The details on 710 Day, environmental impact still up for debate

 http://www.alhambrasource.org/news/details-710-day-environmental-impact-still-debate

By Alfred Dicioco, June 13, 2013

 

City Council revealed on Monday evening plans for the 710 Day Celebration, an event on July 10 focusing on traffic, safety, and air quality in connection with closing the 710 Freeway gap. The Center for Disease Control, Sparkletts Water, Metro, Alhambra Hospital, and the Alhambra Police Department will have information booths. Activities also include carnival games, face paint, food trucks, and live entertainment from a Cars tribute band, who will be performing on a solar-powered stage in the Gateway Plaza on Fremont Avenue and Valley Boulevard.


Alhambra officials support a tunnel between the 710 and 210 freeways as a solution to congestion and safety and argue that the option would improve the environment. “For me, it’s very important because it’s an environmental issue. If you read the news, Southern California, Los Angeles specifically, is the number one city in the country, in the entire nation, if you rank it in terms of contamination,” Councilman Luis Ayala said during Monday night's City Council meeting. "This is something that is going to impact most likely our generation, if we see this through. Our kids now living near this freeway are the ones being impacted the most.”


Despite the eco-driven motif of 710 Day, resident Lola Armendariz questioned the safety of the event's location, stating that 50,000 vehicles pass through this intersection of Fremont Avenue and Valley Boulevard each day, according to the Alhambra Chamber of Commerce’s monthly publication Around Alhambra. She also said that the city's new residential projects have contributed to the number of cars passing through the city and the contamination Ayala mentioned.

“You talk about air quality and automobiles and congestion and so on and yet you have high density on Main Street with your projects," Armendariz said during the meeting. "You’ve got the Casita de Zen coming in, the Super A coming in, the Ratkovich project on Mission and Fremont and you have two large projects there. So you can’t be walking around with clean hands here because you are contributing to a lot of the traffic that’s going on out there on the streets."

A few notes on the Metrolink TAP-enabled tickets

http://thesource.metro.net/2013/06/13/a-few-notes-on-the-metrolink-tap-enabled-tickets/

By Anna Chen, June 13, 2013

 

 

 

 If you hold the ticket up to the light, you’ll see where the antennae is embedded.

 

Now that Metrolink riders have their new TAP-enabled tickets, they should have no problems getting through the Metro fare gates. Just to make sure everything goes smoothly though, a few quick tips.

• Don’t fold or bend the antennae embedded in the ticket. This could damage the antennae and prevent it from working. The best way to keep the ticket in working order is to keep it in a pass case or wallet. However…

• Credit cards, rewards cards, expired TAP-enabled tickets or smart phones could interfere with the antennae. This bit of anec-data has only been passed around a few times so far, but it seems the magnetic strip or NFC (near field communication) chip can mess with the antennae signal. So if you’re having trouble getting your Metrolink pass to work at a TAP reader, check to make sure you don’t have your ticket layered on a bunch of other cards or old passes.

• Finally, when tapping your Metrolink ticket, don’t cover the antennae with your fingers. If you cover the antennae, the TAP reader may not be able to pick up the signal. To ensure optimal TAP ease, hold the ticket by the bar code side. Scan one side for Metrolink, TAP the other for Metro!

New ‘under construction’ map for Metro Rail debuts

 http://thesource.metro.net/2013/06/13/new-under-construction-map-for-metro-rail-debuts/

By Steve Hymon, June 13, 2013

 

 Click above to see larger.


This is the latest “under construction” map produced by Metro’s Creative Services staff. As you can see, there are five rail projects shown that aren’t on the usual day-to-day rail map: the second phase of the Expo Line, the Gold Line Foothill Extension, the Crenshaw/LAX Line, the Regional Connector and Purple Line Extension of the subway.

The first two of those are under construction while utility relocations are underway on the other three.
It’s pretty impressive, given that prior to July 1990 — when the Blue Line opened — there was no Metro Rail. Check out this interactive map that shows how the system has grown in the past 23 years. 

Metro Rail today has 87 miles of track and 80 stations and, of course, the system is set to expand beyond what’s shown above when other Measure R second and third decade projects are considered: the Eastside Gold Line Extension, the South Bay Green Line Extension, the Airport Metro Connector, the East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor, the West Santa Ana Branch Corridor and the Sepulveda Pass Transit Corridor.

Bobcat Warning for West Pasadena

From Carla Riggs, June 13, 2013

You've read of Bear sightings in the hills, and south of the Pasadena Art Center. A couple of evenings ago my kids saw brown Foxes near the Art Center, also.  And now we have Bobcats... below the freeway.
Thanks to Alix for sending us the note below. 
I'll be locking up our chickens early tonight!
~Carla


Bobcats have been seen on the 200 BLK of south Grand (on the street side, as opposed to the hillside) and yesterday on the 1000 BLK of Prospect blvd. Please be careful when allowing kids to play outside and be watchful of pets.

These cats are very fast and can climb/jump extremely tall walls. Unless a bobcat is in danger, there is little we can do, except to keep all food sources inside, cover trash cans, and remove water sources when possible.

Call the Human Society (626) 792-7151 for more information, but know there is little they can do, unless the cat is in danger.

Best,
Alix


 

8 Ingenious Ways to Improve the Subway System

 http://gizmodo.com/100-ingenious-ways-to-improve-the-subway-system-512972911

By Ashley Feinberg, June 13, 2013

 

If you live in a city lucky enough to have one, your relationship with the subway/L/T/metro/underground/tube is probably fairly complicated. The convenience and cost-effectiveness of mass public transit is unparalleled, but that doesn't mean that the experience itself is going to be pleasant—and that's putting it kindly.

 In an effort to encourage the powers that be to implement some sure-to-be-lauded changes, designer Randy Gregory is posting a different idea for improving New York City's subway every day for the next 100 days. And he's definitely making an effort to leave no insufficient stone unturned. In a mission statement on his Tumblr, he explains:

For the next 100 Days, I will propose various improvements to the New York City Subway, which in 2012 had 1.6 billion riders, and should be seen as the best subway in the country, if not the world. I'll be exploring various ideas, from UX, Environmental, Co-Branding, Audio/Visual, and more, including potential interviews with MTA employees, all in an attempt to create discussion.

Sure, we'll probably never see some (or even most) of these ideas implemented in any of our lifetimes, but at the very least, Gregory is helping to spark a discussion worth having. A few of our favorite concepts follow, but be sure to check out the rest of his work on Tumblr—after all, there are still 40 days left to go. [Improve Subway]

---

Expand

Safe passage between cars. Despite the signs forbidding it, people are always walking between cars while the train's in motion. Actual walls would cut risk.

---

Expand

Gym-style flooring in cars. Much more foot-friendly when standing during long commutes.

---

Expand

Drains in subway cars. All sorts of liquids get spilled, whether they be of the beverage or bodily variety. At least this way, those fluids would have somewhere to go.

---

USB power. Using kinetic energy generated by the trains themselves would benefit passengers immensely—this is both highly sustainable and a good way to generate revenue. Just charge a few quarters a pop.

---

Expand

Protective barriers and doors. People falling onto the tracks (for whatever reason) happens way too often. This would solve that problem while providing additional ad surface—another important part of the public transit ecology, like it or not.

---

Preventative bars. People sliding in at the last minute and trying to pull open the doors is obnoxious. This would be a major deterrent.

---

Designated directions on stairs. It might be too much to hope for, but people can be surprisingly obedient.

---

Expand

Skylights. This would make waiting around underground worlds more pleasant, and it shouldn't be overly difficult to implement, either.

Amtrak gets gourmet advice

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/amtrak-gets-gourmet-advice/2013/06/10/df8eda8c-b0d6-11e2-9a98-4be1688d7d84_story.html

 By Lori Aratani, June 11, 2013

 

   Wilmington, Del. — Here in a small test kitchen on a dead-end street downtown, some of the food world’s greatest minds are at work. Their task might seem impossible, but they believe they can make a difference for millions of Amtrak riders, one roasted chicken at a time.

Amtrak has gone gourmet — or at least it’s trying to. In exchange for frequent traveler miles, the rail agency has hired some of the most accomplished chefs in the country, who come together each spring to brainstorm new dishes for Amtrak’s menus.

The annual chefs’ gathering is part of an effort to change the way riders think about train cuisine. The goal is hipper, more healthful food to tempt the palates of the millions of annual passengers. After all, in a world that embraces designer doughnuts and upscale ramen noodles, why not gourmet train food?

“Everyone wants to stay current,” said Tom Douglas, a James Beard Award-winning chef from Seattle, who is in his fifth year of developing dishes for Amtrak. “Customers are more friendly when they’ve had a meal.”

Douglas was joined in Wilmington in March by the likes of Michel Richard, the charming French master behind District hot spot Central, and Sara Jenkins, whose rustic Italian cooking has made her East Village restaurants Porchetta and Porsena must-gos. Amtrak’s culinary campaign is fueled by the rail service’s goal of becoming more self-sustaining and by the demands of customers who live, breathe and drink in a culture that has turned everyone into a connoisseur.

But even the most talented chefs admit that improving Amtrak’s food offerings can be an uphill climb. Like airlines back in the days when they actually offered meals to everyone, trains face particular logistical challenges. There is limited equipment and storage space, and items must be able to endure the sometimes bumpy ride.

“In some ways, the food is the easiest part of the equation,” said Daniel Malzhan, Amtrak’s executive chef for long-distance service.
A passenger’s food options vary depending on the route and the fare. There is more choice and, some say, better food on long-distance routes, where the trains are outfitted with small kitchens that include a grill and convection oven. On those routes, passengers can order a steak, grilled to order, or an omelet freshly made with cage-free eggs.
On shorter routes, like those in the Northeast Corridor, there are no kitchen facilities, so food choices are limited to snack-bar-type items, with one exception: On Acela trains, first-class passengers are served full meals, though as on airplanes the entrees are pre-packed, designed to be heated or served as is.
Regardless, persuading riders to spend their money in the cafe car rather than, say, the Chipotle at Union Station is a challenge. Many passengers said they rarely buy food on board. “Have I eaten on the train?” Todd Valentine of Bethesda said as he waited for a late-afternoon train to New York. “I have, and that’s why I have this bag of nuts.”
Others have noticed the changes.

CALIFORNIA TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION APPROVES BILLION-DOLLAR INFUSION OF FUNDING TO UPGRADE TRANSPORTATION AND PROMOTE JOBS

 http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/paffairs/news/pressrel/13pr059.htm

June 12, 2013

LOS ANGELES– Continuing the drive to rebuild the state’s infrastructure, the California Transportation Commission (CTC) today allocated $1 billion in funding for 153 transportation projects that will strengthen the state’s economy by sustaining and creating jobs while providing congestion relief for motorists statewide.

“We’re building transportation improvements that will benefit the state for decades to come and boost job growth in every region of California,” said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty.

The allocations include nearly $541 million from Proposition 1B, a 2006 voter-approved transportation bond. In total, more than $15.5 billion in Proposition 1B funds have been put to work statewide.

Highlights of the funding allocations include:

• $26,664,000 for Port of Los Angeles Cargo Transportation Improvements – Emission Reduction Program, Phase 2. The project includes 72 acres of improvements to develop a state-of-the-art automated infrastructure.
• $55,467,000 to rehabilitate 25 lane miles of pavement in the cities of Los Angeles and Glendale, near Sunland and Tujunga, from west of Big Tujunga Wash to east of Boston Avenue.
• $13,118,000 to the Ventura County Transportation Commission for Los Angeles County Line to SR-23 – US 101 Improvements, Phase 1. This project will improve the SR-23 and US 101 connectors, the Moorepark Road off-ramp and medians, and soundwalls.

For information about all projects that received allocations today please see the attached file.

 

Lawsuit only way to fight pollution from port's railyard project: Opinion

 http://www.presstelegram.com/opinions/ci_23446676/lawsuit-only-way-fight-pollution-from-ports-railyard

By David Pettit, June 12, 2013

 

The Los Angeles and Long Beach port complex produces more smog-forming pollution than all 6 million cars in the region and is the largest contributor to excess cancer risk in the South Coast Air Basin, home to 16.8 million people.

Southern California has some of the worst air quality in the country. We will not achieve clean air without aggressively tackling air pollution from the diesel-powered ships, trucks and trains that serve our ports and freight transportation system. Further, many communities affected by port-related pollution are low-income, working-class communities of color.

For more than a decade, the Natural Resources Defense Council and our community allies have worked to clean up the ports while enabling them to grow. Our vision is for the ports of L.A. and Long Beach to reduce their negative impact on public health, demonstrate green technologies, mitigate existing air pollution levels, and adopt cleaner, more sustainable development projects. We've had great success over the years in cleaning up the ports, to the direct benefit of the neighboring communities, and in creating a green model that is increasingly being used around the world.

In 2004, we negotiated a settlement with the port of Los Angeles that created a $50 million mitigation fund and the first "green" terminal in the world for containerized freight. Visitors from ports all over the world come to the L.A. ports to see how this happened.

In 2005, we helped design the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach's Clean Air Action Plan and Clean Truck Programs that have drastically cut port-generated air pollution without slowing down any port expansion or modernization plans.

In 2008, we linked funding for community mitigation in San Pedro and Wilmington to growth in containerized freight at the port. In 2012, we completed a legal battle preserving California's authority to require ships to use cleaner marine fuel when visiting California's ports, preventing more than 3,500 premature deaths.

This year, we convinced Caltrans to abandon its ill-devised design for expanding the 710 Freeway.

In each of these projects, we worked with the community and the ports to resolve their concerns. That is not the case in the Southern California International Gateway (SCIG). SCIG's railyard project is a huge step backward in air quality without any effective mitigation to protect the surrounding working-class community that already carries a heavy pollution burden.

The port could put the project on-dock, away from populated areas. It could eliminate all diesel-powered truck trips to SCIG, which was promised in 2005. It could require the most modern and cleanest locomotives to service SCIG when it opens. The port could join us in formal mediation proceedings about SCIG.

But all of these measures that could help the community, the port has refused. This leaves us no alternative but litigation to protect the local community from the extra cancer and cardio-vascular disease risk that SCIG will bring. We are not alone in this. The city of Long Beach, the Long Beach School District and the South Coast Air Quality Management District have also filed suit.

This project can be built away from where people live and children go to school, but the city of Los Angeles wants to put it in a low-income minority neighborhood -- because they think they can get away with it.

APTA-sponsored "Dump the Pump" coming June 20

 http://www.metro-magazine.com/news/story/2013/06/apta-sponsored-dump-the-pump-coming-june-20.aspx?ref=Express-Thursday-20130613&utm_campaign=Express-Thursday-20130613&utm_source=Email&utm_medium=Enewsletter

June 13, 2013

 

The 8th annual National Dump the Pump Day will be held this year on Thursday, June 20. Sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), in partnership with the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council, this national public transportation awareness day encourages people to “dump the pump” by parking their car and riding public transit instead.

Public transit systems around the country are planning to participate in the National Dump the Pump Day on June 20 in a variety of ways.

• In Indianapolis, where gas recently hit $4.26 a gallon, IndyGo will host a free “how to ride” event the day before, so people new to public transit can “dump the pump” on June 20. In addition, IndyGo is partnering with Commuter Connect, who will hold a drawing with a variety of gifts for individuals who log their “dump the pump” trips to work online.

• Valley Metro in Phoenix, Ariz. is hosting an online pledge drive in which people pledge to “dump the pump” and take transit instead. Valley Metro is also providing stickers and lottery style scratchers with awards to local businesses for distribution to employees that have taken the “dump the pump” pledge.

• MARTA in Atlanta is holding the first “Dump the Pump” scavenger contest. You have to take public transit to participate in this challenge, which will take people on a 3 ½ hour hunt through the MARTA rail system.

• Red Rose Transit Authority of Lancaster, Pa. is asking riders to tell their story on how they “Dumped the Pump” to be placed in a random drawing for prizes. The Grand Prize winner will receive a free year of transit on any bus route.

In some places a “Dump the Pump Week” will occur. For example, in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, three transit systems — Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Denton County Transportation Authority and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority) — are currently collecting gas receipts from people who want to receive a free weekly regional transit pass good starting June 16.

The first National Dump the Pump Day was started in June 2006 after gas prices had reached $3 per gallon. Public transit systems and other organizations across the country participate in National Dump the Pump Day. Last year some public transportation systems offered free rides, held contests, provided giveaways as rewards for riders, and partnered with local Sierra Club chapters and businesses to spread the word.

Public and private organizations can also participate by encouraging their employees to ride public transportation. If your organization would like to participate, go to the APTA website www.apta.com to use the 2013 Dump the Pump Toolkit.

More Comments to

What do you think of the idea of 710 Day?

 http://www.alhambrasource.org/news/what-do-you-think-idea-710-day#comments

By Alred Dicioco, June 7, 2013

 

Posted 8 hours 40 min ago

by Dan Bednarski

Unlike some of the posters here, I live in Alhambra. I support the environmental review process but I think digging a tunnel for autos would be a costly mistake.

Folks who continue pushing - in many cases blindly - the 710 freeway solution in its current iteration are ignoring several key issues related to the current designs being considered as part of the environmental review process.

The most important being that Caltrans has acknowledged finishing the 710 may not actually improve traffic on surface streets, although there might be a slight improvement. Most of the people cutting through are headed to Huntington. Had there been a tunnel exit at Huntington we would have seen substantial improvement on Alhambra's surface streets according to its consultants and reports. Moreover, tolls have not been set. A significant percentage of people are expected to skip the tunnel due to the required tolls - called a diversion rate. That rate goes up with each small toll increase.
So, why support a plan that might only decrease traffic slightly, and without guarantees? Sounds like we're going along too easily. Why not exact more in return. How about our support in return for a light rail from El Monte to union station with 3 stops in Alhambra? On top of the east LA to Pasadena line?

The tunnel will cost billions. I think that if we're serious about decreasing traffic, that money is better spent on double tracking metrolink so people commuting in have a more valuable option. Double tracking and separating the train route from car traffic would allow more trains, take less time to traverse the route, and allow electrification.

Lastly, where is the light rail option in the 710 Day plans? That would be better for the city in the long run than a tunnel that only slightly decreased traffic. Sigh.

Ultimately, I think the City as a whole should wait for Metro to finish the environmental review before supporting the tunnel option. At this point we're blind to its actual value and costs.

(Posted by Joe Cano on No 710 on Avenue 64 Facebook page, June 13, 2013: 

Check this out Mr Altadena tunnel supporter now claims to live in Alhambra. Mr. Bednarski & his spouse who were featured in one of my video pieces is jumping in at the beshest of project manager Michelle Smith once again. Now does this prove my contention that Metro is Alhambra's puppetmasters. Do they really think we are that stupid? This is insulting.)

Posted 19 hours 10 min ago

by joe cano (not verified)

Here is my response to Tom, hey is this really Mayor Placido. You sure know more than the usual Alhambra resident.
Yeah go Alhambra. Very funny!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR7-1-6xfEQ

Posted 1 day 10 hours ago

by Tom (not verified)

Joe, what's my point? That I totally disagree with you. My point is that you can take all the photos you want, but it will mostly be biased if you don't show all the businesses that have OPENED! Just check out all the new businesses the Alhambra Source has been reviewing. It's great!
I've been to Ambiente, have you? I know people who have been there many times. Ever come across to you the drug dealings and police activities that went on there? Of course not, you're too busy complaining about the city. So when it came time for lease /license renewals and they were denied who did you thank? Probably no one.

Those businesses closing on Main St.? Gee I guess only Alhambra should be blamed for the last recession we just went through. I'm sure every other city had none of their businesses closed. Shame on us!

Those Asian Shop owners you interviewed? They are obviously not the Asian business folks who took a picture with Steven Placido and had their group picture published in the Chinese newspaper when he was running for councilmember. Many of them support him and guess what? He's now mayor! Go Alhambra!

Posted 1 day 13 hours ago

by Vicki Kea

This is a no-brainer. They didn't make the time of the "celebration" at a time when commuters could go because it's not about commuters. It's about goods movement by truck from the ports. Please don't think for a minute that Messina and her cronies are concerned about commuters.

Posted 1 day 16 hours ago

by Virgin Mary (not verified)

The truth is always simple. The 710 extention and expansion has never been about the truth. That is why it has been perkolating in its own juices fro 40 years.
If only the lies were as simple.

Posted 1 day 17 hours ago

 by joe cano (not verified)

Don't need a consultant. I have seen the empty shops myself. I am in the process of photographing & documenting all the empty shops in the business area. Ambiente restaurant on Garfield shuttered, what used to be the 'Adorable Shop across from Ambiente has been standing empty for 20 years, the Mall across the street from Edwards Theaters virtually empty except for the Tea place on the corner. all the empty store fronts on Main from Atlantic to Chapel, Asian restaurants on the corner of Garfield & Main, Hallmark Cards, Tony Roma's, Mervyn's standing empty. The pedestrian area around Ross Dress For Less (side alley way to rear parking) gum on the sidewalk has not been removed in years & overall poorly maintained. I have interviewed some of the Asian shop owners & they are very critical of Alhambra's leadership. Yeah, the crowds cluster at the Edwards Theater complex & Applebys, so what's you point?

Posted 1 day 17 hours ago

by A friend (not verified)

Putting flower puts on street corners and telling people to water their lawns --- your city taxes at work!

Posted 2 days 7 hours ago

by Tom (not verified)

Hey joe, ever bothered to walk down Main St? ! Things are doing fine and lots of people are out there on the weekends. What consultant are you getting your info. from?

Posted 2 days 11 hours ago

by joe cano (not verified)

The only reasons the date & times are as they are is because Placido & Messina don't really care to get input from the public. Placido & Messina think they can dictate to Alhambra residents what is good for them. Perfect examples are the city council meetings where they shutdown any stakeholder that questions their motives or actions.

Alhambra has paid a consultant named Leland Dolley close to $2 million dollars to promote this boondoggle. Has anyone in Alhambra even seen or heard one peep from this guy?
In the mean time Alhambra suffers economically with massive amounts of shuttered businesses on Main St & Garfield Ave. What are Palcido & Messina doing about improving their city besides lining their pockets with

Measure R Funds, our tax dollars.

Underground Bicycle Parking Systems

 http://www.good.is/posts/underground-bicycle-parking-systems

June 11, 2013

Check out this innovative way Japan is reshaping public bike storage.