CLOSE CALL ON ORANGE LINE.Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer 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. was taking his first ride Monday on the Metro Orange Line to promote safety around the busway when suddenly the driver hit the brakes, narrowly avoiding a motorist who apparently ran a red light at Kester Avenue. It was a real-life, real-time example of what officials are seeing repeated across the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley 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. as buses practice for Saturday's opening. For the mayor and others on board, it underscored the need for motorists and pedestrians to be careful. ``For San Fernando Valley residents who've waited for their share of transportation improvements, the Orange Line is a down payment on progress,'' said Villaraigosa, who also chairs the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board, at a press conference at the Valley College Station. ``Pay attention to the red lights. Pay attention to all the traffic signs at the intersections. Save yourself some money, but most importantly Adv. 1. most importantly - above and beyond all other consideration; "above all, you must be independent" above all, most especially save yourself some injuries and pay attention. ``Let's make the Orange Line the Valley's safest new short cut.'' Sheriff Lee Baca's deputies have issued more than 500 citations over the past month along the route, and 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. noted the sheriff's ``ruthless and merciless'' enforcement of the traffic laws. ``The reason we're being so hard is because we want people to live through this experience - and there's no reason why they shouldn't,'' said Yaroslavsky, another MTA (1) (Message Transfer Agent or Mail Transfer Agent) The store and forward part of a messaging system. See messaging system. (2) See M Technology Association. 1. (messaging) MTA - Message Transfer Agent. board member, who has led the effort to build the Orange Line. ``This is a great amenity a·men·i·ty n. pl. a·men·i·ties 1. The quality of being pleasant or attractive; agreeableness. 2. Something that contributes to physical or material comfort. 3. , and the only thing that can ruin this amenity is (if) somebody, through their own negligence, ends up getting hurt or getting killed.'' Dozens of intersections have been reconfigured along the 14-mile busway, which runs on a former rail corridor between North Hollywood and Warner Center. A right turn on red is now banned at many of the corners - to prevent motorists from turning into the path of a bus. ``In the San Fernando Valley, that's a new type of sign,'' said 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. . ``We want to make sure people are actually reading those signs and obeying those signs.'' Sherman Oaks resident Haleh Zahab complained to officials about getting a $147 ticket for making an illegal right turn at Burbank and Fulton avenues after dropping her child off at school. The intersection is posted with a sign, but not a red-arrow signal like other intersections have. She asked whether the sign could be upgraded to a light. ``We'll look at it,'' Villaraigosa told her. Critics have long said the $330 million Orange Line should have crossing gates like those at a railroad railroad or railway, form of transportation most commonly consisting of steel rails, called tracks, on which freight cars, passenger cars, and other rolling stock are drawn by one locomotive or more. crossing, but officials maintain that gates are unnecessary because traffic can be managed the same way it is on city streets. The mayor - on his first ride of the Orange Line - heaped praise on the busway, saying it will offer Valley commuters an alternative to sitting in gridlock Gridlock A government, business or institution's inability to function at a normal level due either to complex or conflicting procedures within the administrative framework or to impending change in the business. on the 101 Freeway. He also admired the landscaping along the route. The MTA has brought hundreds of thousands of plants and trees in a $20 million beautification beau·ti·fy tr. & intr.v. beau·ti·fied, beau·ti·fy·ing, beau·ti·fies To make or become beautiful. beau effort. Officials stopped briefly at the Sepulveda Station, noting they've created 3,200 parking spaces along the route. ``It's going to be a great addition to our regional transportation system,'' Villaraigosa said. The Orange Line is expected to draw at least 5,000 riders a day during its first year. Yaroslavsky said the busway will remain a work in progress, with service added or adjusted based on commuter demand. ``When we cut the ribbon on Friday and it opens to the public on Saturday, that's not the end of the project. That's the beginning,'' he said. ``We'll look at what works and build on it, and we'll see what doesn't. ... That is our challenge. That is our goal. We will continue to fine-tune this thing. Saturday is a beginning, not an end.'' Lisa Mascaro, (818) 713-3761 lisa.mascaro(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 15 photos, 2 boxes, 2 maps Photo: (1) Officials applaud the new busway. Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, bottom left, joins Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, former Assemblyman as·sem·bly·man n. A man who is a member of a legislative assembly. assemblyman Noun pl -men a member of a legislative assembly Noun 1. Richard Katz and Sheriff Lee Baca Leroy David Baca (b. May 27 1942, East Los Angeles, California) is the Sheriff of Los Angeles County, California. After graduating from Benjamin Franklin High School (Los Angeles) in 1960, Baca worked his way through East Los Angeles College before starting with the L.A. in the front row. (2) County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, left, and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa ride the Orange Line during a practice run Monday. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer (3 -- color) NEW METRO LINER BUS & STATION AMENITIES (4 -- color) no caption (bus) (5 -- color) NEW BUS STOP SIGNS (6 -- color) LOWER ENTRANCE (7 -- color) PADDED SEATING (8 -- color) ARTICULATED JOINT (9 -- color) BIG ROUTE NUMBERS (10 -- color) WIDER ENTRY DOORS (11 -- color) INTERIOR BIKE RACKS (12 -- color) VARIABLE MESSAGES (13 -- color) LIGHTS & P.A. SYSTEM (14 -- color) TICKET MACHINES (15 -- color) STATION CANOPIES Box: (1) NEW METRO LINER BUS & STATION AMENITIES SOURCE: Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Daily News research and page design by Warren Huskey (2) ORANGE LINE ROUTE & STATIONS Map: (1) Metro Line: Balboa Balboa, town (1990 pop. 2,751), Colón prov., in the former Panama Canal Zone, on the Gulf of Panama. The port for Panama City, Balboa was the administrative headquarters of the Panama Canal Zone. It was also the site of a U.S. navy base (closed 1999). Station intersection SOURCE: Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Michael Owen
(2) ORANGE LINE ROUTE & STATIONS |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion