Feeling confused about any or all of the details of Metro’s upcoming Measure M ballot initiative? This helpful video from amateur map maker Nick Andert (via Urbanize LA) should answer many of your questions about the many public transit projects that the measure would fund.
In June, Metro’s board of directors voted to present the initiative to LA County voters—asking them to sign off on a permanent half-cent sales tax increase to fund these projects and more.
Since then, we’ve seen a number of representations of what the ballot measure would bring if it’s approved. From the elegant to the hypnotic, they show a rail network more than double the size of what exists today.
Andert shows off the big picture map a few times in his video, but also narrows in on individual lines, taking them in order of the level of priority with which Metro will treat the projects.
That’s important because one of the main criticisms of Measure M has been its very protracted timetable. Altogether, the proposed projects could take up to 40 years to complete, so how far down certain projects are on the waitlist could greatly affect the communities they will eventually serve.
This has been of particular concern to some Gateway Cities and South Bay communities, where few projects rank highly on Metro’s priority list.
Of course, Andert notes that Metro’s projected time estimates for the completion of each project are somewhat pessimistic. This is because Metro calculated estimates based only on sales tax revenue; if the agency can win a few grants here and there, that could help speed certain projects along.
And, of course, if LA were to win its Olympic bid, an influx of federal money to accelerate infrastructure improvements would certainly be a possibility.
Loading comments...