All Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Gold Line riders will enjoy complimentary rides on Saturday to celebrate the opening of the $1 billion, 11.5-mile Gold Line Foothill Extension in the San Gabriel Valley.
"Metro will provide complimentary rides on the entire Metro Gold Line light rail system Saturday, March 5, according to the South Pasadena Review. "Free rides will begin at 12 noon and will last until midnight."
The opening ceremony will be held at the Duarte/City of Hope Station. "This will probably be one of the biggest events in our city’s history and also in the San Gabriel Valley," Duarte Councilwoman Margaret Finlay told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
"It is one of six stations serving the new extension that is expected to carry around 10,000 passengers a day soon after the line opens," writes San Gabriel Valley Tribune reporter Steve Scauzillo in a series of articles for local media. "The other five stations are: Arcadia, Monrovia, Irwindale, Azusa (downtown) and Azusa Pacific University/Citrus College."
"With the foothill extension, the Gold Line will be 31 miles long, the longest light-rail in Los Angeles County, said Dave Sotero, a spokesman for Metro, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority," writes Scauzillo in an article titled, "Everything you need to know about the new Gold Line Foothill Extension."
The future of Southern California transportation on display Saturday
"[T]his isn’t just about transit in the San Gabriel Valley," asserts a compelling Los Angeles Daily News editorial on the opening of the extension. "For mass transportation in Southern California, this, as with every new puzzle piece put in place, is more about the future than it is about the present."
The editorial advocates for more extensions of the Gold Line "farther east into San Bernardino County, reaching Ontario International Airport and someday beyond...because the only way a regional rail transit system really works is for it to be so woven into the geography that there isn’t any question about the fact of connectivity..."
The Gold Line's ridership has been on the rise, writes Scauzillo:
The first Gold Line opened less two years after the 9/11 terror attacks. It gradually grew in popularity, starting at 11,000, then 22,000 and 46,608 riders per day on weekdays as of January of this year, according to the latest figures available from Metro. People who use it to get to and from work in Los Angeles. Some connect to the Metro subways, the Red and Purple Lines that go to downtown and Hollywood.
The Gold Line should provide an alternative to driving on the congested 210 freeway for many commuters, particularly for the 25,000 students attending Citrus College and Azusa Pacific University. The extension took five years to construct.
Hat tip to Metro Transportation Library.
FULL STORY: Metro offers Free Rides on Gold Line Saturday
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US
The ambitious 6,000-acre project will combine an 800-watt solar farm with crop and livestock production.
California Grid Runs on 100% Renewable Energy for Over 9 Hours
The state’s energy grid was entirely powered by clean energy for some portion of the day on 37 out of the last 45 days.
New Forecasting Tool Aims to Reduce Heat-Related Deaths
Two federal agencies launched a new, easy-to-use, color-coded heat warning system that combines meteorological and medical risk factors.
AI Traffic Management Comes to Dallas-Fort Worth
Several Texas cities are using an AI-powered platform called NoTraffic to help manage traffic signals to increase safety and improve traffic flow.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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.