4/27/12

Article in LA Times -- Expo Line Won't Impact Regional Congestion

An article in the LA Times about the Expo Line states that "transportation experts said the Line --- even when complete---will not make much of a dent in Westside traffic problems." It quotes an Urban Planning Director at UCLA, stating: "Expo won't impact regional congestion." This is because, as the LA Times says, "As with other light rail systems, the vast majority of Expo riders will probably be people who are already using public transit."

Indeed, because Santa Monica is using the Expo Line as an excuse to approve massive new projects nearby, ignoring what these experts say, the result will be much worse congestion.

"The City's own traffic studies show that traffic in the Bergamot Area is terrible now and will get much worse if the massive Hines Papermate project is built – even with the Expo Line. That is why residents, not just in Santa Monica but throughout the Westside, strongly oppose the City's plans to build a number of very large projects in this area. Simply locating massive developments near transit doesn't make them "transit-oriented" nor does it mitigate the traffic impacts" says Diana Gordon, co-Chair of SMCLC.

Click here to read the LA Times article

Click here for a current map of what the City's plans look like – over 2 million square feet of new development in the pipeline and 24,000 daily new vehicle trips.



4/28/12

Articel in LA Times - Expo Line backers hope the Westside is ready to come aboard

"As might be expected on the Westside, not everyone is enamored of the prospect of more development, regardless of its relationship to transit. A growing coalition of homeowners groups and neighborhood councils has spoken out against Santa Monica's Bergamot Area Plan, in particular.

"Santa Monica, said Diana Gordon, co-chairwoman of the Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City, 'is using the Expo Line as an excuse to approve massive new projects that will greatly worsen the traffic congestion throughout the Westside.' "

click here to read the LA Times article