L.A. subway plans take a radical shift
The new proposed alignment for the "Subway to the Sea" would extend west from the Hollywood/Highland Red Line station, roughly following Santa Monica Boulevard through Beverly Hills, a route that backers say should dip south to connect with the Beverly Center mall and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
The new concept is still in its preliminary stages, and the Wilshire alignment remains on the table. But even though officials don't have funding for the $6-billion project, the new concept has sparked much debate because of how crucial many officials see the subway to easing the Westside's traffic woes.
The new route would bypass the Miracle Mile and Hancock Park, where opposition remains strong to a subway from residents in the upscale residential district.
At the same time, officials and residents in Hollywood and West Hollywood are rolling out the welcome mat, saying the younger, apartment-living residents in that area would be more likely to take the subway.
"We have a tremendous ridership base that would use it," said West Hollywood Councilman Jeffrey Prang.
But the new route perplexes some transit experts, who note that bus ridership is much higher on the Wilshire bus lines than on those along Santa Monica Boulevard.
Buses that run along Wilshire attract 64,300 boardings a day, making it the top bus corridor in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority area, which covers much of Los Angeles County. Santa Monica Boulevard's bus ridership comes in a distant fourth, with 34,900 boardings a day. (Two boardings make up one round trip.)
"The preferred route is where the highest-density corridor is, and that's definitely along the Wilshire area," said Genevieve Giuliano, director of the National Center for Metropolitan Transportation Research at USC.
The MTA's rail planning has come under scrutiny since officials revealed Thursday that the light-rail Exposition Line from downtown to Culver City is expected to cost $145 million, or nearly 23%, more than the original budget called for.
The MTA is examining the pros and cons of each subway route to determine which one deserves further study for an environmental impact report. Officials have not come up with a cost estimate for either alignment.
The last detailed study to explore extending the subway westward was done more than 15 years ago. A subway along Wilshire has long been considered a crucial part of the backbone for a rail system in L.A.
When the idea was raised in the early 1980s, residents and businesses rose up to oppose it, citing concerns about construction delays, the danger from underground methane deposits and a possible increase in crime.
But over the last three decades, some of that opposition has dropped as traffic has worsened.
At a recent public meeting, Miracle Mile resident Diana Eisele, 54, recalled how difficult it was for her relatives from London and Rome to navigate L.A.'s mass transit system.
"It's downright embarrassing trying to get them around the city," said Eisele, who lives two blocks north of Wilshire on Citrus Avenue.
Eisele also said she has suffered her share of the increasing congestion. She teaches fitness programs for senior citizens around the city. Recently, she had to reschedule the start of her class in West Los Angeles from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. because morning traffic is so unpredictable. Still, she says she is often late.
But others along Wilshire remain opposed to a subway there.
"Subways were developed for vertical cities of the last century. This is a horizontal city," said Mike Genewick, president of the Windsor Square Neighborhood Assn., known for its stately historic mansions.
He said he feared that a subway stop at Wilshire and Crenshaw boulevards, and added pressure for development, would "block sunlight and increase crime in single-family residential area."
November 3, 2007
Busiest bus routes
Backers of a subway along Wilshire Boulevard note that the street has far more bus passengers than Santa Monica Boulevard. Here are the top five corridors with the most daily boardings on MTA buses:
Corridor daily boardings*
* Wilshire: 64,300
* Vermont: 57,600
* Western: 40,700
* Santa Monica: 34,900
* Van Nuys: 31,400
(* Does not include subway boardings)
Source: Metropolitan Transportation Authority