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This time on Metro Motion, the FTA has announced $34.7 million for transit improvements in
Los Angeles. Weíll tell you where the money is going.
Plus, weíll take you to Santa Monica for the groundbreaking ceremony for phase two
of the much anticipated Expo Line.
Are you noticing more and more young people next to you on busses and trains? No, you're
not imagining it, and coming up next, Iíve got some answers.
Take a ride with me to Exposition Park. This is one Metro adventure you donít want to
miss.
These stories and more coming up. Iím Joe McDonald.
And Iím Tamara Henry. Welcome to Metro Motion.
[Music]
Trains, busses, carpool lanes, streets, highways, pedestrian improvements and bikeways, thereís
a lot more to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority than meets the eye. Find out what
your Metro is doing to keep L.A. County moving on Metro Motion.
Topping our show, the Federal Transit Administration has awarded Metro $34.7 million in grants
for new clean fuel busses and a new downtown bus station. FTA deputy administrator Therese
McMillan joined Metro board chair and L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Metro CEO Art
Lahey and a host of other officials at Metro headquarters to make the announcement and
to urge Congress to support the Transit investments proposed in President Obamaís American Jobs
Act.
Itís great to be back in my home state of California, and on behalf of President Obama
and Secretary Ray LaHood, I want to congratulate the people of Los Angeles.
As the mayor said, weíre here today to celebrate $34 million in federal grants to improve transit
connections and reduce congestion for putting new, reliable and energy efficient busses
on the streets, for continuing to modernize stations to accommodate more passengers and
for improving the connections between bus and rail service so that even more people
will leave their cars at home and take transit instead.
The grants will help Metro purchase 60 new cleaner burning CNG busses and build a new
Patsaouras Plaza Station adjacent to Union Station.
In other funding news, nine vital L.A. County transportation projects were recently awarded.
$468 million in Prop 1B bond money from the California Transportation Commission. The
Alameda Corridor East Project received $336.6 million. The second phase of the highly anticipated
Exposition Light Rail Project received 35.3 million. The four mile Orange Line extension
from Canoga Park to Chatsworth received 13.5 million, and three traffic signal synchronization
projects along Foothill Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley and South L.A. were also awarded
funds along with two projects in the port of Long Beach to make rail operations more
efficient.
The CTC Award includes another 20 million for CalTrans to widen the 5 Freeway between
the 605 and the Orange County Line.
The projects on the receiving end of all of that funding will improve mobility across
the region, particularly on our already overcrowded state freeway and highway systems, and when
you're talking freeways, you're talking CalTrans.
We caught up with District 7 director, Mike Miles, to discuss how the Department of Transportation
and Metro work together to squeeze more capacity out of our freeways and create a multilevel
transit network for a more mobile future.
Yeah. Well, you know, CalTrans and Metro have really become good partners in the last several
years. Metro is really the planning agency and the funding source, and weíve worked
in partnership with them to come up with solutions to try to relieve the congestion that we have
in Los Angeles.
But I donít think thereís any one silver bullet thatís going to relieve us of congestion
in the Los Angeles area. Itís going to be many things that weíre going to have to do
as an agency, and also as the public to relieve congestion, weíre going to have to start
doing more carpooling, more transit, more congestion relief as far as choke points that
we have on the freeway system and highway system.
So itís not going to be just one thing that you do to relieve congestion. I mean thereís
a lot of things that CalTrans is working on now with Metro and others as far as putting
in RAP metering, encouraging people to use carpools. Weíre putting in a lot of carpool
systems, and we see that carpools are going to alleviate travel time by about one minute
per mile. So, if you're driving about 20 miles to work, then you're going to save 20 minutes
each way. Thatís 40 minute a day, so that adds up over a week and a yearís time, and
itís also beneficial to the general people in the other lanes because, for every car
thatís in the carpool lane, it takes two to three cars out of the other adjacent lanes,
so it frees up space in those other lanes.
But as far as being doomed to congestion, I think we need to have a shift in the way
that we view transportation, and weíre going to have to start using more public transit
and doing things that are going to be friendlier to moving more people and not necessarily
more cars.
Weíre looking at different ways that we can improve our system through the use of technology.
High occupancy toll lanes is one example of that where weíre going to charge people congestion
pricing and the price will vary by the time of day and how much congestion there is.
Weíre also looking at smarter cars. Weíre looking at adaptive lanes. Weíre looking
at different things that technology can do to improve the congestion situation. So thereís
a lot of things on the horizon that are coming up that were science fiction a few years ago
that are becoming a reality with the technology thatís evolving so quickly today.
Movement continues on the Westside subway extension in Century City and Beverly Hills,
and according to experts, it wonít be the result of two earthquake faults in the area
or from tunneling under a local high school.
A team of world renowned seismologists, geologists and engineers recommended that Metro build
a new subway station under the intersection of Constellation Boulevard and Avenue of the
Stars in light of test results gathered for the projectís final EIR due this winter.
The experts also set a plan to tunnel under parts of Beverly Hills High School is actually
safer than the fault ridden route under Santa Monica Boulevard, and it wouldnít compromise
structural integrity of existing buildings, interfere with future plans or create noise
or vibrations on school grounds.
Stay up to date on the Westsideís subway extension project at Metro.net/Westside.
The Metro board has approved the final environmental impact report for the Crenshaw LAX Transit
Corridor Project clearing the way for the 8.5 miles light rail line to move into the
construction phase.
Once completed, the Crenshaw LAX Line will connect downtown Los Angeles and the Westside
with the South Bay and LAX area providing a critical link for the regionís residents,
employees and national and international visitors. Total funding available for the project is
about $1.7 billion, and work on the new light rail line is expected to generate more than
15,000 jobs. For up to the minute news on the Crenshaw LAX Transit Corridor Project,
visit Metro.net/Crenshaw.
The dream of a rail connection to L.A.ís Westside moves one step closer to reality
with a ceremonial groundbreaking in downtown Santa Monica for phase two of the Expo Line
Project. Metro board chair and L.A. mayor Antonio Villaraigosa joined County Supervisor
Zev Yaroslavsky and a host of other local officials to celebrate the start of preliminary
work on a 6.6 mile light rail extension that will provide much needed connections between
Culver City and Santa Monica.
This project, the Exposition light rail line to Santa Monica, will give worker, residents
and people who are just coming to the Santa Monica Beach for recreation, an alternative
to being stuck in an hour and a half or two hours of traffic one way to where theyíre
going. Itís a win win for everybody.
In the process, weíre putting over 9,000 people to work starting now on this project.
I think, when history is being made, we ought to recognize it, acknowledge it. It means
jobs, real jobs right here, local jobs in this community, and this is no small accomplishment
for this effort.
Phase one of the Expo Line from downtown to Culver City is nearing completion while phase
two is expected to open in 2015. Stay up to speed on this key Measure R project at BuildExpo.org.
L.A. is famous for fun, sand and surf.
And infamous for traffic congestion.
You're right about that, but before long, Angelinos will be able to travel between downtown
and Culver City quickly and easily because the first leg of the Expo line to Santa Monica
is coming soon.
I canít wait for that, restaurants, nightlife, arts and culture, all just a short rail ride
away.
Reporter Mary Sam Sanchez will show us how hopping on the new Expo Line will open up
a whole new world of discovery and adventure.
On the outskirts of downtown L.A.ís concrete walls and busy streets is a thriving oasis
known as Exposition Park. Located just off the 1-10 Freeway and across from the University
of Southern California, this region offers a variety of cultural, entertainment and educational
activities. Thereís truly a little something here for everyone.
For those seeking a day of adventure, drop by the California Science Center, the most
attended museum in all of Southern California.
California Science Center is a free destination thatís really designed for families. Weíre
all about science learning. Our mission is to stimulate curiosity as far as science learning
in everyone. You're having really fun memorable experiences. We donít charge admission. Weíre
free to the public, and that means people from all over the region can come here at
no charge and have high quality family experiences.
From fascinating displays to its incredible IMAX theatre, this community center is filled
with exhibits that help stimulate the mind and revitalize the senses with artifacts that
you just wonít find anywhere else.
Behind me, you can actually see the Apollo-Soyuz Capsule also known as Apollo 18. The Science
Center is the only place in the West that has three flown capsules from the U.S. Space
Program.
The Center recently hosted a special celebration to announce an exciting new exhibit set to
arrive in 2012.
Weíre very honored that the California Science Center prevailed in a national competition,
and we were awarded one of the Space Shuttle orbiters. So weíre going to be the new home
for Endeavor where it will have a new mission of educating future generations, and that
will arrive in the second half of 2012.
Weíll have it on exhibit immediately, so the public will be able to come and enjoy
it while we construct our new air and space center which will be built behind me. It will
be a major addition to the structure here.
Hello to all you fans of science out there, Iím Mary Sam Sanchez, and one of the best
things about the California Science Center are these hands on exhibits which truly give
you a unique and fun learning experience.
Test your skills with tentacles, touch creatures of the sea or power your own light bulb. No
matter what your age, a trip here will open your mind to a brand new world of discovery
and adventure, and with the Expo Line set to open soon, a visit to the Center will be
as easy as one, two, three.
Weíre very excited about the Expo Line opening. We have a spot right here at the park called
the Expo Park USC Stop, and weíre only two stops away from downtown Los Angeles. So our
hope is that it will make the Science Center accessible to even more of the public and
that people will come and enjoy this incredible jewel and resource in the City of Los Angeles.
Whatever your pleasure, Exposition Park has it all, and with the convenience of Metro,
visiting this area has never been easier. For Metro Motion, Iím Mary Sam Sanchez.
I canít believe such a cool place like the Science Center is absolutely free.
It really is hard to believe. Plus, you can visit other Exposition Park facilities like
the Rose Garden or the Natural History Museum for little or no money at all.
Itís the perfect way to spend the day on a limited budget, and once the Expo Line opens,
getting to this cultural oasis will be even more convenient.
To find out more about Exposition Park facilities and events, visit ExpositionPark.org.
Work continues on the Gold Line Foothill extension, this time on an iconic bridge that will carry
the lineís tracks over the eastbound 210 Freeway. The job involved delivery and installation
of huge steel cage bridge supports which required a nighttime closure of the 210. Not an easy
job to say the least but the closure and the installation went without a hitch.
Scheduled to open in 2015, the 11.5 mile Gold Line Foothill extension will run from Sierra
Madre Villa in East Pasadena to the Azusa Glendora border. For more information, visit
Metro.net/Foothill-extension.
Construction on the four mile Orange Line extension from Canoga Park to Chatsworth is
rapidly moving forward as contractors are making a push to complete the project by its
anticipated opening in summer 2012. New shade canopies were installed at what will be the
lineís Roscoe Station, and bridgework continues on the ___ Street, L.A. River and Santa Susana
bridges. The busway, itself, is also taking shape as crews have already graded and paved
the base curves and gutters.
Stay in the know on the $215 million Orange Line extension at Metro.net.
L.A. Countyís future sure looks bright, and Metro is going to be a big part of it.
Thatís right. With a freeway system thatís already way overcrowded, more people surely
means more Metro riders.
And these new transit riders stepping onto train platforms and waiting for busses at
the corner represent a whole new demographic. A growing number of 20 somethings are going
Metro to rave reviews.
Whether itís an economic choice, a lifestyle choice or just a way to spend more time relaxing,
thereís no doubt Generation Y is changing the face of L.A. mass transit. Reporter Greg
Goldner has more.
Today, more than ever, weíre seeing more and more iPhones, iPads, laptops on trains,
busses, et cetera. Is that because technology is rapidly evolving or are we getting a whole
new demographic of mass transit riders?
I hit the streets and caught up with a few Generation Y-ers who were able to give me
some insight into this interesting shift in mass transit riders.
Madeline Rosen lives in Korea Town and works at UCLA. Her mode of transportation? The bus
and her bike. While Fred Camino lives and works downtown and gets from point A to point
B thanks to Metroís trains and busses. Now both Madeline and Fred have chosen the car-free
lifestyle and never looked back.
I just really started to realize how much of a hassle owning a car was and that it was
just kind of a hindrance to my life. So I started to think, well, can I live without
a car, so I kind of did a test for a month, and I realized the most I moved my car was
just for street cleaning days.
I enjoy it because itís really easy. Itís easy. When you're driving, thatís work. I
work hard enough during the day. I donít want to, after I go to work, have to get behind
the wheel of a car and be stressed out driving home.
And these two are taking full advantage of the fact that somebody else is driving them
around.
The nice thing about the bus, it may be a little slower, but you can just sit on the
bus, play with your iPod, your iPad and just really chill out. Someone else is doing the
driving, and you're just relaxing, take a nap if you want. So, to me, even if Iím giving
up a little speed, which not ñ you're really not all the time with traffic in this town
ñ but you're gaining back some freedom, some free time, and thatís nice.
I can get on the bus, and I can read. Itís like, when Iím going places, it feels like
a productive use of my time versus Iím being in a car and Iím really stressed out and
I canít do anything else but drive.
When Atlanta native and R and B singer Chaz Mason moved to Los Angeles, he had no idea
how he was going to get from show to show. But you know what he found out? Using Metroís
bus system was as easy as ever.
[Singing]
Chaz, tell me about your experience riding the bus here in Los Angeles.
Well, you know, when I first moved here from Atlanta, you know, it was kind of hard to
get around. ____ place thatís sometimes you can get disoriented, but I found that, when
I got onto the Metro using the bus, it was easier to get from point A to point B. I,
myself, ride my bike a lot, and a lot of times, I take my bike and I put it on the bus. They
have a little like bike holder on the front, and you just throw it on there. It doesnít
cost extra money to put it on there.
Whether you're just an average Joe who just recycles or an extreme environmentalist, Chaz
believes itís all about people stepping up and doing their part and what better way than
by riding Metro.
Thereís lots of things going on. Some people believe in global warming, some donít, but
I feel like, if we get on public transportation, everybody puts in a little, every little bit
helps. You know what Iím saying? It can help keep our time spent here last a little bit
longer.
So you ñ so let me get this right. What you feel is you feel, by riding Metro, you're
kind of doing your part?
Oh, yeah. This ñ a little bit. I mean itís a little bit. I wouldnít say Iím doing my
part, but Iím doing a part of my part.
Studies have shown that nearly 80 percent of the 80 million people, who make up Generation
Y, donít want huge homes in the suburbs and the expensive cars that go along with them.
Yet, they want a simpler and more pared down lifestyle.
We just donít like the idea of spending all this money on cars when thereís other cool
stuff we can spend money on, and itís ñ itís really just a cool lifestyle. To me,
itís cooler than sitting in traffic driving to get to where you're going when I can just
walk to a whole bunch of places.
Overall, you get a chance to be physically active and you kind of get this little sense
you're doing a little bit to help the environment and then ñ overall, you just have a better
life sometimes without a car, and I donít think itís a very easily perceived by older
generations. But I think that kind of younger 20 somethings are really starting to pick
up on that.
The fact that so many young people are starting to embrace this lifestyle ñ car-free lifestyle
combined with the fact that L.A.ís transit system is really starting to expand and thereís
plans to expand it even more, I think weíll see, in the next 25 years, L.A. is really
going to change. Itís not going to be the home of the car culture anymore
Metro is the first major transportation agency in the word to operate a fully alternative
fueled, clean air bus fleet, and the South Coast Air Quality Management District has
recognized that distinction with their Clean Air Award. The OQMD honors the promotion of
good environmental stewardship.
In Metroís case, improving air quality and lowering costs by operating the countryís
CNG fleet. Metroís also a leader in adopting green practices and policies and provides
funding for carpool lanes, vanpools and bike lanes.
Leaving your car at home and riding your bike with Metro? Blue Line riders can park their
pedals at the state-of-the-art bike station Long Beach, the new public bicycling center
just a block from the Transit Mall Station in downtown Long Beach.
The modern looking bike station features 24 hour indoor parking, bike rentals and repairs,
free air for tires, a retail bike shop plus shower and changing room facilities. The nationís
first bike station opened in Long Beach in 1997, and there are several others in So Cal
now including one in Santa Monica.
Go green and save some green by taking your bike with Metro.
With safety and security a top priority, the Metro board approved a new $58 million contract
with the L.A. County Sheriffís Department continuing law enforcement through June of
next year. The new contract expands the number of personnel due in part to the anticipated
opening of phase one of the Expo Line of the upcoming year.
And this holiday season, Metro is reminding riders if you see something, say something.
Report terrorism, crime and other threats to the proper authorities using the emergency
intercoms in trains and stations or notify the operator, the sheriffís department or
any Metro employee.
Looking for a truly unique Hollywood experience? Then go Metro to the famed Kodak Theatre at
Hollywood and Highland, home of the Academy Awards and take a journey through the world
of cinema with Iris from Cirque du Soleil. Metro riders can take advantage of a special
20 percent discount on tickets. Just visit the Kodak Theatre box office or go to CirqueduSoleil.com/Iris
and enter promo code Metro B. Go Metro and see Iris from Cirque du Soleil today.
This fall, Metro hosted the second annual Transit Flicks Video Contest inviting writers
to produce a original two minute videos that encourage others to try transit by creatively
showing how going Metro impacts their own lives.
Dozens of commuter Coppolas and transit Tarantinos submitted their work in the hopes of winning
the grand prize, a free EZ transit pass for a year. The envelope please, the grand prize
winner of the second annual Transit Flicks Contest, as voted by you the viewers, is Dollar
Fifty City directed, edited and starring Noah Mucci, and now without further ado, hereís
Dollar Fifty City.
One of the first things somebody said to me when I moved to Los Angeles was, ìYou're
going to need a car to do anything.î And Iím four years into being here. I still donít
have a car. I feel like Iím doing a lot. I have a social life. I have a very complicated
job that requires me to be different places on a day-to-day basis, and I get to do it.
I mean, comparatively to what you spend on gas, itís a financial saver and itís ñ
I look at that as Dollar Fifty City. I mean I have access to anywhere in Los Angeles.
Itís a very ñ it is a very meditative experience. Really, you get to see little slices of other
peopleís lives and days and routines, and itís kind of a unique experience in that
regard because you donít get that in a car, so it gives you a little time to your day
thatís a bit more personal and special, and it gives you time to read, gives you time
to write, work on something. I mean thereís a lot of thinking space to be had in a Metro
ride.
As I started to get deeper and deeper into the city and the system of public transit,
I mean it just ñ it made more sense how simple it was, and it just became more about the
actual journey than figuring out how to get there, and I think thatís a priceless element
to the experience, just building a relationship with Los Angeles. I feel like the public transit
system is how I do that.
MacArthur Park, Urban Oasis, a beautiful ceramic tile mural by L.A. artist, Sonia Romero, has
been selected one of the best public art installations in the United States by Americans for the
Arts, the nationís leading nonprofit organization advancing the arts in America.
But you donít need to go to a museum to find it. Urban Oasis is housed in the Metro West
Lake MacArthur Park Station. It was commissioned by Metro Art, a program of Metroís creative
services department.
Miss Romero took our cameras on an exclusive insiderís tour of the mural and shared her
inspiration for this award winning piece. Take a look.
The name of the piece is MacArthur Park, Urban Oasis, and what I did was I did 13 vignettes
of MacArthur Park, the people who use it and the historical landmarks.
When I was researching this in 2007, I learned that there are 600,000 people that use this
park, and itís one of the big open spaces in this area. And itís so important that
everybody, who uses this, itís a really important part of their life.
So, as I was walking through the park, I interviewed people. I interviewed the shop owners and
the community activists in this neighborhood, and I found out how great this place is.
This work is not just for me or just for a select group of people, but itís for the
over a million people that come through this station every year. And I really want it to
represent the good qualities of this neighborhood and how important the park is.
I grew up nearby in Echo Park, and I went to this restaurant, Lingerís, all the time,
and I have really strong memories of the seats and the sort of fence area on the window.
And when I went in there, I asked the manager, Norm, who is this man here, if I could photograph
a booth with some people in it for this piece. And he said, ìNot only can you photograph
some people, but hereís my dad. Put him in it,î and this is Al Linger, the founder of
Lingerís. And while we were in production of this piece, Al Linger actually passed away,
so we ended up memorializing him with this artwork.
So this is my depiction of the Westlake Theater. As I mentioned, itís currently being used
as a swap meet, and I chose this image because it shows two layers of time and history of
MacArthur Park. I love the hand painted murals on the side of the building and ñ but you
can still see the original ticket kiosk here which now makes keys, cuts keys.
Itís just a really interested piece of history. What I did is I originally made this piece
as a 20 by 20 linoleum cut print, and it was translated into porcelain tile by hand carving
ceramic. So itís actually carved in relief, and the outer rim is cast ceramic. And all
of these details were taken from different sections in the park, art deco finishes in
the buildings. This was on the roof ñ or on the ceiling, rather, of the Plaza Hotel.
So the inner circle on all the pieces represents the park, kind of circular for the lake and
then the outer border represents the city and that is why I chose to do a cement color
on that.
So, when I was designing this piece, I included some familiar faces. This was my mom who walked
into my studio. She decided to do a pose from her early days as a protestor, and hereís
me holding a paint brush. So come on down to MacArthur Park Metro Station and see MacArthur,
Urban Oasis.
Art lovers hoping to see Sonia Romeroís work as well as other captivating public artworks
at Metro Stations might want to join one of Metroís free docent guided art tours. For
more information about the Metro art program as well as tour schedules, visit Metro.net/Art
or dial 213-922-4ART.
Well, Tamara, it once again looks like weíve reached the end of the line.
Donít forget, just in time for the busy holiday season, Metro will run more trains along the
Red, Purple and Blue lines every ten minutes between 6:00 P.M. and midnight starting November
13th. Thatís twice as many as usual, and Metro is pairing with businesses, restaurants
and hotels along those lines to offer riders exclusive destination discounts to the finest
shopping, dining and entertainment L.A. has to offer. Visit Metro.net for details.
Also, why not ring in the New Year with Metro? Celebrate 2012 with free rides on all Metro
busses and trains starting at 9:00 P.M .New Yearís Eve until 2:00 A.M. January 1st. Rail
lines run every 20 minutes, and the Metro Orange Line is running overnight as well
While you're at it, go Metro to Pasadena for the Tournament or Roses Parade, Monday, January
2nd. The Gold Line is the easiest way to get there. You can even see an up close view of
the floats after the parade. Just take a shuttle from the Metro Sierra Madre Station.
We leave you now with more from artist Sonia Romeroís award winning mural, MacArthur Park,
Urban Oasis. From all of us here at Metro Motion, thanks for tuning in.
Bye for now.
[Music]