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Current Bus Riders Long For Future Subway To The Sea

Phenia Hovsepyan |
February 9, 2010 | 9:34 a.m. PST

Staff Reporter

Measure R, which passed by a two-thirds majority back in the November 2008 election, imposes another ½ cent sales tax for public transportation. Unlike previous tax measures, Measure R allows for future funding to go into constructing subway systems. The most notable proposal is the "Subway to the Sea", which would expand the existing Metro Purple and Red Line to Santa Monica, traveling through Beverly Hills and Westwood.

One of the major obstacles facing the construction of the Subway to the Sea is opposition from affluent residents in Beverly Hills and Westwood. The inclusion of subway stops is feared to disrupt the overall appearance and impression of the town. 

However, the growing awareness of traffic pollution's effects on the environment, as well as a desire from voters to improve Los Angeles public transportation, helped pass Measure R, which is projected to raise 40 billion dollars by 2040. The Subway to the Sea, along with other potential Measure R projects, is welcomed news for Los Angeles residents currently relying on the Metro Bus system.

Unfortunately, for those looking forward to the new developments in public transportation, they will have many years to wait before the project is complete. The approved first section of the project only takes the subway to Westwood, and Metro says that even with Measure R, there isn't enough money to fund the subway all the way to Santa Monica. The estimated completion date of the Westwood extension is a distant 20 years away.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, one of the Subway to the Sea's biggest supporters, said such a timeline was "quite unacceptable," and that with correct planning and prioritization, the project could be completed in five to 10 years. 



 

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