Rapid Transit in Southern California

The new means of effective rapid transit in Southern California is the fixed rail system of the Metro Rail or Blue Line, and now that the system is open it is possible to assess the viability of the system, how well it is being accepted by commuters, and whether it can be considered a success or a fiscal disaster. There is evidence that the system could prove to be a fiscal drain on the taxpayer. The Blue Line has only been in operation for a short time and yet has experienced a number of major accidents with vehicles and pedestrians which may involve public liability. In addition, ridership is not proving to be as high as desired, and among the reasons for this in the case of some of the rail lines is the fact that it is more expensive to ride the train than it is to drive a car over the same route.

The Blue Line opened in July 1990. It was the culmination of a process in the works since 1980, when voters had first approved railway bond issues and tax measures providing more than $5 billion for this purpose. The Blue Line is a light rail tack, which means that the tracks share the road with cars and buses. The first portion runs the 22 miles from downtown Los Angeles to Long Beach. In the early days, the trains were carrying three times more passengers than expected ("The Pasadena choo-choo," 1990: p. 33). The economics of the system have been examined many times over the years. The Blue Line was budgeted at $595 million, but the project generated overruns of near

Related Essays

The Metro Rail/Blue Line .... The Southern California Rapid Transit District was created by the California legislature in 1964 as a public agency to operate and improve the existing bus .... (1826 7 )

Transportation policy in Los Angeles .... cooperation of many agencies, such as Caltrans, the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, and the Southern California Rapid Transit District ("Century .... (3119 12 )

Urban Planning & Development in NYC & LA .... since the density if too low for either bus or rapid transit."25 And, by .... on the area."26 So, although the early pioneers of Southern California thought about .... (2658 11 )

Public Agencies & Private Interests .... urban growth has proceeded with rapid imparity, causing .... urban centers, and in Southern California in particular .... and without an adequate mass transit system, are .... (2414 10 )

Anaheim, California and Dubai City UAE .... operation, safety, anti terrorist Anaheim Area Rapid Transit System (ARTS .... Dividing the Waters: Governing Groundwater in Southern California, Boston: Institute .... (5215 21 )

unding for the burgeoning public rail system has derived from taxes of various kinds as well as from bond issues and similar voter-approved measures. One approach noted by Zamora (1988) that has been effective and that is somewhat new is that of the benefit assessment, which is a governmental levy upon real property which benefits from a public improvement. These are based on the theory that property owners should contribute to public improvements in approximately the same proportion as they benefit from that improvement. Since this is difficult to calculate, cities use a "cost method" or proportionate theory to determine the amount to levy against each business. The taxpayer at different levels has thus been responsible for the creation and building of the Metro Rail and the other rail systems which are now under the purview of the Southern California Rapid Transit District (SCRTD). The SCRTD is a taxpayer supported entity that has been responsibility for public transportation throughout the Los Angeles region, including connecting Los Angeles with adjacent regions in the Southern California area. It bears primary responsibility for any charge of negligence, which occurs "when a person who has a legal duty to act carefully f

Category: Government - R