Westlake OKs another year for bus transit study; mayor fears idea

Westlake OKs another year for bus transit study; mayor fears idea

MICHAEL COONS/The Acorn TRANSIT GETS MORE STUDY-An MTA bus travels eastbound on Thousand Oaks Boulevard. Officials want improved mass transit in local areas and okayed another year of study to find answers.

will die before it gets off the ground

By Michael Picarella

Acorn Staff Writer

The city of Westlake Village last week again approved further study of a new bus system that would enable more travel throughout the greater Los Angeles area. Officials hope a new bus route will serve commuters with more routes and fewer or no transfers by next year.

In September 1999, the Westlake Village City Council entered into a joint powers agreement (JPA) with several other agencies for the purpose of deciding, within a year, the feasibility of a San Fernando Valley transit zone. Last spring, the various agencies—including Westlake Village—approved an additional year to review the transit area.

Participating agencies include the county of Los Angeles and the cities of Agoura Hills, Burbank, Calabasas, Glendale, Hidden Hills, La Canada Flintridge, Los Angeles and San Fernando.

The one bus route in place now, according to Westlake Village Mayor Betty De Santis, only takes riders from the county line to Woodland Hills where they must transfer to another line if they’re going to a destination farther into Los Angeles.

"There aren’t a lot of riders on the one bus route we have," De Santis said. "If they had interlocking systems where you could travel with ease, I think people would use it."

The JPA requested an additional year for more review last month. Westlake Village officials approved another year, but they hope some real action will be taken this time.

"There’s a whole structure that needs to be created," De Santis said. A board of directors must be appointed. And the exact service zone hasn’t been specified.

As of now, the proposed zone would include the following:

•It will build on the San Fernando Valley bus restructuring study.

•It will ensure continuing coordination with other Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) services and all service operators.

•It will respond to the Metro Red Line station connections at Universal City and North Hollywood.

•It will introduce three new Metro Rapid Bus lines, with a possibility of future additions.

•It will introduce flexible route service on lower patronage lines.

•It will retain the existing MTA fare structure; some lines would change from express to local.

•It will increase field supervision to improve reliability, safety and customer support.

•It will increase availability of transit information at stops and in transit centers.

The new transportation zone wouldn’t only provide local communities with extended, better service, but also be more responsive, sources said, with greater local control, improved operating performance and cost efficiency.

"It has not been easy getting this new transportation zone off the ground," De Santis said, who also feared that it could die from bureaucracy. "There are too many different groups that are involved in it that come to the table with different purposes," she said.

"Last year we extended the JPA for a year," De Santis said, "and now this year again we’re extending it for another year. And all we’re saying is that we will stay together as agencies and see where this goes."