To consolidate, disseminate, and gather information concerning the 710 expansion into our San Rafael neighborhood and into our surrounding neighborhoods. If you have an item that you would like posted on this blog, please e-mail the item to Peggy Drouet at pdrouet@earthlink.net
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Westbound 10 Freeway closed in Fontana after big rigs hit bridge
A portion of the westbound 10 Freeway near Citrus Avenue in Fontana
was closed for three hours Thursday after two big rigs struck a
temporary bridge and showered the roadway below with debris, according
to California Highway Patrol spokeswoman Terri Casinga.
The crash occured about 4 p.m., and a SigAlert was issued about 20 minutes later.
One truck carrying an earthmover on a flatbed trailer struck a beam
supporting the wooden bridge, causing debris to hang down. The second
truck, which was carrying a forklift, struck the hanging debris.
The impact knocked the
forklift off the truck bed. It was dragged behind the second truck for
about a quarter mile, Casinga said.
Online CHP logs of the incident said the forklift, weighing anywhere
from 6,000 to 8,000 pounds, was on its side in the road at one point.
Both trucks, the construction equipment and a blue Toyota Celica
traveling near the second truck were damaged, but no injuries were
reported, Casinga said.
The incident created a traffic nightmare that had drivers making
U-turns on the freeway, driving the wrong way and on road shoulders to
escape the traffic, according to CHP logs.
The freeway was reopened about 7 p.m., Kasinga said.
Port of Los Angeles lauds finished dredging project
Standing aboard the retired
battleship USS Iowa, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa ordered, via
walkie-talkie, one final batch of mud scooped from the Main Channel on
Wednesday at the Port of Los Angeles.
It was more or less a ceremonial scoop, as the 10-year, $370 million
channel deepening project had already been completed. The port's Main
Channel, West Basin Channel and East Basin Channel are now 53 feet deep,
about 8 feet deeper than they were a decade ago.
Officials say the waterways will accommodate even larger ships and
allow the nation's busiest port to remain competitive with other
facilities. The project, led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers removed
about 15 million cubic yards of materials from the channel bottom.
"I tell you, 'size matters,' " said Geraldine Knatz, Port of Los
Angeles executive director. "And a port is defined by the depth of its
channel. There are a lot of ports around that country that are starting
to get to 45 feet or 50 feet. But this effort, at 53 feet, is a
testimony to our ongoing commitment to be the nation's premier gateway
for international trade. "
A newer, larger class of ships requires considerably deeper water than the vessels they have replaced, port officials said.
"The capacity right here for larger vessels made possible by this
dredging project will lead to more jobs because of additional shipping
container volume, higher cargo value and more goods to be imported and exported," said Democratic U.S. Rep. Janice Hahn, whose district includes the Port of Los Angeles.
Elected officials tend to speak positively about most expensive
infrastructure projects, but Jock
O'Connell, an international trade
economist based in Sacramento, said this development likely will give
Los Angeles a competitive advantage. The channel will accommodate
vessels as large as the CMA CGM Group Marco Polo, which is 396 meters
long and capable of carrying 16,020, 20-foot container equivalents, a
common industry measurement.
O'Connell said fully loaded modern ships sit considerably lower in
the water than their predecessors. "It's a pretty big deal," O'Connell
said. "In the near future, having a 53-foot channel means that shipping
lines can now say, 'Well, we can use our most cost-efficient and
cost-effective vessels at this Southern California port. "'Los Angeles
City Councilman Joe Buscaino, who represents the port, said the channel
will help Los Angeles remain competitive even when the Panama Canal is
widened, a project set for completion in 2015. The improved canal is
expected to permit larger ships to sail directly from Asia to the East
Coast of the United States. For now, many of those ships call at Los
Angeles and Long Beach.
Logistics experts caution it's likely too early to predict how much
of an effect the new canal will have on Southern California trade.
"As we continue to face increased competition from the widened
Panama Canal and from seaports all across the country and around the
world, it's clear that projects like this one are critical to
maintaining our standing as America's No. 1 container port," Buscaino
said.
Someone at LADOT Wants a Monorail to Dodger Stadium
A new post
about Dodger Stadium traffic on County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky's
website really buries the lead: the Department of Transportation is pro-monorail.
Well, at least one guy is. Asked for a long-term solution to the
perennial problem of traffic before and after Dodger games, Aram
Sahakian replied "my personal recommendation would be a monorail." The
rest of the post deals with the Dodger Stadium Express,
the rather more quotidian bus that runs between Union Station and
Chavez Ravine, and its dedicated lane on Sunset. Ridership is up on the
express bus, but traffic has still been a nightmare on game days. To
improve matters, Sahakian has proposed letting carpoolers use the bus
lane, and using the city's newly-synced traffic lights to help out before every home game (as they did on opening day). And then we should totally build a monorail.
Breaking: There’s Finally Light at the End of the Expo Legal Tunnel. Supremes Set Court Date.
One of the longest-running Streetsblog stories is nearing
it’s end: the ongoing legal battle over Expo Line environmental
documents. The California Supreme Court just announced that it has
scheduled a hearing of the Neighbors for Smart Rail v Exposition Metro
Line Construction Authority on May 7, 2013.
Faced with conflicting opinions, it’s natural for the Supreme Court
to want to have the final say in this case and establish case law for
similar legal conflicts in the future. If the Supreme Court rules in
favor of NFSR, it could require the traffic study for the entire Expo
Phase II to be done over.
Of course, this isn’t television and a ruling won’t be handed down
for months after both sides present their cases. One way or another,
we’re one step closer to the end of Expo’s legal odyssey that began on
Phase I.
Dance performances at Red Line stations Friday and Saturday
Dancers rehearse at Union Station in preparation for Red Line Time performances on April 5 and 6.
On Friday and Saturday of this week, fleeting dance performances will take place at 14 Metro Rail stations as part of a conference on urbanism and modernism taking place at Metro. Stephan Koplowitz: Red Line Time is a time/space durational site-specific performance event presented by the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles and was conceived and created by award winning director/choreographer/media artist Stephan Koplowitz.
Through an ensemble of eight performers, Stephan Koplowitz: Red Line Time
utilizes the diverse spaces at each individual station along the Metro
Red Line to create a durational, and long distance performance that is
in sync with the train in both space and time. Following the Metro Red
Line trains’ schedule, Stephan Koplowitz: Red Line Time is
performed both above ground at Metro station entrances and underground
at various stations’ mezzanine level ticketing plazas. The entire event
is designed to match the ebb and flow of the commuting public, and to
take place within the strict schedule of the trains. In doing so, the
performances aim to transform the Metro Red Line into a long distance
performative space and invite the public to discover and re-discover a
vital transportation artery of Los Angeles.
Stephan Koplowitz: Red Line Time spans all 14 stations of
Metro’s Red Line, beginning at Union Station and continuing on to North
Hollywood, lasting about 2 1/2 hours. Audiences are asked to meet at the
Union Station East Portal, next to the Metro Customer Center, and
purchase a Metro TAP card all-day
pass, granting them access to enter and exit the Metro Red Line for the
duration of the performance ($1.00 for the card for those who don’t
already have one + $5.00 for all-day pass). Audience members are invited
to follow the performance for as long or as short a time period as they
wish as it travels through the Red Line stations.
Performances begin at the Union Station East Portal next to the Metro Customer Center on the following dates and times:
Friday, April 5, 9 a.m. Friday, April 5, 6 p.m. Saturday, April 6, 4 p.m.
Stephan Koplowitz: Red Line Time will be performed by Rachel
Butler-Green, Roya Carreras, Leslie Curtis, Nick Duran, Monica
Mordaunt, Kerrie Schroeder, Alexandria Yalj, Sadie Yarrington and Jacob
Campbell (understudy). Anne C. Moore is the Rehearsal Director and
Costume Designer. Re:street is a public
conference that serves both as an introduction to the new science of
streets and as a basis for discussion about the form of the future city.
The conference is jointly organized and hosted by the Bauhaus
Universitaet Weimar in Germany and California State Polytechnic
University in Pomona.
Dancers
rehearse at North Hollywood Station in preparation for Red Line Time
performances on April 5 and 6. Photo: Stephan Koplowitz
Dancers rehearse in preparation for Red Line Time performances on April 5 and 6. Photo: Natalie Metzger
Official Video of the Special Joint Meeting of LA County Supervisor Michael Antonvich March 27, 2013
We attended a meeting last night which SRNA hosted. Fire Chief
Calvin Wells and other fire department members patiently explained
what is happening with the notices we've all received concerning our
homes being in a 'very high' fire hazard area.
The information below is that which I've copied off the Fire
Department's webpage.
You may want to use this as an informal check list before the fire
personnel arrive to check your yards.
Especially be aware of dead leaves in your roof gutters. Clean them
out, and any other dead branches or bushes you may have.
Homeowners do not need to be home for the inspection to proceed.
This is a very non-invasive inspection... a business card will be
left on your front porch stating that the FD was there. If your home
did NOT pass inspection, the FD will leave a check list for you.
Any questions, please call the fire department.
~Carla
THE PASADENA FIRE
DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES HAZARDOUS VEGETATION NOTIFICATIONS
MEDIA ALERT
Contact: Lisa Derderian
(626) 744-7276 (office)
(626) 945-5169 (cell)
The Pasadena Fire Department will begin brush clearance
inspections will commence on April 1, 2013 and continue through
June 2013. Residents in high prone brush areas should receive a
brochure outlining the requirements mandated by the State to
keep you and your neighbors safe. Firefighters will be available
to answer any questions you may have about our existing fire
codes and ordinances regarding hazardous vegetation management
and brush clearance.
The Fire Department does not recommend indiscriminate clearing
of native chaparral due to the important role that it plays in
slope stabilization and erosion control. Additionally, grass and
weeds should be mowed and shrubs and trees should be trimmed.
Re-landscape with ground-covers under 24-inches tall with high
moisture content and retain shrubs and trees 18 feet apart from
each other. Plants with high moisture content are recommended
such as: citrus, oak and oleander at least 18 feet apart.
Other Fire Safety recommendations include cleaning leaves,
needles and twigs from roof gutters, soaking trees and shrubs
monthly to maintain leaf moisture content, pruning trees
properly, keeping your property free of accumulated combustibles
such as dried vegetation, cuttings and wood piles and mulch flat
planting areas three inches deep to suppress weeds.
For further information please contact the Fire Prevention
Bureau at 626-744-7178.
L.A. City Hall Finds New Way To Ignore You -- With MyLA311 App
Besides providing new ways for you be embarrassed by your mom
(Facebook), called out by your peers (Twitter) and dumped by your lesser
half (texting), smartphones can now give you a whole new way to be
ignored by your taxpayer-funded representatives at City Hall:
Yes indeed there's an app for that. It's called MyLA311 -- you know, it's yours, like MySpace, which is so, like, now.
L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa this week announced that the city for
the first time has a smartphone app, developed by downtown's 3Di
Systems and available for both Android and iOS phones, that connects you to the 311 system online.
You can now get the city to ignore your request for couch removal,
graffiti abatement, or pothole repair -- from the convenience of your
smartphone.
What's really cool about it, though, is that it does so while using
photos you upload and GPS coordinates provided by your phone to pinpoint
the problems that will not be addressed any time soon. This is high-tech neglect, people.
You can also let the DWP ream you virtually with online bill-pay. Less butthurt, instant broke!
Villaraigosa:
MyLA311 is a major leap forward in making City Hall a tech
friendly place. Angelenos now have a direct mobile portal to vital
services and key city information. This will spur a more open and
transparent government. MyLA311 puts the power of City Hall in the palm
of your hand.
Yes, if you've ever called 311 or 911, this app eliminates the busy
signals without compromising the trademark lack of service you've grown
accustomed to.
Access Across America
http://www.cts.umn.edu/Research/featured/access/
About the study
Access Across America, a study by David Levinson,
the R.P. Braun/CTS Chair in Transportation Engineering at the
University of Minnesota, goes beyond congestion rankings to focus on
accessibility: a measure that examines both land use and the
transportation system. The study is the first systematic comparison of
trends in accessibility to jobs by car within the U.S. By comparing
accessibility to jobs by automobile during the morning peak period for
51 metropolitan areas, the study tells us which cities are performing
well in terms of accessibility and which have seen the greatest change.
To generate the rankings for this study, Levinson created a weighted
average of accessibility, giving a higher weight to closer jobs. Jobs
reachable within ten minutes are weighted most heavily, and jobs are
given decreasing weight given as travel time increases up to 60 minutes.
For the many who have doubted that there would
ever be a rail connection to LAX airport, there’s some very good news.
It looks like it’s going ahead.
At the end of January, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) unveiled its
LAX land use plan, known as the Specific Plan Amendment Study, or SPAS.
The document, which calls for hundreds of changes to the airport
itself—from new runways to enlarged and renovated terminals—includes a
call for an automated people mover that could link the upcoming Crenshaw
light rail line, the Metro Green Line, and the airport. Meanwhile, LA’s
transit agency, Metro, has completed a preliminary “alternatives
analysis” for an airport transit connector. Metro plans to complete its
study this summer. Now the two agencies need to come together on how and
where all these connections will take place.
The dashed green line shows possible connection from light rail to LAX Airport.
“We’re getting pressure from the public to just do a connection
already,” said Roderick Diaz, Metro director of system-wide planning.
In addition to the construction of a people mover, LAWA’s SPAS plan
calls for the development of an intermodal transportation facility at
98th Street and Airport Boulevard—east of the airport—that would contain
shuttles, buses, and other transit options. According to SPAS, the
people mover could be designed to link this facility and the airport,
traveling on a new elevated guide way.
But the location of the people mover is still very much up for
debate. In addition to the proposal of a path between the intermodal
facility and the airport, and one linking the Metro Crenshaw and Green
line stations at Century and Aviation Boulevards—further east than the
intermodal option—to the airport, another option would see light rail
traveling straight to the airport, from where it would connect to a
people mover linking all terminals.
LAWA project manager Lisa Trifiletti pointed out that a people mover
will be a part of the equation one way or the other because it is an
efficient means of transportation capable of linking all terminals while
not obstructing other transportation at the airport. The people mover
also would be under the scrutiny of airport security, unlike a direct
link via Metro’s rail lines. LAWA would pay for the people mover, said
Trifiletti, while Metro would pay for any light rail connections.
“We will continue to evaluate all alternatives and combinations of
alternatives to determine the best course of investment for Metro,” said
Diaz. “There’s some good cooperation going on,” he added.
Metro hopes to have the connection completed by 2020. Trifiletti said
the entire SPAS plan is scheduled to be carried out by 2025.
“We’ve made a tremendous amount of progress and we’re very proud to
be working with Metro. We just have a tremendous amount of work to do,”
said Trifilleti.
Port railyard plan must heed West Long Beach concerns: Editorial
Southern Californians should
be rooting for the proposed railyard project at the Port of Los Angeles,
which would create shorter truck routes, helping the region's economy
and environment. But that doesn't mean they should be rooting against
the people in West Long Beach, who fear the facility would hurt that
immediate area. Money and effort must be spent to limit the potential
damage and bring the plan to approval.
It became clear this week how far there is to go to make the project shipshape.
Siding with Long Beach city officials and project opponents that
allowing Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Co. to build the Southern
California International Gateway railyard could harm the neighborhood,
the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners voted to direct port staff
to work with the city to solve the problems. The railyard first proposed
in 2005 is making another trip back to the drawing board.
Done right, it could be a great thing for a region that's always
looking for ways for economic and environmental improvements to work
hand in hand.
The $500 million railyard promises 1,500 jobs. Trucks would deliver
containers from the L.A. and Long Beach ports to the 153-acre location
near the Terminal Island Freeway instead of driving 24 miles to a yard
south of downtown L.A.
Proponents say this would reduce the number of truck trips on the Long Beach Freeway (710) each year by 1.5 million.
Less traffic, less pollution.
As for the neighborhood impact, reports by the Port of L.A. say that
given BNSF's promise to spend $100 million on green technology like
electric cranes and clean-burning locomotives and big rigs, the railyard
would be better than the trucking company now using the site in
Wilmington bounded by Sepulveda Boulevard, Pacific Coast Highway, State
Route 47 and the Dominguez Channel.
Neighbors beg to differ, worrying about health risks from increased
train and truck traffic. A group protested last week outside the home of
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, because he appointed the L.A.
harbor commissioners who voted unanimously March 7 to support the
project.
Long Beach officials want stronger efforts to mitigate environmental
impacts, including better sound walls, a stronger commitment to
zero-emission trucks, and a buffer zone to protect local homes and
schools.
These seem essential if the plan is to win approval.
Coincidentally - or ironically - BNSF is scheduled to be honored at a
May 2 dinner with the Long Beach-area Boy Scouts' 2013 Distinguished
Citizen Award. The company can show what a good scout it is by doing
more to allay the real concerns of West Long Beach residents and help
its railyard project to fulfill its promise.
Each day, millions of people depend on reliable
transportation for access at a high level of efficiency; and in this
way, cities are the largest people movers around. From a logistical standpoint, the efficiency as well as effectiveness and sustainability
of these systems is directly correlated with intelligent planning
techniques that are able to react to changing population needs.
Transportation networks are synergistic, and become more functional and effective as transport modes are interlinked.
This is because one mode is not able to service an entire city; systems
must be multimodal to address weak points in first and last-mile
connections and other low-service areas. To achieve this type of
network with efficient transfer points involves coordinating schedules
and stops of bus routes, streetcars, subways, urban rail lines, and car
and bicycle sharing stations. For example, European cities,
such as Milan and Paris, have high population densities that support
these services and facilitate movement because of mass accessibility to
public transportation.
The American context shares both ends of this spectrum. It
can be argued that historical dense cities such as New York and Boston
are both products of their intricate transit systems. However, overcoming system deficiencies in contemporary automobile oriented places, such as Los Angeles or Atlanta, is complicated due to an automobile-scale characterized by extensive sprawl. Transit
systems in these cases are more expensive from large infrastructure and
distance demands, and even a developed network will still have problems
with connections between individual homes and transportation nodes.
Ameliorating this issue is no simple task, and has inherent conflictual demands. We
can choose to live in dense city centers, but relinquish the precious
personal space found in more suburban areas. In return, we gain
proximity to work and school, and added health benefits from increased
physical activity. Higher density areas can even further induce
demand for services as the effectiveness and accessibility to
transportation options increases.
At this point we must ask ourselves: which lifestyle do we want, and at what cost?
A crew member of the ship carrying Bertha, the giant boring machine, is
in red (far right) dwarfed by the 57 1/2-foot cutting face of the
machine.
Bertha, the tunnel boring machine, arrives in 41-pieces aboard a ship
from Japan Tuesday. It's welcomed by the spray from a Seattle fireboat
and a harbor tour cruise by the bow.
For more information on Bertha's arrival and where you can see it, check out our graphic.
Feds Posit Ambitious Plan for Northeast High Speed Rail
http://transportationnation.org/2013/04/02/64607/
By Kate Hinds, April 2, 2013
The shoot-for-the-moon, Level D plan: a second Northeast Corridor "spine," Long Island-to-New England service, and 220-mph rail
Over a dozen plans for improving rail in the Northeast Corridor are
under consideration by the federal government, ranging from minor
improvements to a future with 220-mile-per-hour bullet trains between
Washington and Boston — not to mention new service between Long Island
and New England.
These various options are detailed in a new report released Tuesday by the Federal Railroad Administration. NEC FUTURE sketches out 15 alternatives representing different levels of investment through the year 2040 in the 457-mile corridor.
The options, in turn, have been grouped into four separate categories
which grow progressively more ambitious: while those in Level A focus
on achieving a state of good repair, Level D would build a separate
high-speed rail line between Boston and D.C. and bring new service in
the region, primarily in Long Island, New England and the Delmarva
peninsula.
The report aims to jump-start public debate about how rail capacity
should be shaped in the region. “It is intended to be the foundation for
future investments in the Northeast Corridor, a 150 year-old alignment
that has guided the growth of what is now one of the most densely
populated transportation corridors in the world,” said Rebecca
Reyes-Alicea, NEC FUTURE program manager for the Federal Railroad
Administration. “(It) will further the dialogue about the rail network
in the Northeast and how it can best serve us over for the years ahead.”
Over the next year, these 15 options will be winnowed down. The
federal government wants to have a single alternative in place by 2015.
Because it’s conceptual, no cost estimates are included in the
report. But existing documents provide a baseline. In 2010, Amtrak identified
$9 billion alone in state of good repair projects for the NEC, with an
additional $43 billion in investment just to meet projected 2030
ridership levels for the current system. Meanwhile, another Amtrak report estimated the cost of bringing high-speed rail to the NEC at $151 billion.
Dan Schned, a senior transportation planner at the Regional Plan Association, said “what’s possible and what Congress has the stomach to spend are two different things.”
But he said that funding need not come solely from Congress.
“Successful high-speed rail projects around the world have private
sector participation,” Schned pointed out, adding that “the arrangement
of public and private financing and project delivery issues will be the
most challenging” aspects of overhauling the NEC.
The Federal Railroad Administration is holding workshops in New
Haven, Newark and Washington D.C. next week to present the plan to the
public. For more information, go here. Read the full report below.
YANGON, Myanmar—The Premier coffee shop on Bogyoke Aung San Road, a
wide boulevard marking the northern limit of this city's downtown, used
to spread out plastic tables and chairs beneath a row of trees along the
edge of the broad sidewalk adjacent to its storefront. Much Yangon
social life takes place in sidewalk cafes. They're where friends meet,
politics is discussed and business conducted.
In February, workmen hired by the municipal government arrived,
unannounced, and began digging up the sidewalk. They reduced its width
by nearly two-thirds, felled the smaller trees, and marked out car
parking spaces where the cafe's chairs and tables once were. "It's so
sad," said Premier's owner, who asked not to be named (reluctance to
publicly criticize the government endures in this former pariah state).
"People used to love sitting out under those trees."
A typical wide sidewalk in downtown Yangon. (Zoë Blackler)
Myanmar's principle city has changed little since the 1960s. Downtown,
where development was stifled by decades of military rule, the colonial
core, though decaying, is largely intact. Rows of four-to-eight story,
mixed-use buildings line the streets, where betel nut stands, newspaper
stalls, palm readers and cane sugar vendors all share sidewalk space
with pedestrians and idlers. Yangon has the sort of vibrant street life
most modern cities have long lost.
But last year, as part of its program of political and economic
reforms, the government of Myanmar eased restrictions on the import of
foreign vehicles. Yangon, flooded with cars, is experiencing gridlock
for the first time. Drivers complain of escalating journey times and
fierce competition for parking space.
In a bid to ease congestion, the Yangon City Development Committee, the city's planning authority, has been widening roads.
A sidewalk being replaced with car parking in downtown Yangon. (Zoë Blackler)
Downtown, work has focused on principle thoroughfares Bogyoke Aung San
Road, Merchant Street, and Bo Aung Kyaw Street, where workers are
narrowing once spacious sidewalks by a lane-width, displacing the cafes
and street vendors to create rows of parking spaces. And this is just
the beginning. In an interview with the Myanmar Times,
U Tin Tun Oo, executive engineer of YCDC's roads and bridges
department, said the road widening program would be expanded, budget
allowing, to more streets and townships.
Prioritizing cars over people could have a detrimental effect on the character of the city, says Lucy Musgrave, director of Publica,
a London-based urban design consultancy. Far from reducing congestion
by the 30 to 40 percent the YCDC expects, decades of research has shown
"that if you make more roads you will have more cars." And if you rub
out street life in the process, as so many first-world cities have
discovered, "it is very difficult to ever manufacture it again."
Narrowed sidewalk with new parking spaces in downtown Yangon. (Zoë Blackler)
While it's too soon to tell whether Yangon will learn from others'
mistakes or replicate them, there are good reasons to be concerned.
As researchers from Harvard's Ash Center warned last year
[PDF], the city is ill-prepared to cope with mounting pressure for
development as foreign investors stream into Yangon. There is currently
no proper democratic planning process, cronyism and corruption are
widespread, resources scant and infrastructure inadequate. In recent
months, insensitive developments have reportedly been approved in
private back room deals, and a number of heritage buildings are under
immediate threat.
There is also no city-wide master plan, and while the YCDC is currently
preparing one with the support of the Japan International Cooperation
Agency, it won't be complete until the end of the year, during which
time irreversible mistakes could be made. Even once the plan is in place
— however exemplary — the great hunger for rapid economic development
as Myanmar opens up could eclipse all other considerations.
Moe Moe Lwin, director of recently formed heritage body The Yangon Heritage Trust,
is nonetheless confident the political will exists to make Yangon the
most liveable city in Asia. She believes it will be possible to protect
Yangon's unique character — its many parks, lakes and green spaces, and
the British-built residential blocks and civic buildings downtown — and
to incorporate much-needed development without forcing out existing
residents or sanitizing the streets.
Both city and national governments have welcomed the trust's input, she
says. And while she acknowledges the road widening program is a
mistake, she puts this down to unilateral action on the part of Yangon's
roads and bridges department.
"Everyone is working so hard in their own way. The one who is
responsible for the policy on importing cars is working on his own, and
the one who is managing public transport is working on their own. But
I'm sure everybody has good intentions. Everyone is so enthusiastic
about the changes in the country and where they have a chance to work
for the county."
Even so, the vulnerable are already losing out.
A Yangon newspaper vendor improvises during sidewalk construction work. (Zoë Blackler)
Daw Su Su Maw sells newspapers on Merchant Street. Today, she sits amid
building rubble, her former sidewalk patch now a gash in the road where
soon there will be finished concrete and rows of flashy SUVs. Vendors
weren't forewarned about the plans, she says, let alone given the chance
to object. Like other street vendors, she believes the authorities want
to clear them off the streets. A recent law banning vendors on major
thoroughfares outside the hours of 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. is being enforced
now as never before, even on roads where the sidewalks remain untouched.
For Daw Su Su Maw, moving her stall won't be too damaging, she says.
But for other vendors she knows, being forced into quiet side-streets
will put them out of business. "For the rich people who are buying cars,
[the creation of car parking space] is good. For the poor people
already struggling to buy food to eat, it is not so good."
For more information on Bertha's arrival and where you can see it, 
