NEWS: Ruling Regarding MTA Expo Line Crossings

In a decision regarding the Expo Line Construction Authority's proposed street-level crossing next to Dorsey HS, the judge has ruled MTA's crossing unsafe and the community and LAUSD's safety concerns valid. The decision is a tentative decision that will either be adopted or amended by the full PUC commission on November 21, but it is a major milestone in the construction of the Expo Rail Line and struggle between a vocal South LA community group and their elected leaders and MTA.

"This is a major battle victory in a long and unfortunate war," said Damien Goodmon, the Chair of United Community Associations, who's project is the Citizens' Campaign to Fix the Expo Rail Line (Fix Expo).

"We are pleased that the Judge heard the safety concerns of the rail safety experts, traffic experts, LAUSD and the community. And we are regretful that the Commission didn't allow hearings on many of the other crossings. We believe that as the evidentiary hearings on Farmdale and Harvard revealed, the evidence used by the Expo Authority to support their assertions that they are building a safe project is both unfounded and has been manipulated."

"We believe it is now incumbent upon our elected officials from the council members to the congressional leaders, to do the responsible thing and listen to the experts and Judge's concerns about the safety of this crossing, and take into account the impacts to the community and schools of the grade separated options. This is a transportation project that will impact this community for 100 years. It is important we have a safe light rail line that is a compliment and a good neighbor to the South LA communities that it passes through."

"Our intent is to now go back to the community and discuss this further, but for now we are relieved that the street-level crossing has been taken off the table."

Russ Quimby international rail safety testified in the hearing that the street-level crossing left a high risk of catastrophic accident http://fixexpo.blogspot.com/2008/10/international-rail-safety-expert-russ.html

As proposed, the Farmdale Avenue crossing creates a high risk that students will be injured and killed because the proposed safety mitigation measures essentially put the burden on students to maintain their own safety. The proposed crossing also creates a higher risk of a catastrophic accident. [....]

By "catastrophic accident," I mean an accident involving fatalities and/or injuries to a large number of people. As proposed, the at-grade Farmdale Avenue crossing creates the notable risk that a catastrophic accident may well occur under one of several different scenarios. For example:

First, that a train will collide with a vehicle with sufficient force to either derail the train into and/or push the vehicle into the proposed "holding pens" where several hundred students are trapped inside, killing or seriously injuring scores of students in a single accident.

Second, that a train will collide with a vehicle (particularly a truck or bus) rupturing and igniting a fuel tank which would engulf students in the holding pen in flaming diesel or gasoline.

Third, a combination of the above two scenarios where the students are crushed and burned simultaneously by vehicles and/or a derailed train.

Regarding the possible delay the changes to the project may require:

"Since when is building something more quickly more important than building it safely? Additionally, MTA's own documents show that from the inception of this project, 15 years ago, the community has been said the crossings near our schools were not safe. But out of bureaucratic arrogance and political indifference, MTA and our political leaders have fought us at every turn. So if there is a delay to the project, the delay is of MTA's own making and the failure of political leadership to address legitimate community concerns."

References to the history of community comments documented in MTA's own studies on the Expo Line.

Regarding impacts the project could have on the Expo Line budget:

"In 2004, MTA pulled this project out of the federal New Starts Program, in the process walking away from $320 million federal dollars, saying they'd spend the local money instead because they wanted to speed up construction of the project. That doesn't sound like a broke agency to me. That sounds like an agency with plenty of financial options. In the past year alone, MTA has appropriated $222 million extra dollars to the project, including $54 million to add an overpass in Culver City. And they appropriated these funds while telling us with a straight face that there's no money for grade separation in South LA. It is insulting to the intelligence of people that have followed this issue to suggest this $3 billion agency, that has engaged in these actions, doesn't have the money to make the Expo Line safe in our community - particularly right next to our large urban schools. MTA has the resources, MTA has many options, but MTA has always and continues to lack a concern for safety in South LA."

Some excerpts from Koss' ruling, which is available on the web here.

"A.07-05-013, for authority to construct an at-grade crossing at Farmdale Ave. in the City of Los Angeles, should be denied. "

"Authorization to construct a light rail line over an existing pedestrian tunnel crossing at Harvard Blvd., in the City of Los Angeles, requested in A.06-12-020, should be denied."

"Expo Authority proposed a state-of-the-art system of gates and other warning devices at the Farmdale crossing, including swing gates to allow pedestrians to exit the rail right-of-way when all other gates are down. All of these gates, however, can be avoided easily by pedestrians. Considering the large number of crossings during peak periods, and the student populations using the crossing, we find that any system of gates or other warning devices at-grade would not eliminate all potential safety hazards."

"The parties discussed several other crossings at or near school sites along other light-rail lines. However, none of these cases presented the unique characteristics of the proposed Farmdale crossing at Dorsey. This issue, therefore, provided little or no weight in our determination of practicability."

Contact:
Damien Goodmon
323.845.2003