getlamoving.co m get l.a. moving plan (a working proposal) transit coalition monthly meeting 23...

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Get L.A. Moving PlanGet L.A. Moving Planwww.GetLAMoving.comwww.GetLAMoving.com

(A Working Proposal)(A Working Proposal)

Transit Coalition Monthly MeetingTransit Coalition Monthly Meeting23 January 200723 January 2007

Presentation byPresentation byDamien GoodmonDamien Goodmon


LA County Rail Transit 2011• Heavy Rail

– Red (& Purple) & Green

• Light Rail– Blue, Gold & Expo/Aqua

• Commuter Rail– Metrolink


LA County Rail Transit 2025

?


Background: Boston Square System

The Square:• Center of the

community- Events/festivals

• Job center• Outdoor

shopping & dining

• Filled with pedestrian activity– Allows small

businesses to compete with chains

Harvard Square (Cambridge, MA)


Background: Boston Square System

MBTA (“T”)• The subway

station was the center of the bus system for the local area– Hub and Spoke– Train = heart– Bus = veins


Initial Research• MTA Library

– Environmental Impact Reports– Major Investment Studies– MTA Long Range Transportation

Plans– SCAG Regional Transportation

Plans– Predecessor Rail Systems: P.E. &

LARy

• Transit Advocates– Transit Coalition– Skyscraper Page Forum– Sierra Club

• Media– Politician’s Statements


Consensus

• Research revealed general agreement on need & placement of rapid transit– No concrete plan to build a system to get L.A. moving


Factors: MTA Transit Service Policy

• Daily Boardings Greater Than 50K/day = 100% Grade Separation

• Station Spacing– Urban Rail: Average 1 per mile

• Travel time: 30 to 34 miles/hr

– Commuter Rail

3rd/Vermont


Factors: Current Transit Usage

• Bus Ridership• Rapid Bus Service

– Major Transit Corridors– Rapid Bus Stations


Factors: Projected Traffic Increases

FREEWAY SPEEDS:• Red: Less than 20 mph

• Yellow: 20-35 mph• Blue: Greater than 35 mph


Factors: Population Density

Pop. Growth: 3-6 million new Angelinos / Southern Californians by 2020

Projected 2030


Factors: Employment Density

Job centers expected to generally remain in place

Projected 2030


Factors: Transit Dependency

A census tract is designated transit dependent when according to 2000 census:1. 13.5% or more households do not own a car.2. 21.7% or more households include individuals 65 or older, and less than 34.1%

have 2 cars, and less than 17.1% have 3 or more cars.3. 17.6% or more of the households have income of $15,000 or less (in 1999 dollars).


Factors: Destinations

• Transportation centers, Tourist attractions, Malls, Museums, Stadiums, Entertainment districts, Schools


• 85% of the Lines are Unoriginal– One canvass:

Build a system not lines

• Proposal as of January 2007

• Digital Production by Steve Boland and Jason Law


Get L.A. Moving System Stats

• Metro Rail – 12 Lines– 344 Stations – 387 Total Miles of Revenue

Track– 309 Miles of New Track

• Metrolink Lines– 10 Lines– 30 Metrolink Stations (LA

County)– 86.8 Miles of New Track

Hollywood/Highland Station


Getting It Built: OrganizationDivide Map Along Metro Sector Boundaries

• San Fernando, Westside-Central, South Bay, Gateway, San Gabriel– 2011: System will have

branches to build from in all sectors

• Complete projects within boundaries by uniform date

• Joint Powers Authorities or divisions of larger construction authority– JPA advantages: More

flexibility (state laws) & quicker response to construction challenges

– Division advantages: Design consistency, central project management & improved overall coordination

Metro’s Current Planning Districts/Sectors


Getting It Built: Aggressive Schedule

13 Year Deadline• Simultaneous

Investment– First 3 years:

• Develop bureaucracy(ies)• Finalize EIR or begin design

or construction of projects with up-to-date studies

• Train workforce– Ensuing 10 years:

• All projects in EIR, Design or Build stage

– Involve the entire county throughout the process

• M.O.S./Phased Openings

Example: Westside-Central JPA/DivisionTotal: 79.2 miles of new rail


Getting It Built: Tunneling• Community preferred

– Significantly less environmental impacts during construction and operation • Permits longer construction workday if necessary (16-22 hours)

• Tunneling has become cost competitive (capital) – At-grade option not as attractive

• More expensive (real estate acquisition, longer construction schedules, utility relocation, etc.)

• Metro Transit Service Policy requires route serving 50K/day to be 100% grade separated

– Elevated rail nearly as expensive as subway• Drastic improvements in tunneling technology

– Single-bore twin track instead of twin tunnel– One tunnel boring machine = 3 miles/yr

• 11 T.B.M.s = Excavate 33 miles/yr– Not limited to corridor

• Diversions possible– GLAM: 99% on streets & highways

– Shallow Tunneling• Allows open air (trench) stations

50’ diameter tunnel boring machine (Madrid)


Getting It Built: Stations

• Boring Shallow Tunnels with Open-cut/Open-air/Trench Stations– Trench stations significantly cheaper than

cut-and-cover Stations:• Open-cut stations: $15-25 million each • Red line MOS-3 (Opened 2000:

Hollywood/Highland to North Hollywood)

– Cut-and-cover stations: $61-78 million each

– Tunnels: $40-45 mil/mile

Possible placement of Crenshaw Line Leimert Park open-cut station (Leimert/Vernon):

D.C. Metro Open Cut Station:


Getting It Built: FinancingCapital Cost: $31-38B • Economy of Scale:

– Subway: $100-125 million/mile

– At-grade: $40-60 million/mile

• $20 Billion County Bond– Bond repayment: $1.3

billion/year– ‘06 LA County budget: $21

billion (likely $24B by ‘10)

• State & Federal Matches– Several projects would be #1

urban rail priority in the country and #1 transportation priority in the state

– Need to identify additional funding sources

2010 County Budget:

2023 County Budget:


Case Study: Beijing“Underground” Expansion Plans: • Jan 2007: 71 miles (33 miles of subway)• 2010: 169 miles• 2020: 348 miles• Proves it is physically possible to build a

substantial amount of subway tunnels quickly


Case Study: Madrid“Many cities around the world desperately need new metro lines, but they cannot afford to build them at an estimated [$300 million to $400 million per mile], nor be forced to wait a dozen years for the lines to become reality. The truth is these estimates of cost and time are simply wrong. In Madrid, with all humbleness, we have now proved it on more than one occasion.”

- Madrid Metro President Manuel Melis

• ‘95 - ’99 Subway Expansion: – 23 miles at $70 million/mile

• ‘99 - ’03 Subway Expansion: – 36 miles at $85 million/mile

• Included rolling stock and yard

• ‘03-’07 Subway Expansion: – 33 miles

• Spain: World’s 8th largest economy, European Union country, union labor, stringent environmental & safety standards


Case Study: Madrid• Economy of scale• Sizeable but functional stations• Single-bore (31’ diameter), twin-track

tunnels– 10 T.B.M.s currently in operation– Simultaneous investment

• Divide project into small manageable segments– Civil contracts plus two specialist

consultants contracts for quality control & technical assistance

– Fixed price with a bill of quantities• Architectural and civil engineering project management the responsibility of a small group of engineers employed by government– ‘99 - ‘03 Expansion: 3 chiefs engineers and 6 associates

• Designer exclusion from construction• Time is money: both to engineers/contractors and system patrons• Extensive monitoring of conditions around worksite • Political leaders respond to construction concerns within 24 hours


Case Study: Los Angeles

• Mayor’s Sept. 8 Meeting:– 13-mile Wilshire subway:

construction to operation in 18 months

• 8 - 10 T.B.M.s simultaneously excavating twin tunnels

• Requires capital up front

• Mayor: Currently polling a local bond to complete local transit projects


Current State: NIMBY to IMBYF

• NIMBY: Not in my backyard• IMBYF: In my backyard first

– Lack of large dedicated funding source forces LA County politicians and transit advocates to compete against one another instead of combine their powerful forces to work together

– Wastes time and resources necessary to effectively lobby for matching funds: state, federal & private

• Short phases take too long to complete– Wilshire Subway: Who wants to wait 20

years?– Term-limited politicians and voters have

no confidence rail expansion will directly benefit them

• Direct result of piecemeal planning• Shared Burden = Shared Benefit

– Christmas tree legislation/Coalition building: The more stakeholders invested in the success of the system the greater the commitment to its completion


Angelinos Want A Solution• Crises: Mobility, Gas Prices,

Environment, Terrorism• Mass transit is the solution

– Poll: 60% of county voters are willing to increase taxes for rail expansion projects

• Issues are not partisan; impact everyone

– Potential to create a truly widespread coalition

• Current efforts to lower threshold from 2/3rds to 3/5ths or 55%


LA Economy Requires a Solution• The high cost of traffic/personal

autos– Lost income– Goods movement– Companies have to increase

salaries to attract the skilled workers willing to endure the commute

– Lost time with families and friends– Health impacts

• The housing crisis– 3 - 6 million more Angelinos by

2020: where are they going to live?– Saturate marketplace with housing– Must increase density where

appropriate without sacrificing mobility

• The high cost of sprawl– Infrastructure: civil & social

services

D.C. Metro Silver Springs station before and after


Transit Villages/Smart Growth• Transform our streets currently lined with

single-use land and single-story buildings into walkable, bikeable, livable and enjoyable communities– Elegantly increase density where

appropriate– Create and cultivate thriving local

economies and small businesses – Connect our communities and major

destinations (not just intersections)• Lifecycle cost versus Capital cost

– Create transit-oriented development not just transit-proximate development

While preserving single-family home neighborhoodsArlington County, VA (EPA Smart Growth award):

Los Angeles General Plan (1974)


We are the Vehicle for Change

• Support is going to come from the grassroots – It takes courage, commitment and long-term vision not currently widespread among politicians– Up to average Joe & Jane Citizen to spark the conversation about a regional master plan and

educate the electorate about its importance– We must continue working together to maximize our limited resources of time and energy, and

inspire average citizens to join the effort• There are many steps in this journey:

– Preserving and increasing mass transit operational funding, 1998 Prop. A ban, Robbins law, etc.


Los Angeles Is A World City

Learn from fellow world city’s successes and challenges:– London– Tokyo– New York– Paris– (Curitiba’s

not on the list of world cities)


City of Dreams/“Can Do” Country• L.A. voters responded to the school overcrowding crisis with 19.2 billion in bonds and now

students that attended elementary schools that were busting at the seams when the bonds were passed have a completely new choice of brand-new first class high schools to attend

• We have the capacity - Let’s create the plan - LET’S GET L.A. MOVING!

getlamoving.co m get l.a. moving plan (a working proposal) transit coalition monthly meeting 23...

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