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Re: CA Transportation Comission Projects
Author: mook
Date: 01-24-2017 - 13:33
I don't think mainline rail (specifically, commuter & Amtrak) was never subject to the N-S split. The rail program was unified statewide (before the JPAs) but seemed to spend most of its money on the N Calif lines. I could be wrong, but the distribution of projects didn't seem to work like highway funding did.
Transit funding may have been covered by the split, because it was part of the overall Caltrans budget.
One of the reasons Fresno set up a sales tax program was a side effect of the N-S split. They were the "orphan" city north of the "split" line. With 40% of gas tax funding in the north, and most of that going to the Bay Area, the inland counties and especially Fresno simply didn't get enough to even fix things let alone build new stuff. So they voted in a sales tax program to cover the local match, which got some freeways built (originally planned and much of the r/w purchased in the 1950s) that local development had long been built around. Too bad they didn't do much for transit - all they have is buses, and few enough of them - but really the way that area is developed it's almost impossible to serve cost-effectively with conventional transit. Will be interesting to see if HSR dumps enough Bay Area commuter demand into Fresno, someday, to change things. For now, I call it the pathological example of jobs-housing balance.
Getting started on capacity improvements on the Red/Purple lines in downtown LA is a very good idea. Might help avoid something like BART's miscues - lots of new stations added with extensions, but nothing improved where all those people are going to in Oakland & SF.
For those not familiar ... Metrolink is locomotive-hauled commuter train. Red/Purple lines are heavy-rail subway, like BART only slower and standard-gage (probably more similar to DC Metro equipment but without the constant crowds). Downtown Connector is light rail, connecting the Blue & Gold LR lines. All three systems connect at LA Union Station, but until the Downtown Connector is done somebody who wants to go from there to the the Blue Line (Long Beach) has to use the Red Line for a few stops with transfers.
Transit funding may have been covered by the split, because it was part of the overall Caltrans budget.
One of the reasons Fresno set up a sales tax program was a side effect of the N-S split. They were the "orphan" city north of the "split" line. With 40% of gas tax funding in the north, and most of that going to the Bay Area, the inland counties and especially Fresno simply didn't get enough to even fix things let alone build new stuff. So they voted in a sales tax program to cover the local match, which got some freeways built (originally planned and much of the r/w purchased in the 1950s) that local development had long been built around. Too bad they didn't do much for transit - all they have is buses, and few enough of them - but really the way that area is developed it's almost impossible to serve cost-effectively with conventional transit. Will be interesting to see if HSR dumps enough Bay Area commuter demand into Fresno, someday, to change things. For now, I call it the pathological example of jobs-housing balance.
Getting started on capacity improvements on the Red/Purple lines in downtown LA is a very good idea. Might help avoid something like BART's miscues - lots of new stations added with extensions, but nothing improved where all those people are going to in Oakland & SF.
For those not familiar ... Metrolink is locomotive-hauled commuter train. Red/Purple lines are heavy-rail subway, like BART only slower and standard-gage (probably more similar to DC Metro equipment but without the constant crowds). Downtown Connector is light rail, connecting the Blue & Gold LR lines. All three systems connect at LA Union Station, but until the Downtown Connector is done somebody who wants to go from there to the the Blue Line (Long Beach) has to use the Red Line for a few stops with transfers.
