Movement & Transportation

LAT: Cabbies Want You to Hail a Cab

By Eric Richardson — April 07, 2008
3 Comments

Taxi!

Sharon Bernstein gets the LAT’s Column One today to talk about taxis. She writes that the cabbies are plenty ready for the city to change its tune and let them pick up fares wherever. Mostly left out is discussion of the politics that keeps L.A.’s taxi stand system the way it is today. The topic is particularly relevant to Downtown, where hailing...


Raising Awareness for L.A. River Bridges

By Eric Richardson — April 03, 2008
3 Comments

6th Street Viaduct

The Los Angeles Conservancy hopes to raise awareness of the historic bridges over the L.A. River with a pair of events to be held next week. ”Spanning History,” co-sponsored by the Getty Conservation Institute and the Friends of the Los Angeles River, kicks off on Thursday, April 10th, with a panel discussion at the Getty Museum. The Downtown fun...


After Delay, 7th Street Finally Getting Lit?

By Eric Richardson — April 02, 2008

Connecting the Lights

A little over ten months after the fixtures were installed on the sidewalk, the pedestrian lights installed on 7th street east of Hill look to finally be getting a chance to light up. A Bureau of Street Services crew was at work on 7th today, installing wiring. They indicated that their work was to bring the green pedestrian lights online. Asked why it had taken...


Actions Speak Louder than Words on Pedestrian Friendly Downtown

By Eric Richardson — March 27, 2008
2 Comments

Illegal Walking

|Photo Gallery| Curbed yesterday took a reader complaint about the closed off sidewalk on Grand Ave, across from Disney Concert Hall. The reader was complaining about the effect the closure would have on tourists wanting to take pictures of Frank Gehry’s concert hall. While certainly the Disney is a highly visited attraction, the situation illustrated has far more bearing...


Tonight: Talk Regional Connector with DLANC

By Eric Richardson — March 24, 2008
2 Comments

Regional Connection 2

As I mentioned on Friday, Metro will be coming to a meeting of DLANC’s Transportation committee this evening to discuss the Regional Connector. This is an important project for Downtown, both in its potential benefits and in the way it could harm the neighborhood if done poorly. The meeting is at 6:30pm, at the LATC (514 S. Spring).


Closure Report for March 22nd

By Eric Richardson — March 21, 2008
10 Comments

Backup from Filming

It’s a very busy Saturday for filming closures, so plan your routes carefully. This weekend’s Closure Report is sponsored by A&E, Saturn, Heineken and, most importantly, Dodge. 2nd street tunnel is closed 6am to 10pm for Morton Jankel Zander to film a Saturn ad. The same company is also closing the 4th street freeway (110 to Olive) from 7am to...


Monday: Regional Connector with Metro and DLANC

By Eric Richardson — March 21, 2008

Regional Connection 2

Last month Metro presented their initial build alternatives for the Regional Connector, a project intended to tie together L.A.’s light rail lines. Five of the eight alternatives presented would run at-grade down 2nd street, closing the street to vehicle service. On Monday, Metro will be attending a meeting of DLANC’s Transportation Committee to...


What's a DASH Monthly Pass Worth to You?

By Eric Richardson — March 20, 2008
7 Comments

Blurred Bus

With the city’s December decision to quit accepting Metro most tickets and passes on DASH, one would imagine that quite a few more riders have been finding it necessary to keep some quarters on hand. Looking to make life easier for them, the city’s Board of Transportation Commissioners late last month approved a $9 monthly pass that covers all DASH...


Just Another Last Minute Closure

By Eric Richardson — March 15, 2008
8 Comments

Traffic on 6th

Here’s one of those little “Oh, and by the way…” moments that we all love so much about Downtown filming. Around noon Friday Film LA sent out a notification that Grand Avenue would be closed all day Saturday between 5th and Wilshire for New Regency Productions to shoot “Mirrors.” At 9:10pm they sent out a revised agenda saying...


When Alternative Transportation Competes: the Tension Between Buses vs Bikes

By Eric Richardson — March 14, 2008
18 Comments

Bicycle at Radio Hill

The city’s currently engaged in an update of the Bicycle Master Plan, and as we’ve discussed before, Downtown has some particular issues for bike planning. Riding back from Hollywood this afternoon I encountered an issue that’s citywide, but especially relevant here in Downtown: the tension between bikes and buses. Heading eastbound on Sunset...