Dana Gabbard
Recent Posts
What Corridors Could Be Best for BRT? Metro’s Study Progresses
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Back at the August 4, 2011 Metro Board meeting Los Angeles Mayor (and Metro Board member) Antonio Villariagiosa authored a motion that directed Metro undertake among other bus service improvements initiatives a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) study ” … with local jurisdictions to identify, analyze and recommend a minimum of five corridors in the County […]
Doubling Efforts on Metro’s Fare Studies?
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It is interesting that Steve Hymon reports that Metro Board member Diane Dubois asked for a staff report on fare restructuring at the last Metro Board meeting. My curiosity is piqued mostly because such a study is already underway. I know this from viewing the staff presentation on it made at the March 27, 2013 […]
Metro’s Point Person for Regional Rail Featured Speaker at Saturday’s SO.CA.TA Meeting
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In 2011 Don Sepulveda joined Metro as Executive Officer–Regional Rail. This Saturday at 2 p.m. he’ll be the guest speaker at the monthly meeting of Southern California Transit Advocates. This is in downtown Los Angeles at the Angelus Plaza senior living complex, 255 S. Hill St. (1/2 block north of Grand Central Market), on the […]
Have You Ever Been Harassed on the Bus?
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(Note: When Streetsblog first launched, we were taken to task by the writing team at The Bus Bench for reporting about the dangers of cycling and harassment from drivers, but never the risks taken by transit riders, especially those riding after hours. We’ve gotten better on this issue, Sahra Sulaiman’s piece on THAT GUY and […]
Memories of Julian Burke
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Kudos to the Los Angeles Times for its excellent obituary memorializing former Metro CEO Julian Burke. His tenure was during the period when I actually attended Metro Board meetings. These days I figure between Steve Hymon of The Source, Laura Nelson of the Los Angeles Times and our own Damien Newton you don’t have to […]
TAP final solution in sight!
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We are on the last lap approaching the end of my long exertions as self-appointed chief TAP (Transit Access Pass) watchdog for our region, my friends. This long troubled program has finally unequivocally turned the corner and is fast approaching victory lane. Kudos and plaudits from all quarters are raining down on David Sutton who […]
Transit News Shorts from Around the Region: FlyAway Fare Hike, Najarian v Antonovich, LOSSAN and More…
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Here are tidbits and some updates on transportation happenings in our region. The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners (who oversee Los Angeles World Airports, the Los Angeles city agency that operates LAX, Ontario and Van Nuys airports) at its February 19th meeting approved implementing a one-dollar increase (to $8) to the one-way fare between the FlyAway […]
Editorial: What Is It with Metrolink?
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(I want to be explicit this is solely my own opinion, and in no way endorsed by either Streetsblog or Southern California Transit Advocates – DG) UGH! You’ve likely seen the news reports that a shakeup has occurred at Metrolink with the Chief Financial Officer resigning in the wake of a scathing review of Metrolink’s financial […]
Dump the Surfliner Express? Report Says Ridership on New Route Is Dismal
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With much ballyhoo two years ago Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner converted one of its morning trips between San Diego to Los Angeles into an express, removing stops to reduce running time. I was startled at the headline for the Rail Passenger Association of California and Nevada (RailPAC) latest e-newsletter blast: “Caltrans says dump the Surfliner Express”. […]
Sepulveda v Woodley: Metro Weighs Options for Orange Line/FlyAway Connections
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As I reported in a previous post one of the expansion FlyAway routes will serve the Orange Line (at Woodley Station) and is anticipated to start service later this year. At the Dec. 5, 2012 Metro San Fernando Valley Service Council meeting Los Angeles World Airports (the city agency that runs LAX) made a presentation […]
OCTA Metrolink Service Expansion Program Status
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Starting in the 1990s OCTA worked on a light rail project that was to be known as CenterLine. Despite valiant advocacy by Orange County rail activists the project was buffeted by parochial NIMBYism resulting in multiple truncations of the proposed route. Finally, in 2005 the agency threw in the towel and cancelled the project. As […]
Najarian Effort to Retain Metro Board Seat about to Commence
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(Update: It turns out that unless the Najarian nomination is rejected by a majority in a weighted vote by the City Selection Committee, that no action is required by North County Cities earlier today. While the Committee didn’t confirm his nomination, it didn’t reject it either. This wasn’t announced until today at the meeting, with […]