Los Angeles Metro’s Westside Subway Extension project proposal should move forward

As automobiles drive the full value and ridership of rapid transits into near insignificance, Los Angeles’ public transportation system is in need of immediate realignment.

A shift in focus toward a more integrated transit system such as an extended subway is necessary because it would add efficiency and acceleration to public transportation.

Los Angeles Metro’s recent project proposal, the Westside Subway Extension, provides a crucial step in this direction. A project analysis released in late March recommends a nine-mile heavy rail subway extension from the current Wilshire/Western station to the Westside.

One of seven recommended station locations is near UCLA, a convenient location for students.

Though Los Angeles’ public transportation system may be lacking when compared with other major cities, Angelenos can nonetheless become enthusiastic about potential change.

Los Angeles relies too heavily on a culture dominated by cars, which may buy us independence in our teenage years but soon becomes a mechanical extension of ourselves. Without a car, it remains difficult to travel around in Los Angeles.

Yet a car is not the only option. There are other modes of transportation that should be integrated into our daily lives, and the subway is a more efficient choice.

Ridership near UCLA and Westwood Village serves as a platform demonstrating the functional importance of public transportation for many residents and visitors.

Both Westwood and UCLA communities will benefit greatly from a subway station connecting ridership between UCLA and Downtown Los Angeles.

The most obvious of benefits will be the impressive reduction of the time required to travel between the two points. According to the report, a passenger on the projected subway will be able to travel between Pershing Square and UCLA 25 minutes to 30 minutes faster than the comparable car ride.

A direct link between downtown and UCLA further benefits students and faculty traveling to and from downtown for work-related events and leisure activities.

A proper railway system would increase overall public transportation ridership and exploration of various Los Angeles areas.

Admittedly, the project is very costly. The addition of seven new stations will run an estimated cost of $6.2 billion.

But there are more useful things the Los Angeles community could do with that money, said Martin Wachs, an urban planning professor emeritus.

Wachs, however, does concede that despite the cost, the addition of a rail line will provide new, increased travel options that could help avoid traffic congestion. Los Angeles’ growing traffic congestion can be reduced, and expanding the subway system is one way to achieve this reduction, he added.

As with any large-scale public project, opposition in the Westwood area would likely come from homeowners’ associations, business groups and those that believe added transit routes serve as intrusions into their neighborhoods, Wachs said.

The recommended, specific route will require tunneling and construction under a local Beverly Hills High School and should be opposed, said Bradly S. Torgan, a land use attorney present at an informational meeting hosted by Los Angeles Metro in late March.

Though construction can become inconvenient, the Westside Subway Extension project will push Los Angeles toward becoming a city more conducive to public transportation. The project will pave the way for more extensive subway routes, and that means easier, accelerated movement.

In addition to this expansion, a coordinated collaboration with existing transit systems in Westwood and UCLA is necessary.

Subway entrances, for instance, will be close to Gayley Avenue and Westwood Boulevard, and it is important to coordinate times with buses operating within Westwood and UCLA in order to transport people to and around the campus in an efficient way.

It is time to give greater attention to public transportation. If more extensive subway routes are planned and put into effect, cars will become relatively obsolete for local, everyday travel. And that would reduce the suffocation of street traffic and the pollution of public space dedicated to parking lots and garages.

Regardless of the issues that may arise from such a costly project, the Westside Subway Extension is an important reminder that Los Angeles requires an extensive subway system. It is time to improve old habits.

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