The MTA is proposing a link to the region's light rail system that goes from the Blue Line downtown to Santa Monica. Our neighborhood character can either be enhanced or degraded by the route that is ultimately chosen. The original proposal follows the old Red Car line along Exposition Boulevard. A local group called Friends4Expo is proposing a detour along Venice Blvd. and Sepulveda Blvd. instead of using Exposition Blvd adjacent to the Santa Monica Freeway.
Residents of Westside Village need to voice their opinions of the route of the rail line now while the decision-making process is in its early stages.

I am personally opposed to using street-level rail lines along two of the busiest arterials in the city unless they make the rail lines either elevated or underground. There is enough existing congestion on both Sepulveda and Venice Boulevards now every day that a rail line would detract rather than add to the infrastructure of our neighborhood. The Exposition Blvd right-of-way is already owned by the MTA and is the most direct and logical route for any light rail. Overpasses for Overland Avenue and Sepulveda Boulevard at the very minimum should be included in any plans for light rail to Santa Monica.

Official position of WVCA

To Whom it May Concern:

The Board of Directors of the Westside Village Civic Association voted to go on record in favor of the development of a light rail link connecting Santa Monica and the Westside with the Metro light rail systems Blue line in central Los Angeles. It is our understanding that the Metropolitan Transit Authority will soon be deciding between light rail and express bus line alternatives to provide additional public transportation between the Westside and central Los Angeles. We feel that the light rail alternative would be highly preferable in terms of alleviating traffic congestion and pollution from motor vehicles, and in terms of passenger comfort and convenience. Light rail also makes sense because of its compatibility with the developing light rail network in this metropolitan area. The long range benefits of a light rail system seem to be much greater than could be realized with an expansion of bus services or the freeway system.

Representatives from Friends 4 Expo Transit have outlined to us the general plan for a light rail line running along the Exposition right-of-way from central Los Angeles to Santa Monica, except for a diversion along Venice and Sepulveda to avoid Cheviot Hills. Our main concerns with this proposal center on safety considerations and the possible disruption of motor vehicle traffic on the sections of Venice Boulevard and Sepulveda Boulevard where the light rail line would share the right-of-way with motor vehicles. The automobile traffic on these major motor vehicle arteries is already quite heavy. We would hope that design features to minimize these potential problems could be found if this plan is adopted.

The opinions expressed in this letter are those of the Westside Village Civic Association?’s Board of Directors. This Civic Association draws its membership from residents of the approximately 1,100 single-family homes om the Westside Village community, which is bounded by National Boulevard on the north, Overland Avenue on the east, Charnock Road on the south, and Sepulveda Boulevard on the west. About one-half of the eligible residences are dues paying members of the Association. An informational flier describing the light rail proposal was distributed to all our residents with a recent issue of our Newsletter, but no effort has been made to obtain the views of all residents on this issue. However, the voluntary comments on this issue we have received to date have been uniformly in agreement with the position taken by the Board.


By Charles West, President WVCA

Expo Line Route

Greg,
I agree with you. But here we are, 7 months later, and the Venice-Sepulveda diversion is still hanging over our heads. While Councilwoman Miscikowsky has hinted at her position, we still don't have anyone on the MTA board committed to the Exposition Blvd. route.
I hope that we can get organized in the coming year. We need to make our position known at every step of the MTA's planning process.

Ian