Page 1 of 5 Subscribe to List Issues RSS translate Like View Past Comment If you are having problems viewing images in this +1 e-mail, please click here. Share Tweet FAST FORWARD As we approach Thanksgiving, we at FAST give thanks for the progress that has been made to implement cost-effective, short-term traffic solutions that will continue to improve our mobility and our quality of life. We also thank you, our members, for helping us advocate for these solutions! We wish you a happy, healthy and safe Thanksgiving! Los Angeles Business Council (LABC) Holds 1th Annual Mayoral Housing, Transportation and Jobs Summit The Los Angeles Business Council 1th annual Mayoral Housing, Transportation and Jobs Summit at UCLA, moderated by former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros, included a panel with Los Angeles City Councilmembers Jan Perry and Eric Garcetti, and City Controller Wendy Greuel, all three of whom are running for Mayor in 213. The candidates presented their visions for improving Los Angeles through mobility investments and increasing access to jobs and housing. Councilwoman Jan Perry advocated for comprehensive congestion management solutions citywide. Controller Wendy Greuel advocated for America Fast Forward and local transportation solutions. Councilmember Eric Garcetti advocated for community-based investments that address public safety and help end gang violence. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa gave the keynote address, announcing that the City would complete its signal synchronization program for the entire city by 213! He also pointed out that synchronizing street signals and converting the signals to Light Emitting Diode (LED)s will remove carbon dioxide in the air in the same magnitude as achieving a 2% renewable threshold for the Department of Water and Power (LADWP). Mayor Villaraigosa will enhance our streets as lively thoroughfares by supporting projects such as LA Live and the Wilshire Grand, and creating 5 new pocket parks over the next two years. FAST served on the steering committee for the LABC conference. Mayor Proposes Measure R Spending to Fix Our Broken Streets As he looks to solidify his legacy in two terms as Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa has proposed a bold plan to repair Los Angeles crumbling streets. Last week, the Mayor proposed the LA Road Works initiative, which would borrow nearly $8 million from future revenue from Measure R s sales tax earnings to fix 1,5 miles of city streets in the next two to three years. The bold proposal, outlined here by the Los Angeles Times, will be debated by the City Council, some of whom have not immediately embraced the plan. RAND Corporation s Dr. Martin Wachs, who authored the FAST and Metro supported 28 report entitled, Moving Los Angeles: Short-Term Policy Options for Improving Transportation, agrees that a cash infusion now would save the City money down the road. FAST supports a smart maintenance program that would fund repairs now while preserving our ability to continue to maintain and optimize travel on our infrastructure in the future.
Page 2 of 5 Click here to read Dan Walters Sacramento Bee column about the California Transportation Commission s recent report highlighting the need for comprehensive infrastructure maintenance across the state. As a strong advocate for improvements to street infrastructure as a foundation for greater mobility in Los Angeles, FAST will be working diligently to see that these funds are spent most effectively for our mobility. City of Los Angeles Mobility Element Update Councilwoman Perry is currently spearheading the update of the city s Mobility Element section of the City s General Plan. The previous Mobility Element was adopted in 1999, and does not include the significant progress Los Angeles has made to date, and the mobility projects planned to move us in the future. The Mobility Element update, known as LA/2B, is a project of the Los Angeles Departments of City Planning and Transportation to plan Los Angeles future to accommodate new ways of traveling throughout the city, making our streets more mobile for current travel needs and future growth. Click here to participate in their online Town Hall! FAST is part of the Mobility Element Task Force. Spring Street Bike Lanes To Be Implemented! LADOT has created a buffered bike lane on Spring Street, between Cesar Chavez Blvd. and 9th Street in downtown Los Angeles. The protected lane is painted green and is located between street parking spaces and three vehicle travel lanes. One vehicle lane will be removed, leaving four lanes of travel. An added benefit will be that the west side of Spring Street will have the peak hour street parking limitations removed. As covered in FAST s last newsletter edition, the Spring Street Bike Lanes were one of the key topics of the ThinkBike workshops. For a view of the new Spring Street bike lanes, click here for today s Los Angeles Times coverage. Check out LADOT s Bike Blog for updated photos, diagrams and information.
Page 3 of 5 Hundreds of Streetcar Supporters for The Future of Your Downtown Symposium FAST joined over 5 people at a conference last week at which City Councilman Jose Huizar outlined his vision for a downtown Broadway corridor that would both revitalize the community and preserve historic buildings. Metro Planning Director Robin Blair and Los Angeles Conservancy Executive Director Linda Dishman joined Huizar and LA Streetcar Executive Director Dennis Allen on the panel that focused on new transportation and commercial development along the corridor. Bringing Back Broadway Executive Director Jessica Wethington McLean highlighted new and renovated entertainment venues. The Downtown News covered the session here.
Page 4 of 5 Update on Expo Phase II The California Public Utilities Commission gave its final approval to the 16 at-grade and 11 grade-separated crossings in Phase II of the Expo Light Rail Line. This approval allows the Expo Authority to commence the design and build processes set to begin in early 212. This week the Expo Authority hosted two community update meetings to show the public their progress in finalizing routing, parking and design features of the stations in Phase II of the Expo Light Rail Line. Phase I, from downtown through the La Cienega station, is near completion and will open in early 212. Phase II completes the line from La Cienega to Santa Monica, ending near the Santa Monica Place mall at 4th Street and Colorado Ave. Nearly 2 people packed the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium meeting room at Tuesday s meeting, poring over photographs and renderings of the Westside stations. Images and diagrams depicted the Palms, Westwood, Bundy, 26th Street and 17th Street stations, in addition to the terminus. Residents from across the Westside asked questions of Expo representatives, and Rados-Skanska employees, the design-build contractor selected to complete Phase II. Click here for a fact sheet on Expo Phase II. Wall St. Journal Reports on The Hidden Toll of Traffic Jams The Wall St. Journal article references studies by several highly-regarded research universities around the globe. One study attributed 2% higher rates of autism among children born to mothers living within 1 feet of a major road or freeway in Los Angeles, San Francisco or Sacramento. The WSJ article also cites a program in which New York City traffic engineers rerouted traffic around Times Square to reduce congestion; the added benefit was a 63% reduction in air pollution in the immediate area. The ability to improve congestion to address these severe health impacts are another reason to urge your friends and colleagues to join FAST and advocate for low-cost, high-impact transportation changes to improve our mobility in Los Angeles! Westside Mobility Plan Moves Into Second Year As it enters the second of a three-year process, Westside Mobility Plan consultants held a series of five community open houses to update the community on the progress they ve made, and solicit input into their ongoing study efforts. Different stations were set up to allow community members to view traffic diagrams, focusing on bicycle lane options, possible new streetcar and other mass transit options, parking intensity areas and road/infrastructure improvements. Attendees were also given the opportunity to participate in a group discussion and voted on several options for north-south transit that would connect Westchester and Marina del Rey to the soon-to-be-finished Expo Light Rail Line that will terminate in Santa Monica. LADOT and Fehr and Peers will present the summary of these meetings at a future meeting co-hosted by FAST, the Transit Coalition, the Sierra Club and MoveLA. Stay tuned for the upcoming meeting date and location! Learn more about the Westside Mobility Plan here - sign up for their e-mail updates to stay informed! FAST Speaks at Valley Mobility Summit Nearly 3 elected officials, community stakeholders and transit leaders attended the Inaugural Valley Mobility Summit, organized by the newly-formed San Fernando Valley Coalition of Governments (SFVCOG). Metro Board member and former Valley Assemblyman Richard Katz emceed the conference with SFVCOG Executive Director Bob Scott. Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, Congressmen Howard Berman and Brad Sherman, Assemblyman Michael Feuer, Los Angeles City Councilmembers Paul Koretz, Tom LaBonge and Dennis Zine, and Councilmember Ara Najarian of Glendale and Jess Talamantes of Burbank. FAST Executive Director Hilary Norton spoke on a panel called Unlocking the Grid: Opportunities, Innovations and Smart Solutions with L.A. City Councilman Paul Koretz, Transit Coalition Executive Director Bart Reed and Adrian Moore from the Reason Foundation. We look forward to continuing to work with our San Fernando Valley counterparts to improve mobility in the Valley! For more information
Page 5 of 5 visit sfvcog.org. FAST ACTION Don t Miss These Upcoming Events! SCAG Transportation, Sustainability & Economic Recovery Summit December 1, 211, 9:3 AM Featuring the Release of the Draft 212 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (212 RTP/SCS) Wilshire Grand Hotel, Los Angeles For Further Information, please contact Linda Jones Email: jonesl@scag.ca.gov www.scag.ca.gov Phone: (213) 236-1912 FAST Coalition is Growing FAST continues our community outreach efforts as we grow our coalition. Please let us know if you d like a presentation or if you would like your organization to join FAST! Help FAST grow! Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter! FAST will give you many opportunities this year to influence public policy related to traffic and public transit. Your voice can make a difference! Trust FAST to help you stay on top of the region s transit and traffic relief news and happenings! Hilary Norton Executive Director Fixing Angelenos Stuck in Traffic (FAST) FAST s mission is to support and implement short-term traffic solutions to address Los Angeles County s traffic crisis. FAST Community Partners If you received this and would like to unsubscribe to our email list, click here.