LOS ANGELES -- The Metropolitan Transportation Authority Tuesday released a draft of its Long Range Transportation Plan, which calls for an array of traditional fixes through 2030, but the head of the agency said paying for the items on the wish list was the biggest problem.
.pdf: MTA Long Range Plan"Simply put, we can fulfill the vision of developing a transportation system for the 21st century if we act now to come up with creative ways of generating new revenues to fund future needs," Roger Snoble, chief executive of the agency.
A series of public hearings on the plan will be held, starting March 26 in West Hollywood with a 6:30 p.m. meeting in Plummer Park. Copies of the draft are available online at www.metro.net or by calling (213) 922-2833.
"The public's input is crucial as we imagine our future together," Snoble said.
Closing gaps in carpool lanes, expanding capacity on major thoroughfares, adding pedestrian and bicycle improvements and promoting rideshare programs, as well as expanding bus and train service, are among the proposals.
The plan includes $152.5 billion in public transportation and highway projects that fit into the authority's current budget, as well as an outline of projects that the MTA can't afford yet but for which it hopes to find funding.
If the projects outlined in the plan are not implemented, average traffic speeds throughout the county would decrease by 40 percent by 2030, said Carol Inge, Metro's chief planning officer.
"The funded projects certainly help forestall that and keep that from happening completely, but to keep speeds up at today's level or improve them, we need to go beyond this plan and we need to change people's behavior at the same time," she said.
The funded part of the plan would add 160 miles of carpool lanes, expand the Metro Rapid network to reach 35 cities, and expand the fixed guideway/busway network to cover almost 120 miles.
"Do we feel that this is going to be enough? No," Inge said.
According to Metro statistics, there are more than 7 million vehicles on the road in the county today, and the county's population is expected to grow by 2.4 million by 2030.
"Our ability to, frankly to widen highways and build roadways is not going to keep pace with that kind of population increase," Inge said.
The as-of-yet unaffordable projects -- called the "Strategic Unfunded" element of the plan -- are split into two tiers: a first tier of roughly $60 billion worth of improvements and building plans that have already been subject to a fair amount of study, and a second tier of plans that require more investigation.
Strategic Unfunded projects include subway and light rail extensions, the long-discussed State Route 710 gap closure and still more carpool lanes.
"This is a package that the county needs," Inge said. "Not just one of these. They really could use all or a good subset of these to really make a difference."
The draft enters a 45-day public review period today, with seven community meetings scheduled throughout the county to gather feedback. In June, the plan will be submitted to the Metro Board of Directors.
