What makes Los Angeles great...

I finally did it. I rode on the Los Angeles subway. Actually, I took the Orange Line from Reseda, changed to subway at the North Hollywood station, made one stop, and arrived at the Convention Center. As a participant in the L.A. Marathon, I needed to get to the Convention Center on Saturday to pick up my bib and bag - an obvious ploy to get me to the health expo which was an advertising maze masked behind the impression of healthy living. Since I have written about public transit and since I have lived in Los Angeles for the vast majority of my life, it was time to take L.A. public transit. Sure, I've done the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus, but this is different.

First of all, the Orange Line is darling. It's clean, it's monitored so that riders are aware of how long their wait is, and it is a necessary line for the Valley. The buses were well-stocked with riders, and the recent news that the line will extend from Warner Center to Chatsworth is great. The Valley deserves good public transit.

It took me about 30 minutes to get from the Reseda station to the rainbow-colored North Hollywood Station. We were like an exodus of people leaving the Metro bus, crossing the street, and entering the huge shell of the NoHo stop structure. I dug running down the deep staircase. It reminded me of running down the stairs at the BART stations up north, or the metro stations in Paris. There is something about subways that I really love and that reflects the rush and community of urban living. I was very impressed with my L.A. experience. The subway directions were very clearly labelled, and the trains were quick. I took the train from NoHo to the Metro Center downtown where I changed to the San Pedro line for one stop, and got off in front of the Convention Center.

All in all, the trip took one hour there, and one hour back. It was a bit long, but so is Los Angeles!

So Sunday was the Los Angeles Marathon. For any longtime blog readers, you know that I had a post a couple of years ago where I criticized races where participants claim they run for someone else or for charity. Since I have become a runner and have started participating in races, I have become a cheerleader for runners.

I participated in the 5K race that started at 7:15AM on Figueroa close to the Coliseum. I completed *just* under 30 minutes and hope to really work on my time for the 10K I signed up for in May. My favorite part of races is what happens afterwards (no, not just the free snacks and fruit). I hung out for the next few hours, listening to the great band, talking to people, and then cheering on the marathoners between mile 13-14. I was blown away by the handicap and wheelchair racers who peddled with the strength of their arms and the will of their spirit.

I also saw 2 Zorros, 1 green man, 2 barefoot runners, 1 bikini wearer, Jonny Lee Miller, and 1 "Coat Man" with a waiter's tray in his hands. I sat in between the Coliseum and Natural History Museum next to the nicest couple who had a cooler in tow ready to provide sustenance to their friends who were running. For any Angelenos, I encourage you to mark your calendars now for next year, make some signs, get your friends together and prepare to celebrate Los Angeles by rooting for the marathon runners. It is a great event for the city and a wonderful community experience. Who knows? Maybe I'll participate in the 26.2 mile race next time. And......take public transit to get there.

Transportation Officials Discuss Traffic Fixes for L.A.

Published today in all three Sun Community Newspapers. Encino Sun comes out tomorrow.

www.suncommunitynewspapers.com Please leave specific comments regarding the article on the Sun site so the discussion reaches a greater net of interested parties.

Transportation officials discuss traffic fixes for L.A.
BY NAZBANOO PAHLAVI

The Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley held an INFO Summit November 1 to discuss the roles of public transportation, cargo movement and traffic in the economic development of the Valley and its 1.84 million residents.

Held at the Holiday Inn in Burbank, the Summit featured talks between city officials, planners and stakeholders. David Fleming, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce Chair and Metro Board Member, moderated three panels.

“The public basically is opposed to change and yet they hate gridlock,” Fleming said. Proposed solutions have included one-way streets, congestion pricing, and the restriction of left-turn lanes during peak hours.

Wendy Greuel, Chair of the City Council’s Transportation Committee and 2nd district representative, remarked that such solutions had a noticeable impact when implemented temporarily during the 1984 Olympic Games. Fleming added that by staggering business hours for companies during that time, “we were able to drive 65 miles per hour during rush hour.”

Burbank Mayor Marsha Ramos said one area of concern for officials is duplication in public transportation services on the local and citywide level. “One thing we need to do better is to bring all those players at the table so that we’re using every dollar that is given to public transportation in the most efficient manner.”

Despite the $20 billion earmarked by the California Transportation Commission (CTC) for the state, CTC Commissioner Larry Zarian said California is still 20 to 30 years behind. For him – like Ramos – the problem is a lack of synergy.

“We are not coordinated,” Zarian said. “Who should be in this room today are the 53 members of congress that represent us.”

The success story of the day was the Orange Line, which runs from Warner Center in Woodland Hills to North Hollywood and provides West Valley residents with a more seamless connection to downtown.

County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who worked on the project, said that riders are “voting with their feet” – during one day last month, 25,800 passengers boarded the Orange Line.

“You got to have the local leaders who are willing to stick their neck out a little bit and spend the political capital that they accumulate,” he noted.

The MTA board has directed the next segment of the Orange Line to extend from the Warner Center to Chatsworth.

Despite its success, however, bus lines have not been as attractive to policy makers as light rail, which costs $65 million per mile, or subway, which costs $300 million per mile and takes years to complete.

The Orange Line costs $15 million per mile and takes a fraction of the time to complete.

The Summit also featured report findings from the Mulholland Institute on economic development opportunities along the I-5 Corridor – the 30-mile stretch of freeway from route 126 in the north, through Santa Clarita, Burbank, and into the northern downtown area.

Officials also discussed urban revitalization plans for the neglected Sun Valley region, with hopes of reforming it into the Silicon Valley of the south by housing biotech companies.