One Community: Regional Transportation Forum
Councilmember Chris Holden, Bart Reed, transit activist; former Assemby member Richard Katz and Assembly member Mike Eng share their vision of regional transportation at the January 22 One Community forum.
On January 22nd, One Community: A Grassroots Think Tank, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating free forums and other events to educate and connect citizens to information and co-founded by Chris Holden, held a regional transportation forum at Maranatha High School. Special guests included Assemblymembers Anthony Portantino and Mike Eng, Pasadena Vice-Mayor Victor Gordo, Duarte Councilmember John Fasana, Glendale Mayor Ara Najarian and former Assemblymember Richard Katz.
More than 300 people attended to hear panel discussions on the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s (Metro) 30-year plan, extension of the Gold Line Light Rail system, high-speed rail, freeway, bus and bicycle projects throughout the county and the prospects for I-710 freeway projects.
The discussion prompted more than 50 questions that were either answered by the panelists or were presented to the Metro for their review and comment.
Exhibitors from Parsons Brinkerhoff and Skanska to High Speed Rail Authority, Bob Hope Airport, City of Pasadena Transportation, Business Life magazine, Gold Line Extension Construction Authority, Rail LA, Metro and the Transit Coalition participated and shared their expertise on transit issues.
The I-710 panel discussion generated interest in the history of the project and the process to evaluate its future viability. Concerns about tunnel ventilation, truck traffic and neighborhood restoration were raised along with the need to complete the freeway gap causing relief in wait time on the overall freeway system.
Since the forum, Metro has begun a series of outreach meetings throughout the area to take input on the project. I hope that Metro would look to this community outreach period as an opportunity to build trust from those skeptical of Metro’s intentions by officially eliminating the surface route from consideration and returning the homes on Cal-Trans property back to the neighborhoods through the appropriate process. As a result, these actions would encourage everyone to participate in fair and open-minded discussions on the merits of how to best complete the I-710 freeway.
