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RESOUNDING NO TO THE CHANDLER BUS ROUTE!
Sometimes
it takes an issue to unite a village. Maybe the
San Fernando Valley can't be thought of as a village but
certainly residents from Reseda to Chatsworth to North
Hollywood acted like concerned villagers when they
packed the Valley College Auditorium and united in one
voice to repeatedly say no to the MTA's proposed new bus
route from the MTA Metro Station on Lankershim to the
Warner Center along Chandler Boulevard.
Carrying
signs that read, "No Buses on Chandler" and
"Say No To The MTA," the standing-room-only
crowd listened quietly as MTA officials opened the
meeting armed with brochures, diagrams, and copies of
the Environmental Impact Study and explained the
proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project that
would link North Hollywood, Warner Center, and points in
between. But when the MTA spokesmen were finished,
resident after resident, from condominium owners to
religious leaders, traipsed to the podium and for over
two hours voiced their opposition to the project.
The BRT is
an exclusive busway and a bikeway within a 14 mile
linear greenway that primarily follows the former
Southern Pacific railroad right-of-way. There are
13 stations planned, approximately 1 mile apart with
major destinations including North Hollywood Metro, Van
Nuys Government Center, Valley College, Pierce College,
and Warner Center. According to the MTA and
proponents of the project, 'Patrons of the BRT, riding
on an exclusive busway, will enjoy faster travel times
with no congestion, fewer stops, and more destinations
in the Valley.' The trip from North Hollywood to Warner
Center is estimated to take about thirty minutes.
The capital
costs (construction, vehicles, right-of-way, and other
one time costs) of the full BRT and Lankershim/Oxnard
On-Streeet Alignment Variations are estimated to be:
Full Bus Rapid Transit - $248 Million, Lankershim/Oxnard
Variation - $245 Million.
If you have
specific questions, you can contact Kevin Michel, MTA
Project Manager at: Tel. 213-922-2854, Fax 213-922-3060.
Additional information can be found at www.mta.net.
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