Fact Sheet #2 - Winter 2007-08

Summary of Early Scoping Process

Public Meetings

Public comment for the Westside Extension Transit Corridor Study commenced on October 1, 2007 with the publication of the Early Scoping Notice in the Federal Register. During the early scoping period for the Study, Metro conducted six community meetings geographically dispersed throughout the study area:

In total, Metro received 484 comments at a combination of the public meetings, through email, US mail, the information phone line or via the project website. The formal public comment period for early scoping closed on November 7, 2007.

Summary of Public Comments

The overwhelming majority of comments received supported the urgent need for a transit improvement on the Westside. A potential Wilshire subway alignment was the most favored route and mode, with nearly as many people advocating for subways on both the Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevard alignments. In many cases, where the public supported both the Wilshire and the Santa Monica alignments, most thought that the Wilshire alignment should take precedence. Some support was expressed for aerial/monorail, light rail, or bus rapid transit modes.

Mode

The community greatly supported a potential subway mode i.e. heavy rail below grade:

Most of those in favor of a subway did not give a reason for their preference. Those that did express a reason for this mode indicated speed of travel, ability to move large numbers of people, limited impact to road traffic, etc. Those favoring options other than subway cited cost and length of time to construct. Those preferring monorail or light rail expressed the view that these modes were less expensive and quicker to build.

Potential Station Locations

Several potential station locations along Wilshire (11) and Santa Monica (12) Boulevards were presented during early scoping. Many comments received provided suggestions for stations at other locations, or noted support or concerns about possible station locations. The public’s most favored station locations include:

1. Century City (31)
2. UCLA (22)
3. Connecting to the Exposition LRT (14)
4. City of Beverly Hills (13)
5. Connecting to a North/South transit line (12)
6. Tied (11)
   1. Beverly Center
   2. City of Santa Monica
   3. Santa Monica Boulevard
7. City of West Hollywood (10)
8. Beverly Center/Cedars Sinai (9)
9. Wilshire/Westwood (8)
10. Tied (7)
    1. Avenue of the Stars
    2. Constellation
    3. Crenshaw Boulevard
    4. La Brea Ave
    5. Los Angeles World Airport (LAX)
    6. Westwood

Public comments showed that the community recognizes the economic benefits of key station locations. They especially expressed the importance of connecting job centers to housing, and to ensure that station locations and design blend with the neighborhood.

Alignments

The public was presented with two potential alignment options, generally
following Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards. Overall, a Wilshire Boulevard
alignment, extending westward from the Metro Purple Line at Wilshire/Western, received the greatest amount of support. 49 people voiced support for a Santa Monica Boulevard alignment extending westward from Hollywood. Over 50 people asked that both alignments be considered.

From the public comments received, there is a strong sense that connections with other transit lines and modes are important. Several suggested that Metro consider north/south alignments providing better linkage with the San Fernando Valley, and, connections to Los Angeles World and Burbank Airports.

Evaluation Criteria

The community was asked to identify specific criteria that could be used to evaluate potential modes and alignments. Of the few comments received, noise and vibration during construction and operation were of greatest concern. Other suggestions included the need to assess community benefits, accommodate pedestrians with special needs, address the effect of green house gas emissions, as well as the ability of the alternatives to absorb additional demand over time and generate ridership on other parts of the transit system. Other evaluation criteria suggested include the overall capacity and speed of the alternatives, bicycle safety and construction safety in earthquake zones.

The community also asked that Metro carefully consider tunneling both near historic homes in parts of the study area and in zones with methane gas. New construction technologies were especially important to those with tunneling concerns. The public
was also interested in learning about funding options and whether building the system in segments would be feasible. There were also questions about station parking, as well as economic and joint development opportunities at future stations.