Roads & Rails

Downtown DASH Testing Website that Offers Live Status, Arrival Times

By Eric Richardson — October 21, 2009 — 14 Comments

Screenshot from New Realtime DASH Website dtdash.com

Standing at a Downtown bus stop and want to know when your DASH will arrive? Just pull out your cell phone.

A healthy injection of high-technology has made arrival times and bus locations on Downtown's favorite circulator system accessible via a web browser, phone call or text message. — Continued Inside...


Sidewalk Reopened Next to 705 W. 9th

By Eric Richardson — October 16, 2009
2 Comments

Reopened Sidewalk on Flower

The removal of construction equipment from Flower street next to 705 W. 9th is good news for pedestrians, but not so much for drivers who are still forced to squeeze around lane closures next to the Concerto project.


Streetcar Project Looking for Consultants

By Eric Richardson — October 13, 2009
2 Comments

Red Streetcar

L.A. Streetcar Inc. is seeking a few consultants as it continues work on a streetcar line that would connect South Park, Broadway and Bunker Hill. The project yesterday released a pair of Request for Qualification (RFQ) documents, one looking for marketing and outreach help and the other seeking more technical research on assessment districts.


Street Closure Heads-Up: Saturday Immigration March on Broadway

By Eric Richardson — October 09, 2009
32 Comments

May Day March

The Civil Rights for Immigration Coalition will be holding another "Full Rights for Immigrants" march up Broadway on Saturday, and the City will be closing the street and all cross-streets while participants pass by.


Downtown ExpressPark Project on the Fast-Track

By Eric Richardson — October 08, 2009 — 7 Comments

New Meters on 5th Eric Richardson

13,000 parking spaces in Downtown are slated to receive a technological upgrade as part of LADOT's new federally-funded ExpressPark program. 5,500 on-street spaces and 7,500 city-owned garage spots will take part in the effort, which will bring new meters, directional signage and pricing models to Downtown streets by the end of 2010.

The program is part of Metro's $290-million ExpressLanes Congestion Reduction Demonstration Project, which will bring demand-based toll pricing to the carpool lanes of the 110 and 10 freeways. — Continued Inside...


New GPS Units Intended to Keep DASH Buses On Track

By Eric Richardson with Ed Fuentes — October 05, 2009 — 4 Comments

IMGP3186 Ed Fuentes

DASH drivers have a new tool in the fight against bunching. GPS units now being installed in Downtown DASH buses allow drivers to see whether they are keeping the proper spacing between the buses in front and behind.

For riders, the new devices offer the promise of more predictable wait times. That should be good news to anyone who has ever waited too long at a bus stop only to finally see two or three buses pull up at once. — Continued Inside...


Know Your Street Closures: L.A. Triathlon Runs Sunday

By Eric Richardson — October 02, 2009
2 Comments

L.A. Triathlon 2009 Downtown Route

The 10th Los Angeles Triathlon makes its way from the Pacific Ocean to L.A. Live on Sunday morning, ending with a Finish Line Party and Expo on Nokia Plaza. As with any race event, it's important to know what's going on so that you don't find yourself stuck come Sunday morning.


LADOT Looks to Riders for Ideas on How to Solve Budget Woes

By Eric Richardson — September 29, 2009

Prep Ed Fuentes

Facing a $23 million budget deficit in 2010, the city's transportation department is looking for input from those who use its DASH and Commuter Express lines. In a message posted on its website and inside buses, the department tells riders that "your LADOT transit service could face fare increases, service reductions or even elimination."

There are no easy answers when it comes to transit funding, especially in a tough economy. — Continued Inside...


Rail Car Approval Means Manufacturing Plant at Washington and Santa Fe

By Eric Richardson — September 25, 2009

Rendering of Planned AnsaldoBreda Plant

Despite serious concerns about AnsaldoBreda's past performance, Metro's Board of Directors yesterday decided to approve a $300 million contract with the firm for new rail cars. That's a big win for the Mayor and the Community Redevelopment Agency, both of which have been counting on the firm as an anchor tenant for their proposed Cleantech Manufacturing Center...


Win Tickets to See David Byrne Discuss Bicycling in Los Angeles

By Eric Richardson — September 23, 2009
19 Comments

Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne

While he may be most famous as a musician or filmmaker, Talking Head David Byrne is also a devout bicyclist. His just released book, 'Bicycle Diaries,' talks about his decades of cycling in cities around the world. On Friday, October 2, Byrne will be joined by Bicycle Kitchen co-founder Jimmy Lizama, LADOT Bicycle Coordinator Michelle Mowery and UCLA urban...