Quicker Ride to the Beach,A Possibility

The Los Angeles City Council took the first steps to speed up Metro service on the A Line (Long Beach to Pasadena and Azusa) and E Line (Santa Monica to East LA) which serve the Pico Station in South Park. The action took place at the April 29 meeting of the Council.

The Council has directed the Los Angeles Department of Transportation within 180 days to come up with a “Transit First Policy” which “guides all future design or modification of traffic signals city wide with the adopted goal of reducing signal delay to transit vehicles and reducing transit travel times.”

Presumably, if implemented, light rail vehicles would be given the “go” signal rather than stop at the intersections the A and E lines cross. Currently, travel time on the E (formerly Expo) Line can seem painfully slow when travelling from Santa Monica to Pico as the trains stop and wait for cars to pass. The study also includes Bus Rapid Transit Lines.

Council District 14 member Ysabel Jurado supported the measure.

By Tom Shrout