SAVE LEIMERT

NEIGHBORHOOD COALITION

P.O. Box 8508 Los Angeles, CA 90008

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Fax: (323) 295 - 9467

5 July 2007The Honorable Jan Perry The Honorable Pam O’Connor Los Angeles City Council Santa Monica City Council200 N. Spring Street, Room 420 1685 Main St, Room 209Los Angeles, CA 90012 Santa Monica, CA 90401Dear Madame Chairwoman Perry & Madame Chairwoman O’Connor,Serious concerns have been raised about the safety of Expo Line Phase 1 ascurrently designed, particularly through the majority-minority South Los Angelessegment between Figueroa and La Brea. In an effort to quell concerns,Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority staff and board members haverepeatedly stated that the project is being built to Los Angeles County MTA GoldLine standards, and that the Gold Line has a stellar safety record. Clear anddirect answers on the following questions would help clarify the issue:Between Watt Way and Gramercy Place, the Expo Line is proposed to operatewith 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 ashigh 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 trafficcounts as high as Western?e) and crosses streets without any crossing gates, with pedestrian trafficcounts 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 anarterial 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 ExpositionBlvd between Gramercy Place and Watt Way?3) Are there sections of the Blue Line where the light rail line operates with signalpriority in the median of an arterial street, with parallel automobile traffic, traffic

2counts as high or higher than Exposition Blvd, and crosses streets with peakhour 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 thesesections in the past 4 years?c) How many non-fatal Blue Line related accidents have occurred in thesesections in the past 4 years?d) How many fatal Blue Line related accidents have occurred in thesesections since the Blue Line began operation in 1990?e) How many non-fatal Blue Line related accidents have occurred in thesesections since the Blue Line begain operation in 1990?4) How many intersections does the Gold Line cross at-grade, with no crossinggates, 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 theintersection(s)?5) How many intersections is the Expo Line proposed to cross at-grade with nocrossing 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 railvehicles across the intersections?i) are these speeds different than the speeds which are being appliedfor 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 theMarch 1, 2007 Expo Authority Board Meeting as part of Item 7b in a presentationtitled “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 studentpopulations as 2100 student Dorsey HS?8) How many schools adjacent to the Gold Line have as high or higher studentpopulations as 3800 student Foshay Learning Center?9) What school with a young student population as high or higher than 3800student Foshay Learning Center is directly adjacent to the tracks on the GoldLine?a) and has a peak hour automobile traffic count as high as Western?b) and crosses streets without any crossing gates with pedestrian traffic