first before they will let this be built.

[kristin]

Lawrence wrote:

I'm also sick of hearing about the "L.A agenda" and L.A is screwing us over bla blah. L.A county operates as a region and people traverse it everyday for work and play. No one city in the county exists in a vacuum and the whining by SGV politicians is parochial and short sighted.

I'm all for representatives for the entire county working together on the MTA board. The problem is that the city of Los Angeles has too many representatives in proportion to its population. The MTA board needs to have more representatives from outside the city of Los Angeles to reflect the true population distribution in Los Angeles County. But they are not willing too add more people because they the representatives from the city of Los Angeles are afraid of losing their control of the board.
Double or triple the size of the MTA board, and make it representative of the entire county.

[GeeCee]

Those that can't see this line going east of Azusa obviously don't see the thousands of commuters coming from the desert into LA. This line isn't serving the local SGV area. It will serve those far east of the valley and into LA. The existing line from Pasadena already has decent ridership. There's no study needed to know how it's going to serve Pasadena or South Pasadena. It's already working.
This entire debate DOES revolve around the City of Los Angeles versus the San Gabriel Valley. We are forced to the whims of the politicos from "the big city" rather than the good of the population. Will those westsiders ride a subway to the sea rather than a bus? There's already a lot of commotion regarding right of ways (NIMBY). Does a large commuter population wait while the westsiders fight it out with environmental issues or right of ways? We'll be dead by the time those issues are fought out.

Build the Gold Line. Period.

[Tommy]

Why do the people that propose these trains want them to go to the airport? The one that goes near LAX is worthless for an airline passenger because the cops write you a ticket if you get on with a suitcase.

Now, if you are a bum you can board with a shopping cart and nothing is said.

If you are one of those people who think they are part of the Tour d' France, complete with uniform and special shoes, get on with a bicycle. No Problem.

Airports all over the world let you take your bag on the train, and the car stops inside the terminal where there are baggage carts to get to the check in counter.

But in LA, the MTA is out to make it as difficult as possible to leave town.

[DonW]

The current Gold Line is a failure. Ridership is so low as to be laughable. The "transit villages" that have sprung up along the Gold Line stsations have turned out to be subsidized housing for commuters who drive cars, not for people who use the Gold Line. For these reasons, extending the Gold Line would be a colossal waste of money. The Los Angeles area now has what is probably the busiest bus system in North America. That's where the money should be spent.

[Metro Gold Line]

When is the new Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension opens soon until year of 2017 from Downtown Pasadena to Montclair, including Metro Gold Line Extension to Ontario Airport/LAX/Ontario Airport, connecting to the Metrolink San Bernardino Line?

[Metro Gold Line]

When is the New Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension and Southern California Regional Rail Authority Metrolink Commuter Train Rail Service of the San Bernardino and San Gabriel Valley Lines opens soon of Arcadia, Irwindale, Azusa, Glendora, Monrovia, Duarte, San Dimas, La Verne, Pomona, Claremont, Montclair and Ontario Airport/LAX/ONT?