SAVE LEIMERT

NEIGHBORHOOD COALITION
P.O. Box 8508 Los Angeles, CA 90008 • Fax: (323) 295 - 9467

5 July 2007

The Honorable Jan Perry The Honorable Pam O’Connor

Los Angeles City Council Santa Monica City Council
200 N. Spring Street, Room 420 1685 Main St, Room 209
Los Angeles, CA 90012 Santa Monica, CA 90401

Dear Madame Chairwoman Perry & Madame Chairwoman O’Connor,

Serious concerns have been raised about the safety of Expo Line Phase 1 as
currently designed, particularly through the majority-minority South Los Angeles
segment between Figueroa and La Brea. In an effort to quell concerns,
Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority staff and board members have
repeatedly stated that the project is being built to Los Angeles County MTA Gold
Line standards, and that the Gold Line has a stellar safety record. Clear and
direct answers on the following questions would help clarify the issue:

Between Watt Way and Gramercy Place, the Expo Line is proposed to operate
with signal priority in the median of arterial street Exposition Blvd.

1) Is there a section of the Gold Line where the train operates with signal priority,
in the median of an arterial street, with peak hour automobile traffic counts as
high or higher than Exposition Blvd between Gramercy Place and Watt Way?
a) and crosses streets with peak hour automobile traffic counts as high or
higher than Vermont, Normandie and Western?
b) and crosses streets without any crossing gates, with peak hour
automobile traffic counts as high as Vermont, Normandie and Western?
c) and crosses streets with pedestrian traffic counts as high as Western?
d) and crosses streets without any crossing gates, with pedestrian traffic
counts as high as Western?
e) and crosses streets without any crossing gates, with pedestrian traffic
counts as high as Western, without any pedestrian crossing or swing gates?

2) Where does the Gold Line operate with signal priority in the median of an
arterial street?
a) What is the automobile traffic count on that street in this section?
b) What is the automobile traffic count on the streets it crosses?
c) What is the current operating speed of the Gold line in this section?
d) What are the proposed operating speeds of the Expo Line on Exposition
Blvd between Gramercy Place and Watt Way?

3) Are there sections of the Blue Line where the light rail line operates with signal
priority in the median of an arterial street, with parallel automobile traffic, traffic

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counts as high or higher than Exposition Blvd, and crosses streets with peak
hour automobile traffic counts as high as Vermont, Normandie or Western,
without crossing gates?
a) In which sections?
b) How many fatal Blue Line related accidents have occurred in these
sections in the past 4 years?
c) How many non-fatal Blue Line related accidents have occurred in these
sections in the past 4 years?
d) How many fatal Blue Line related accidents have occurred in these
sections since the Blue Line began operation in 1990?
e) How many non-fatal Blue Line related accidents have occurred in these
sections since the Blue Line begain operation in 1990?

4) How many intersections does the Gold Line cross at-grade, with no crossing
gates, and no pedestrian swing gates?
a) what are the intersections?
b) what are the traffic counts at these crossings?
c) what is the operating speed of the Gold Line light rail vehicles across the
intersection(s)?

5) How many intersections is the Expo Line proposed to cross at-grade with no
crossing gates?
a) what are the intersections?
b) what are the traffic counts at these streets?
c) what are the proposed operating speeds of the Expo Line light rail
vehicles across the intersections?
i) are these speeds different than the speeds which are being applied
for by the Expo Authority to the California Public Utilities Commission?

S.E.E.D.S. School was mentioned by Expo Authority C.E.O. Rick Thorpe at the
March 1, 2007 Expo Authority Board Meeting as part of Item 7b in a presentation
titled “Exposition Light Rail Transit Project Safety Overview.”

6) How many students attend S.E.E.D.S. elementary school?

7) How many schools adjacent to the Gold Line have as high or higher student
populations as 2100 student Dorsey HS?

8) How many schools adjacent to the Gold Line have as high or higher student
populations as 3800 student Foshay Learning Center?

9) What school with a young student population as high or higher than 3800
student Foshay Learning Center is directly adjacent to the tracks on the Gold
Line?
a) and has a peak hour automobile traffic count as high as Western?
b) and crosses streets without any crossing gates with pedestrian traffic

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 counts as high as Western without any pedestrian crossing or swing gates?

Arroyo Vista Elementary School was also mentioned by Expo Authority C.E.O.
Rick Thorpe at the March 1, 2007 Expo Authority Board Meeting as part of Item
7b in a presentation titled “Exposition Light Rail Transit Project Safety Overview.”

10) How far is the closest Gold Line crossing to the primary entry/exit point(s) for
students of Arroyo Vista Elementary School?

11) How many students attend Arroyo Vista Elementary School?

It is clearly apparent from satellite pictures of the school that the Gold Line
tracks are at the foot of a large hill/mountain.

12) On average how many Arroyo Vista Elementary School students cross the
Gold Line crossings at Pasadena Ave and Hawthorne St on a typical school day?

13) On average how many Arroyo Vista Elementary School students cross the
Gold Line crossing at Indiana Ave and Hawthorne St on a typical school day?

14) How many Dorsey HS students cross the closest Expo Line intersection at
Farmdale/Exposition on a typical school day?
a) afterschool during school days during the regular school year, how many
students cross the intersection at Farmdale/Exposition within the peak 5
minute period?

Your timely response before July 31, 2007 is greatly appreciated. When
responding to the questions please quote the original questions in bold
above the answer. Additionally, if clarity on the questions is needed to answer
them fully please don't hesitate to contact Transportation Committee member
Damien Goodmon by email. Replies can be expected from within 6-12 hours.

Sincerely,
Save Leimert Neighborhood Coalition
Contact: Damien Goodmon
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CC: California Public Utilities Commission

Los Angeles Department of Transportation
Los Angeles Unified School District Office of Environmental Health &
Safety
Federal Transit Administration
LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board Members
Exposition Construction Authority Board Members