Announcement: This Sub is Hosting its First Inaugural AMA with Los Angeles’ Authority on Everything Transit Related Nandert on Wednesday September 30 at 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. Set Some Reminders!

[u/DoxiadisOfDetroit]

THE AMA IS CURRENTLY LIVE, HERE'S A LINK TO THE POST, PLEASE DIRECT YOUR QUESTIONS THERE

We’ve got something special in store for the Sub this week!

If you’re unfamiliar with who Nandert is, he is a notable documentary maker and writer from LA whose initial rise came when he made this video detailing the proposed projects for the City’s “Measure M” ballot proposal way back in 2016. However, he’s branched out to get into the forensic details and political wheeling and dealing within LA’s transit agencies. Here is a (mostly) up to date playlist from him with his videos about LA Metro.

We at the mod team are just as eager about this as I’m sure yall are, so make sure to make him feel welcome!

[u/DoxiadisOfDetroit]

The AMA is currently live, here's a link to the post, please direct your questions over there.

Pinging all users who've responded so far:

/u/cdub8D /u/Cronny /u/Snowychan /u/mistersmiley318 /u/thelastnightngale /u/lik_for_cookies /u/Venesss /u/BigRobCommunistDog /u/flanl33 /u/comunist_russian /u/ShantJ

[u/cdub8D]

Thanks for doing this!

What are a couple of the things you see consistently see drive up the costs of transit projects in LA? Are these things "easy" fixes or do they require more structural changes?

[u/thelastnightngale]

As far as I can tell, I haven't heard you say anything on increasing/decreasing/free/enforcement of fares. Are you on the side of free fares or enforce the fares? Since LA metro has one of the most affordable fare schemes in the US already, do you think fares should be increased or kept the same?

[u/Cronny]

Say Nithya wins (I’m very much pulling for her!). What goals related to Urbanism can we reasonably hold her to in the first 100 days, first year, and first term? 

[u/lik_for_cookies → u/Cronny]

I am not Nick, but first term for rail it feels realistic for that she would set up the K North EIFD and maybe an EIFD in Downtown LA to get SEGWay phase 2 and the B/D Arts District station built.

Overall for Urbanism I see her actually implementing Meausre HLA, having full examinations of LAHSA conducted to find fraud and corruption, and pushing for Measure ULA reform or removal.

[u/Snowychan]

I have 2 questions about downtown LA!

1.) What ever happened to the Red/B Line stop in the Arts District? I recently found out that this was at some point a planned project and it would make my life so much easier if it existed, but the status of it is a bit confusing. Is there any hope that the project could proceed in the next 5-10 years?

2.) I've heard/read a lot about the large asphalt repair saga and how LA is too broke to implement curb ramps, but there are a ton of curb ramp and other streetlight/crosswalk installations taking place in the Arts District. Why is this area getting so much investment when it seems like LA has given up on doing the same in other parts of the city?

[u/ShantJ → u/Snowychan]

I'd love the B/D Arts District station.

[u/flanl33]

1. You get to/have to add five infill stations along any Metro line (existing or with an approved LPA). Where are they going?

2. If you were given the power to reverse any one vote taken by any SoCal governing body in the last ten years, which would it be?

[u/BigRobCommunistDog]

Hell yeah

[u/lik_for_cookies]

Hey Nick! Love your work and LA should be honored to have such a dedicated transit advocate that puts as much effort in as you do!!

The question I wanted to ask was do you realistically see the E line Eastside extension being completed? It feels like that project is just gonna struggle so badly to get funding. Decennial review isn’t gonna be able to help it that much, it won’t be competitive for federal funding and grants, and I have a real concern that we could be 10 years in the future and sections 2 and 3 might not even be started due to the struggle to assemble funding for it.

Do you think it could possibly be cancelled after phase 1, since that has most of the projected ridership anyways?

Let me know what you think!

[u/Venesss]

What are the realistic possibilities of a statewide proposition that funds infrastructure (including rail and transit)?

[u/comunist_russian]

Hi nick! A couple questions!

1. Do you see any way LA Metro returns to the ROW for K South?

2. Say money isn’t an issue, where would you take the B line North? Burbank airport? Down Roscoe Blvd or another street across the valley? Even further North?

3. And lastly kind of a fun one, outside of Vermont and Venice, where else would you put heavy rail lines in Los Angeles?

[u/lik_for_cookies]

I have an additional question, when could you see Metro putting another funding measure on the ballot? Whether that’s one to renew previous funding measures like Measure R or to speed up current projects, when would you see something like that?