My, How “Uninformed” I Am!

I was going to stop writing about my objections to the Wilshire subway — I really had nothing more to say. I think it will cost too much precious money, will take too long to build and will not impact traffic on our clogged streets. But my main objection is that unless there are several North-South lines connecting to it, it is just an East-West line that will only serve the people who live within a few blocks of Wilshire.

But then I got this comment on a previous article:

Honestly, you are very uninformed regarding the wilshire subway. please do some research before you spew. No further connections to the Wilshire subway? hmm interesting. what would you consider the proposed 405 line, the Crenshaw line, the connection with the expo line in Santa Monica?

Okay, I don’t know everything, so I took the suggestion and did “some research.” Guess who’s uninformed?

Final Wilshire subway map: No 405 line, no Crenshaw connection, no Expo Line connection

This “proposed 405 line” is nothing but a dream right now. As Mayor Villaraigosa told Curbed LA in July, “a subway underneath the 405 is in measure R (the voter approved measure to commit $40 billion to traffic relief over the next 30 years).” However he added, “I’m not aware of any plans right now other than what we’ve done.” Which is nothing. This line is not even close to the planning stages.

“The Crenshaw Line” is actually getting closer to being built. According to the Metro website, this line will run from the Green Line’s Aviation/LAX station to the intersection of Exposition and Crenshaw where it will meet up with the Expo Line. It will NOT continue up Crenshaw to connect with the Wilshire subway. In fact, there will not even be a station on the Wilshire subway at Crenshaw. That station was in the original plans, but the powers-that-be decided there was not enough of a population there to support a station.

This is another example of the lack of common sense among decision-makers in Los Angeles. Why not continue the Crenshaw Line all the way to the end of the boulevard at Wilshire where it could have connected with the subway? It boggles the mind, just like the decision not to build the “Subway-to-the-Sea” to the actual sea.

Which brings us to “the connection with the Expo Line in Santa Monica.” Where exactly would that connection be? The subway will not even run all the way to Santa Monica, dead-ending at the VA building in Westwood for some reason (see above, “lack of common sense”).

Yes, I am certainly uninformed.