•Curbed LA has a blunt approach to its post on the Vermont Transit Corridor project: “There’s no money for rail on Vermont Avenue but Metro will pursue it anyway.”
As the article explains, the Metro Board voted Thursday to send two options for bus rapid transit (side running and a side-center running combo) to the formal environmental review. A technical study will also look at an entirely center-running project, which is seen as a potentially faster and better form of BRT.
The Metro Board wanted rail options considered, too, in case the funding should materialize — Vermont, after all, is a very high ridership corridor. The Board also wants to know if the BRT line could be extended to Harbor City.
The rub, as Curbed suggests, is that the project has $522 million allocated to it through Measure M but rail would likely cost several billion dollars. The one dissenting vote came from Metro Board Member John Fasana, who warned against pursuing too many projects without funding.
•Despite the city of L.A.’s goal of eliminating driving-related deaths, fatal car crashes in the city of L.A. have risen 32 percent since 2015 — even with 1,080 road safety improvements made in that time, reports the LAT.
As I’ve written before, I suspect the two main culprits in L.A. and elsewhere are lack of enforcement of traffic laws and distracted driving.
•The LAT and, seemingly, Gov. Gavin Newsom are blaming consulting for cost increases on the state bullet train project, saying too much work was farmed out to the private sector.
•Budget cuts in the city of Santa Monica — due mostly to pension liabilities — could lead to the city’s Breeze bike share getting the axe. Not helping Breeze is competition from scooters and private dockless bikes, reports the Santa Monica Daily Press.
Things to listen to whilst transiting: Pop Culture Happy Hour tackles “Avengers: Endgame” for those of you hitting the cinemaplex this weekend.
If you’re looking to look beyond the Avengers, here’s the summer movie preview from PCHH:
A lil’ traveling music for your weekend:
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