The light rail extension opened May 20 and is already 70 percent toward meeting its 2030 ridership projection. According to a survey conducted in June by Metro, more than two-thirds of riders were new to the Expo Line.
As posted in June, ridership is soaring on Metro's two new light rail line extensions on the Gold and Expo lines. A survey of 1,000 riders that Metro conducted in June on Expo Phase 2, i.e., the new, 6.6-mile, seven-station extension from Culver City Station to Downtown Santa Monica Station, was posted in Metro's transit blog, The Source, on Sept. 12.
Phase 2 includes new stations at:
- Palms
- Westwood/Rancho Park
- Expo/Sepulveda
- Expo/Bundy
- 26th St./Bergamot
- 17th St./SMC
- Downtown Santa Monica
Metro found 70 percent of riders between Culver City and Santa Monica "were new to the Expo Line," reports Meghan McCarty who covers commuting and mobility issues for KPCC, Southern California Public Radio. "Of the new riders, nearly half used to drive alone while 23 percent had switched from bus service."
Light rail cars needed, not more parking spaces for motor vehicles
All that early talk about insufficient parking at stations that caused neighbors to fear an inundation of commuters parking on residential streets proved to be unfounded, at least for now. Judging from how new riders are accessing the stations, according to the survey, crowded sidewalks and bike lanes may be more of a concern.
Credit: Metro via The Source
However, "[r]iders who access the Expo Line by driving alone to stations do so at a higher rate, 16 percent, compared to Metro riders as a whole at 5 percent," adds McCarty, though they "have not overwhelmed the three new parking lots along the line. Metro reported in July the new lots are only 30 to 50 percent full on most days."
What's plaguing Metro is not a shortage of parking spots but a shortage of cars, light rail cars, that is, on the Expo Line, "due to manufacturing delays," reports McCarty.
But officials have promised that enough new cars will be in service by December to allow trains to run every six minutes during peak hours. They now run about every 12 minutes or more.
"Seasoned riders and transit newcomers have griped about cars so jammed during peak hours that there is no room for bicycles, wheelchairs or, at some stations, any more passengers," reported Laura J. Nelson for the Los Angeles Times. Nelson explains what went wrong, with Metro first ordering rail cars from AnsaldoBreda, an Italian firm, then Osaka-based Kinkisharyo International, to be manufactured in Palmdale.
Hat tip to Mike Bullock.
FULL STORY: Metro says Expo Line to Santa Monica converted solo drivers to transit users
The Mall Is Dead — Long Live the Mall
The American shopping mall may be closer to its original vision than ever.
The Paradox of American Housing
How the tension between housing as an asset and as an essential good keeps the supply inadequate and costs high.
Report: Las Vegas, Houston Top List of Least Affordable Cities
The report assesses the availability of affordable rental units for low-income households.
Anchorage Leaders Debate Zoning Reform Plan
Last year, the city produced the fewest new housing units in a decade.
How to Protect Pedestrians With Disabilities
Public agencies don’t track traffic deaths and injuries involving disabled people, leaving a gap in data to guide safety interventions.
Colorado Town Fills Workforce Housing Need With ‘Dorm-Style’ Housing
Median rent in Steamboat Springs is $4,000 per month.
City of Yakima
City of Auburn
Baylands Development Inc.
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.