Traffic Signals Will Finally Prioritize Expo Line Trains in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles City Council has approved a motion to improve signal prioritization for the sake of light rail transit on the Expo Line where it operates in city streets.

1 minute read

November 7, 2019, 8:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Expo Line LA Skyline

JulieAndSteve / flickr

"The lack of prioritization for L.A.’s light rail lines has long been an issue for Metro’s Blue, Gold, and Expo Lines – and also on the Metro Orange and Silver Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines," explains an article by Joe Linton. (All of those train lines are in the process of being renamed; the Expo Line will soon be known as the E Line.)

The decision to prioritize Expo Line trains over cars at intersections moved quickly from speculation to reality. Councilmember Mike Bonin proposed the motion to reform the city's traffic priorities in October.

As noted by Linton in the article, the Los Angeles City Council also approved the long-awaited Exposition Corridor Transit Neighborhood Plan during the same hearing. The plan is designed to "[foster] affordable housing, jobs, and walkability within a half-mile walking distance of five Westside Metro Expo Line stations: Bundy, Sepulveda, Westwood, Palms, and Culver City."

Tuesday, November 5, 2019 in Streetsblog LA

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

48 minutes ago - Zachary Whalen

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico

A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

NYC Mayor Zohran Mandami speaks behind a blue podium.

Mamdani overhauls NYC's Vision Zero plan with 100 new policy goals

The overhaul aims to reduce traffic deaths and make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers through lower speed limits, new safety infrastructure and more.

45 minutes ago - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

A New Jersey train approaches people waiting at the station.

Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds

A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.

September 15 - Mass Transit

A tall, gray power plant billows smoke into a blue sky.

EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants

Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.

September 15 - New York Times

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.