LAist Writes About City’s Grant Money Strategy For Warner Center Transit

You know, here is the reality.  I live in Warner Center.  There is no traffic problem that requires a “mass transit” solution.  The only traffic issue that exists, in my opinion, is around the intersection of Victory Blvd. and Topanga Canyon Blvd.  My guess is that it could be fixed with some street widening, creative lane manipulation, etc.  I don’t see how a people mover, or any of that nonsense is needed.  Save the money for real light rail in LA, but wait, that will never happen because – correct me if I’m wrong – but I’m under the impression that we are stupidly required to spend the same amount of money on buses that we do on rail due to some idiotic proposition.  And since light rail is much more expensive to construct, we simply end up with a ridiculous amount of bus routes and very little rail.  Hence, the “busway to nowhere” A/K/A Orange Line Extension to Chatsworth which is about to begin full swing construction along Canoga Avenue.  Just about every business along the path has been torn down at this point.  Hopefully I can photo-document some of that.  But, seems like they’re all pretty much gone at this point.

If the day arrives where I have to take both a bus and a train to work, I encourage one of the readers of this site to please shoot me in the head.  Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration.

LAist writes:

It’s been a topic for some time now. The Warner Center in the West Valley is one place that could use a local circulator, perhaps a “people mover,” some believe. Three years ago, 300 residents came out to work towards an integrated transportation network for the Woodland Hills neighborhood and now, with state money available via grants, Los Angeles wants in.

Today, the L.A. City Council approved a grant application for $180,000 to “study the feasibility of an internal transit circulator, including the potential for light rail in the Warner Center” (we’d wager that a street car might be a better fit). Caltrans has a total of $3 million available to local entities for community based transportation.

The center is one of the few accomplishments of L.A.’s “Centers Concept,” which was a 1974-adopted plan to build dense areas around city connected by transit. It never fully came to fruition, but the Warner Center today is home to a handful of skyscrapers, malls and the Orange Line and 750 Metro Rapid bus route.

See the attached links for interesting/historical reference articles about the Orange Line Extension and Canoga Avenue right-of-way and properties.

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• Article Link: LAist Article, 1992 LA Times article about reacquiring Canoga Ave right-of-way land
• See Also: Boeing Property Acquired For Parking Lot, LAist Extension Blurb