BUSWAY'S PARKING BONANZA CANOGA STATION OPENS WITH ROOM TO LEAVE 611 CARS.Byline: RACHEL URANGA Staff Writer CANOGA PARK -- What could become a turning point for the Orange Line officially opened Wednesday with the new Canoga station and a Park and Ride lot that supporters hope will lead to the line's north-south extension. ``We have truly entered a new era of public transportation in this city,'' Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Antonio Ramon Villaraigosa (born Antonio (Tony) Ramon Villar, Jr. on January 23, 1953) is the mayor of Los Angeles, California. He is the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since Cristobal Aguilar in 1872. said. ``There is a new commitment to public transportation.'' The $26 million station and 611-space parking lot will attract West Valley commuters looking to avoid traffic on the Ventura Freeway The Ventura Freeway is a freeway in southern California running from Ventura to Pasadena. It is the principal east-west route through Ventura County and in the southern San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. , he said. And it could be a precursor to a $135 million north-south extension of the 14-mile, east-west Orange Line, which under one proposal would cut from the Canoga station -- the line's 14th -- up Canoga Avenue to the Chatsworth Metrolink station. But while public officials have touted the success of the Orange Line, with ridership hitting 15-year goals in less than a year, critics complain that the Park and Ride lots are under-used. Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials estimate that before the Canoga lot was added, commuters were using only 15 percent -- about 480 parking spaces -- of the nearly 3,200 spaces at five lots along the line. The most popular lot, the Winnetka station across the street from Pierce College In 2006 the Library won a national Excellence award. Academics Pierce College offers associate's degrees, mainly in the arts and sciences. There are also certificate programs in early childhood education, social services, dental hygienist, and others. , boasted use of 50 percent to 70 percent capacity each day. But other lots, including the one at the Sepulveda station, often sit nearly empty. ``This is sort of the make-or-break-it parking (lot),'' said Bart Reed, executive director of the Transit Coalition, a grass-roots transit-advocacy group. ``If the Valley gets some usage out of it, then it will show that this is a good idea. ``If for some reason it stays unused, like the Sepulveda station, then we will know that people aren't willing to drop their private cars to go on a bus that connects with the subway and can take more than an hour.'' And, he said, if it doesn't work, it would show that spending more than $100 million to extend the line north to Chatsworth would be a waste of money. Metro officials say they are planning to launch a marketing campaign next year to lure commuters out of their cars and onto the bus. ``I think we have great opportunities with this Canoga line,'' said Richard Hunt There have been a number of people named Richard Hunt:
Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. sector of Metro. ``You will see the attractiveness of this location will bring in people that may have not used this in the past.'' But Orange Line critics continue to complain that the Valley deserved a light-rail line instead of a busway that is less attractive to new commuters. ``Pure and simple: We have trouble attracting people to the Park and Ride lots,'' said Kymberleigh Richards, who chairs the Metro San Fernando Valley sector Governance Council. ``Whether that can be corrected with better marketing, better visibility or what -- I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. what the solution is.'' The Canoga station, which actually opened in mid-December, sits at Canoga and Vanowen Street on a 6.7-acre former Rocketdyne property used to dismantle rocket engines. Metro purchased the lot for $5.7 million in December 2004 after plans fell through for a bus terminal atop a parking lot of the newly expanded Westfield Topanga Westfield Topanga, formerly known as the Westfield Shoppingtown Topanga and more commonly known to locals as the Topanga Mall or Topanga Plaza, is a two-story shopping mall consisting of 230 tenants spread across three sections. mall. Planners say the new Park and Ride lot, billed as the largest west of the San Diego Freeway The San Diego Freeway (Interstate 405, and the part of Interstate 5 south of the El Toro Y[1]) is one of the principal north-south highways in Southern California, and the major beltway of I-5 running through Southern California. , will be a key to growing ridership. As of last month, daily boardings hit 20,659. ``This should make the Orange Line more convenient for potential riders -- those that live in the western Valley as well as in the Conejo Valley The Conejo Valley is a region spanning both Southeastern Ventura County and Northwest Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States. It was discovered in 1542 by Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, and eventually became part of the Rancho El Conejo land grant by ,'' said county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky Zev Yaroslavsky (born December 21, 1948) is a Los Angeles County politician. He served on the Los Angeles City Council from 1975 until 1994, when he was elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. He was preceded in both offices by Edmund D. Edelman. . ``The Valley's mobility depends on it.'' rachel.uranga(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3741 CAPTION(S): 3 photos, map Photo: (1 -- color) The new Canoga station for the Metro Orange Line busway, with a 611-space Park and Ride lot, officially opened Wednesday. (2) Officially opened Wednesday, the new Canoga station, with a 611-space parking lot, could be key to getting commuters to leave their cars and ride the Orange Line busway, officials say. (3) Opening the Canoga station are, from left, Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel Wendy Greuel is President Pro Tempore of the Los Angeles City Council representing the 2nd District. Greuel was elected in 2002 to fill the remainder of the term of Councilman Joel Wachs. She was elected in her own right in 2003 and reelected in 2007. , Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and Councilman Dennis Zine. Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer Map: Metro's new Canoga station and proposed extensions SOURCE: Metropolitan Transportation Authority Warren Huskey/Staff Artist |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion