Real Estate

Los Angeles needs the monorail

Los Angeles County voters approved Measure M last November, overwhelmingly with 71 percent voter support, providing $120 billion for local transportation needs over the next generation. Planning, efforts, and developments are underway in Los Angeles to expand bike lanes and rail service, which is great, but much more is required by our city and citizens to navigate our ever-expanding, locked-down metropolis. Our quality of life depends on it. We need more.

My suggestion is to add Measure M1(a) to the ballot box: “Operation Speedtrac” codenamed ‘Speedtrac’ could raise another $30 billion or more for monorail construction alone. Today, traveling on the 405 freeway in Los Angeles to and from the valley during long rush hours is a complete nightmare. It won’t get better any time soon. I don’t see newly installed carpool lanes as the answer or long-term solution. I am certainly not alone in my thinking. Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti recently mentioned the need for a monorail along the 405. Los Angeles nonprofit group American Monorail, Inc. strongly reiterates the need for its development, stating as a statement of its mission: “The American Monorail Project seeks to reshape the analysis, planning, performance criteria, and leadership of American mass transit development, beyond the marginal performance of government-subsidized passenger rail systems, toward a model of public-private joint venture of self-sufficient, profitable and sustainable transport services that improve each urban environment and the economy for which they are built”. As its name implies, the organization is a strong advocate for building and connecting our great city with high-quality monorail service.

In 20 years, before I am in my 80s, I would like to be able to travel the 405 corridor via monorail service and leave the intended car or self-driving car at home. Stops can easily be made where bridges currently exist along the 405, such as Century, Sepulveda, Palms, National and Wilshire boulevards. Travelers could simply walk from the houses and apartments to the various monorail stops. Hundreds of thousands already live along the 405 corridor, one of the most densely populated areas in Los Angeles. Millions of people would use the 405 monorail. The train would ease traffic congestion, curb air pollution, and dramatically speed up travel times. How cool would it be to sit safely inside a monorail, read the newspaper, and travel at 60 mph during rush hour? It would certainly relieve stress and likely increase life expectancy in Westside LA and the valley. Why wait another 30 years to take Monorail measurements?

‘Operation Speedtrac’ could, as The American Monorail Project suggests, be a combination of public and private corporate funding. Companies always look for good public relations. I can’t think of anything better than the monetary involvement of companies like Siemens, GE, Mitsubishi and others.

Costs and profits could be shared between the city and forward-thinking corporations. Once the 405 project is complete and issues are resolved, other monorails could be added to the Los Angeles area watershed that do not conflict with the expansion of the rail lines. How about a fast monorail line along I-5 from downtown Los Angeles to Orange County?

Today, more mass transit is certainly needed in various forms to make Los Angeles a better, more enjoyable and deliverable metropolis. Let’s get Measure M 1(a) on the ballot soon, raise another $30 billion or more for monorail construction, and adopt Operation Speedtrac. Our loyal taxpaying citizens deserve it.

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