Metro CEO Phil Washington: Innovation must drive transportation improvements – San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Pasadena Star-News/Los Angeles Daily News

The following excerpt appeared in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News and Los Angeles Daily News on February 5, 2016. To read the full Opinion, click here.

Metro CEO Phil Washington: Innovation must drive transportation improvements – San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Pasadena Star-News/Los Angeles Daily News

Metro's Gold Line celebrated its 10th anniversary in July 2013. (Photo by Walt Mancini)

Metro’s Gold Line celebrated its 10th anniversary in July 2013. (Photo by Walt Mancini)

By Phillip A. Washington

February 5, 2016

[Excerpt]:

But let’s not overlook all the progress we’re making across L.A. County. This year, we will open two rail lines: The Foothill Gold Line Extension to Azusa and the Expo Line extension to Santa Monica. Three other lines are in construction — the Crenshaw/LAX Line that will connect to the airport’s people mover to the airport; the Regional Connector that will connect our light rail lines through downtown Los Angeles, providing a convenient one-seat ride for our customers; and the Purple Line Extension that will expand west to UCLA and the Veterans’ Administration hospital. We also have many highway improvement projects in the works and continue to provide funding to the county’s 88 cities to improve local streets, traffic signals, and bike and pedestrian connections. This is happening because of our local investment in transportation, which also creates jobs, improves our air quality and helps revitalize communities.

As our riders and our ridership change, so must we. About a year ago, Metro established a Ridership Task Force to evaluate the ridership decline issue, both in L.A. County and nationally, to come up with ways to improve the rider experience. Things like providing cell service in our subway tunnels and stations, beefing up our security efforts, improving real-time arrival information, and optimizing our bus service to be more reliable and efficient. We are also going through an extensive rehab process of our oldest rail line — the Blue Line. Keeping our core system in good operating condition is crucial as we do all we can to enhance the riding.

To read the full Opinion, click here.

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