Wilshire
Center Smart Shuttle and Wilshire Center DASH provided
two local transportation choices.
DOT
Dash Local Shuttle
Local
Smart Shuttle
MTA
System Information
www.ladottransit.com
DASH service started operating in the Wilshire Center
area March 15. Unlike the Smart Shuttle buses, DASH
routes and schedules are fixed. Buses run every 30 minutes
along the area bounded by Vermont and Western avenues
and Third and Ninth streets.
DASH service runs from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. during the
week, and from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. The
fare is 25 cents per ride. MTA and senior passes are
accepted.
The DASH routes are designed to serve the Metro Rail
Red Line stations at Wilshire and Vermont and Wilshire
and Western. They have also been planned to accommodate
the needs of the neighborhood, particularly those of
the elderly and the disabled. Says Phil Aker, supervising
transportation planner of LADOT, "DASH routes are
designed to connect community activity points.
DASH buses pick up passengers only at designated DASH
stops. A timetable for the Wilshire Center DASH buses
is available through LADOT. Call 213-808-2273.
Residents and visitors to Wilshire Center now have
two options for in-neighborhood transportation: Smart
Shuttle and the Los Angles Department of Transportation's
(LADOT) new DASH bus service. The two services are designed
to complement one another.
Smart Shuttle, which was introduced to the area two
years ago, offers rides along four north/south routes
between Hollywood and Venice boulevards. During the
week, the shuttles circulate every 15 minutes along
Western Ave., Vermont Blvd., Normandie Ave., and Alvarado
Blvd.
Saturday shuttles run along Western and Normandie avenues
only, although the Vermont Ave. route may be added starting
in July.
The Smart Shuttle buses --small, 16-passenger vehicles-run
on a flexible schedule designed to permit drivers to
deviate from the main routes. Service includes drop
off to destinations within six blocks on either side
of the main thorough-fares. Pick-up at the customer's
home is also available between the hours of 10 a.m.
and 3 p.m. To arrange for pick up service, call 213-GO-
SMART (213-467-6278)
Smart shuttle buses operate from 7 a.m. to 6:20 p.m.
on weekdays. Saturdays, 11:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The Smart Shuttle fare is $1. Smart Cards cost between
$5 and $30 and offer an additional 10% value with purchases
of $10 and up. With MTA bus passes or transfers, the
fare is 50 cents.
Passengers can catch a Smart Shuttle bus at MTA stops
or at specially marked Smart Shuttle stops. Or they
can simply flag one down. For more information call
213-427-2000.
MTA Wilshire Blvd. Transit Study
MTA STUDIES MID/CITY WESTSIDE TRANSIT CORRIDOR
Traffic on the Westside is among the most congested
of any American city. The Santa Monica and San Diego
Freeways are two of the heaviest used freeways in the
country and peak rush hour traffic clogs most of the
arterial roadways. Congestion will continue to get worse,
based on the Southern California Association of Governments'
predictions for the year 2020.
To address this problem, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan
Transportation Authority (MTA), in cooperation with
the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), has initiated
work on the Mid-City/Westside Transit Corridor Study.
The study is one of three studies being conducted in
Los Angeles County to consider alternatives to Metro
Rail projects suspended in 1998 due to funding shortfalls.
On the Westside, the suspended Metro Red Line subway
project would have provided two stations west from the
current terminus at Wilshire/Western.
In November of 1998, voters passed an initiative prohibiting
further use of local transportation dollars to build
subways, leaving above ground transportation improvements
eligible for local funding. Subway construction is still
eligible for state or federal dollars.
The study will look at alternative types of transportation
projects that meet the needs of the Mid-City/Westside
and that are realistic in today's financial environment.
The transit technologies and vehicles being considered
include light rail/trolley, busways with dedicated lanes,
and potential Metro Rail subway and aerial rail extensions
such as monorail. Also evaluated in the study will be
very low cost improvements, such as lane restriping
and traffic signal synchronization.
The Mid-City/Westside routes being considered are Wilshire
Boulevard, Pico and San Vicente Boulevards, and the
abandoned Exposition railroad right-of-way.
Over the study's 18-month timeframe, the MTA will evaluate
the feasibility and effectiveness of the various alternatives,
with the goal of narrowing the list to a preferred one.
A detailed environmental analysis will follow. Extensive
public outreach will take place in early 2000.
Public comment is encouraged. For comments and/or more
information, please call the MTA Mid-City/Westside Transit
Corridor Study Hotline at 310-366-6443. Contact: David
Mieger, MTA Project Manager 213.922.3040 Andrea Burnside,
MTA Deputy Project Manager 213.922.3084
By Alisa Matlovsky
Larchmont Chronicle, |
