Wow wow wow…thank you all for the comments, the discussion, the feedback! Much appreciated. Two notes… First, a commenter informed me that the Inglewood People Mover isn’t happening at all. I think the news came after I worked on the video (but before hitting publish on this) but I just learned about it via a commenter. Nevertheless, I thought I’d add this note, since I mention the people mover proposal in this video. Second, I see the transit situation around Dodger Stadium has been the subject of a lot of discussion. A future video (probably after the new year) will talk about my rail transit idea for Dodger Stadium. Make sure to subscribe so that you can see that video!
Thank you so much for subscribing, as well as for sharing in your TH-cam community! Also, I'm making a "mental note" that what you did is one way to pay it forward to smaller content creators in the mass transit niche, if I end up having a large viewership/subscriber count one day.
The idea is to try and get locals and tourists to get out of their cars as media will share equipment with the LA market news stations and athletes will more likely use private shuttles unless they are close to the Olympic village
I haven't heard explicitly that this is the idea, but this makes sense. That's certainly one of the ways for a car-free LA Olympics to add up, despite LA still being pretty car-dependent. (Well, that plus the ongoing transit projects and there likely being supplemental bus service.)
@RallyingforRail There will be temporary BRT lines to help facilitate the movement of people during the Olympics, including converting HOA lanes to BRT only lanes.
There are very good reasons why certain entertainment venues don't have readily Metro rail access. The Rose Bowl is basically surrounded by residential neighborhoods. The residents in that area did not support building a light rail station at the stadium. An underground station would probably have been the only workable solution, but there wasn't the funding. Sofi and Intuit Dome came into the picture after the plans for the K line had already been approved and construction had started. Dodger stadium is on a hill in a geographically challenging location surrounded by freeways. It would be very expensive to build a subway or light rail line. Also, LA Metro doesn't build or pay for transit infrastructure that solely benefits private enterprises. That's why LA Metro supports the gondola system. It would be completely financed by a private enterprise. On the other hand, the Coliseum is connected via the LA Metro, and so is the BMO Stadium also in Exposition Park that you didn't mention. I'm sure the Inglewood People Mover will eventually get built and it will connect to the K line and maybe even the C line further in the future. And the gondola system will also be built, but I'm not sure it will be done by the 2028 games. Both of these projects are getting pushback from NIMBYs, unfortunately. Another aspect that will help refuce car traffic during the games is that they will encourage employers to allow people to work from home. During Covid, there was a huge reduction in car traffic. It was actually kind of eerie. If we could do that for many months, we can do it again for several weeks. I was here in the 1984 games, and traffic was a non-issue with no metro at all. History will repeat itself, and car traffic will, again, be a non-issue.
Thank you for your insights as someone who was in LA for the '84 Games, as well as for your insights here. To zero in on the Dodger Stadium situation (because I went back and forth on whether to mention all the legal challenges to the gondola in my video), one of the "dream" lines I've been contemplating is one that goes along Sunset/Santa Monica Blvd and offers a better connection to Dodger Stadium. I plan on having a video on that idea at some point, but when I talk about the challenges of building such a line, terrain (particularly around Dodger Stadium) is the #1 challenge I plan on citing. Also, one thing I can't help but wonder: why/how did the LA area end up creating stadiums that are so unfriendly from a rapid transit standpoint? I'm guessing videos have probably been made somewhere on the subject, but it's quite fascinating that, for all the growing LA has done in recent decades when it comes to mass transit (and kudos to LA for that), this is one area where LA is definitely lacking.
Great breakdown! Wow, so a fully car free game at Dodgers Stadium would take 10 HOURS to get everybody from Union Station? I'm disappointed that Lake Perris was not chosen for the rowing event because it would've forced there to be a better connection to the lake from Metrolink.
If everyone took the Aerial Rapid Transit, yes. Though there's also bus service nearby, thus meaning I don't think it would take nearly that long. Still, from the standpoint of moving large volumes of people in a short period of time, the Aerial Rapid Transit just doesn't seem to cut it from what I've read of it.
@RallyingforRail The gondola system was never meant to take the majority of people to and from Dodgers Stadium. Only to add another mode of transit that wouldn't negatively impact traffic. There is a free bus on game days from Union Station. It's not a nearby regular bus line. I'm sure they will increase the frequency of this free bus service during the games.
That makes sense. I know one of the plans for a car-free games is an expansion of the buses. (And thanks for additional context on the gondola system too in this and your other comment.)
@@mrxman581 Seeing how Dodgers Stadium gets a lot of traffic an extension of the A line would be most likely since the ROW already exists. The platforms of Union Station would have to be moved to expand capacity for CAHSR/Brightline West and obviously aerial gondolas aren’t a solution to traffic.
The area around Dodger Stadium is incredibly hilly. This makes running an above ground light rail system to the stadium itself nearly impossible. Heavy rail under ground subway would work, but it would be hard to justify the high cost considering there's not much more in the area. Therefore, the proposed gondola actually makes a lot of sense, even though the capacity is limited. Everybody knows most people will drive to the stadium; the gondola will be a supplemental system at best. For the Olympics, bus service could be the main other way to get to stadium instead of cars. Also note that the gondola has high neighborhood NIMBY opposition, which could delay or cancel it. Final approval has not yet been given.
Yeah, at the moment I don't think LA is ready. I'm cautiously optimistic that they will be ready by 2028 due to a combination of rapid transit projects the next few years and additional bus infrastructure specific to the games they're supposed to get. But, as I've said to a few friends, I've been wrong before and I will be wrong again. If I'm still doing this TH-cam thing in a few years, it may be amusing to go back to this video after the 2028 Olympics and see what I got right (or wrong). Maybe I'll be spot on, or maybe I'm in for a slice of "Humble Pie."
@RallyingforRail Well, there are still transportation plans being finalized. Once those are set, probably by 2026, you might have more and better information about the transit infrastructure that will be built both permanent and temporary. You're a bit at a disadvantage right now.
1. There will certainly be special shuttle buses for athletes, media, and employees to events with no rail transit, and probably for the general public as well. These will not be standard Metro buses. 2. Due to NIMBY opposition, Dodger Stadium Gondola is likely to be canceled or delayed to being open after the Olympics. 3. The Inglewood People Mover has been canceled, with a billion dollars from the Federal government being thrown away. Partly due to cost (local sources would have to cough up a second billion dollars) and partly due to the billionaires who own those stadiums not wanting to give up parking revenue. 4. USC to Downtown Long Beach is easy. E line to Pico, transfer to A line.
@@Geotpf all fair points. I was not aware of the news on the People Mover until your comment (I tend to work ahead on my videos too, so I might’ve had a mostly finished video by the time that all played out late last month). I’ll definitely have a pinned comment making note of this. I find it odd that the owners of the Clippers and Rams say that part of the issue is congestion. Especially when part of the point of building mass transit to their venues would be to reduce congestion. As for transit from USC to Long Beach, I haven’t listened to my own video in over a week, but I think my issue was mostly just that it’s a long commute.
Wow wow wow…thank you all for the comments, the discussion, the feedback! Much appreciated.
Two notes…
First, a commenter informed me that the Inglewood People Mover isn’t happening at all. I think the news came after I worked on the video (but before hitting publish on this) but I just learned about it via a commenter. Nevertheless, I thought I’d add this note, since I mention the people mover proposal in this video.
Second, I see the transit situation around Dodger Stadium has been the subject of a lot of discussion. A future video (probably after the new year) will talk about my rail transit idea for Dodger Stadium. Make sure to subscribe so that you can see that video!
Fantastic rundown, you've earned yourself a subscription
Thank you so much for subscribing, as well as for sharing in your TH-cam community! Also, I'm making a "mental note" that what you did is one way to pay it forward to smaller content creators in the mass transit niche, if I end up having a large viewership/subscriber count one day.
@@RallyingforRail when will that one day come?, You need to increase frequency
The idea is to try and get locals and tourists to get out of their cars as media will share equipment with the LA market news stations and athletes will more likely use private shuttles unless they are close to the Olympic village
I haven't heard explicitly that this is the idea, but this makes sense. That's certainly one of the ways for a car-free LA Olympics to add up, despite LA still being pretty car-dependent. (Well, that plus the ongoing transit projects and there likely being supplemental bus service.)
@RallyingforRail There will be temporary BRT lines to help facilitate the movement of people during the Olympics, including converting HOA lanes to BRT only lanes.
There are very good reasons why certain entertainment venues don't have readily Metro rail access.
The Rose Bowl is basically surrounded by residential neighborhoods. The residents in that area did not support building a light rail station at the stadium. An underground station would probably have been the only workable solution, but there wasn't the funding.
Sofi and Intuit Dome came into the picture after the plans for the K line had already been approved and construction had started.
Dodger stadium is on a hill in a geographically challenging location surrounded by freeways. It would be very expensive to build a subway or light rail line. Also, LA Metro doesn't build or pay for transit infrastructure that solely benefits private enterprises. That's why LA Metro supports the gondola system. It would be completely financed by a private enterprise.
On the other hand, the Coliseum is connected via the LA Metro, and so is the BMO Stadium also in Exposition Park that you didn't mention.
I'm sure the Inglewood People Mover will eventually get built and it will connect to the K line and maybe even the C line further in the future.
And the gondola system will also be built, but I'm not sure it will be done by the 2028 games. Both of these projects are getting pushback from NIMBYs, unfortunately.
Another aspect that will help refuce car traffic during the games is that they will encourage employers to allow people to work from home. During Covid, there was a huge reduction in car traffic. It was actually kind of eerie. If we could do that for many months, we can do it again for several weeks.
I was here in the 1984 games, and traffic was a non-issue with no metro at all. History will repeat itself, and car traffic will, again, be a non-issue.
Thank you for your insights as someone who was in LA for the '84 Games, as well as for your insights here.
To zero in on the Dodger Stadium situation (because I went back and forth on whether to mention all the legal challenges to the gondola in my video), one of the "dream" lines I've been contemplating is one that goes along Sunset/Santa Monica Blvd and offers a better connection to Dodger Stadium. I plan on having a video on that idea at some point, but when I talk about the challenges of building such a line, terrain (particularly around Dodger Stadium) is the #1 challenge I plan on citing.
Also, one thing I can't help but wonder: why/how did the LA area end up creating stadiums that are so unfriendly from a rapid transit standpoint? I'm guessing videos have probably been made somewhere on the subject, but it's quite fascinating that, for all the growing LA has done in recent decades when it comes to mass transit (and kudos to LA for that), this is one area where LA is definitely lacking.
3:25 El segundo and westchester have good hotels and close to the airport also the valley for the skateboard Olympics
Great breakdown! Wow, so a fully car free game at Dodgers Stadium would take 10 HOURS to get everybody from Union Station? I'm disappointed that Lake Perris was not chosen for the rowing event because it would've forced there to be a better connection to the lake from Metrolink.
If everyone took the Aerial Rapid Transit, yes. Though there's also bus service nearby, thus meaning I don't think it would take nearly that long. Still, from the standpoint of moving large volumes of people in a short period of time, the Aerial Rapid Transit just doesn't seem to cut it from what I've read of it.
@RallyingforRail The gondola system was never meant to take the majority of people to and from Dodgers Stadium. Only to add another mode of transit that wouldn't negatively impact traffic.
There is a free bus on game days from Union Station. It's not a nearby regular bus line. I'm sure they will increase the frequency of this free bus service during the games.
That makes sense. I know one of the plans for a car-free games is an expansion of the buses. (And thanks for additional context on the gondola system too in this and your other comment.)
@@mrxman581 Seeing how Dodgers Stadium gets a lot of traffic an extension of the A line would be most likely since the ROW already exists. The platforms of Union Station would have to be moved to expand capacity for CAHSR/Brightline West and obviously aerial gondolas aren’t a solution to traffic.
The area around Dodger Stadium is incredibly hilly. This makes running an above ground light rail system to the stadium itself nearly impossible. Heavy rail under ground subway would work, but it would be hard to justify the high cost considering there's not much more in the area.
Therefore, the proposed gondola actually makes a lot of sense, even though the capacity is limited. Everybody knows most people will drive to the stadium; the gondola will be a supplemental system at best. For the Olympics, bus service could be the main other way to get to stadium instead of cars.
Also note that the gondola has high neighborhood NIMBY opposition, which could delay or cancel it. Final approval has not yet been given.
LA is not ready for the Olympics, Not until all the highway lanes are shortened to 3-4 lanes and rapid transit is fully built.
Yeah, at the moment I don't think LA is ready. I'm cautiously optimistic that they will be ready by 2028 due to a combination of rapid transit projects the next few years and additional bus infrastructure specific to the games they're supposed to get.
But, as I've said to a few friends, I've been wrong before and I will be wrong again. If I'm still doing this TH-cam thing in a few years, it may be amusing to go back to this video after the 2028 Olympics and see what I got right (or wrong). Maybe I'll be spot on, or maybe I'm in for a slice of "Humble Pie."
@RallyingforRail Well, there are still transportation plans being finalized. Once those are set, probably by 2026, you might have more and better information about the transit infrastructure that will be built both permanent and temporary. You're a bit at a disadvantage right now.
1. There will certainly be special shuttle buses for athletes, media, and employees to events with no rail transit, and probably for the general public as well. These will not be standard Metro buses.
2. Due to NIMBY opposition, Dodger Stadium Gondola is likely to be canceled or delayed to being open after the Olympics.
3. The Inglewood People Mover has been canceled, with a billion dollars from the Federal government being thrown away. Partly due to cost (local sources would have to cough up a second billion dollars) and partly due to the billionaires who own those stadiums not wanting to give up parking revenue.
4. USC to Downtown Long Beach is easy. E line to Pico, transfer to A line.
@@Geotpf all fair points. I was not aware of the news on the People Mover until your comment (I tend to work ahead on my videos too, so I might’ve had a mostly finished video by the time that all played out late last month). I’ll definitely have a pinned comment making note of this. I find it odd that the owners of the Clippers and Rams say that part of the issue is congestion. Especially when part of the point of building mass transit to their venues would be to reduce congestion.
As for transit from USC to Long Beach, I haven’t listened to my own video in over a week, but I think my issue was mostly just that it’s a long commute.
ROFLOL