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Part II of a series on a new Downtown Los Angeles streetcar system

The Plans

In doing a little background research on the previous Downtown LA streetcar proposals, I came across a post at blogdowntown that talks about the proposal by IBI Group that was released in September. The study itself (PDF file) goes into way more depth than I will about the mechanics and practicality of a line, and is a great read for those who are interested. It was released last year, so I know I’m a bit late, but I haven’t seen anyone’s opinion on it.

I’ll leave the actual planning to those who went to school for it. That being said, I’m assigning a very unscientific points system to each proposal based upon the areas each will serve. Each area served gets a point for that particular concept/plan. Also, note that the Grand Avenue Project and the Grand Avenue Corridor are two separate areas. Same for LA Live/Convention Center and South Park.

Concept 1

Concept 1. Click image for larger view.

The first concept put forth in the study, this probably comes the closest to hitting the mark out of all five plans. It’s a little bit of an odd configuration, starting off on North Hope Street, heading downhill on First to Broadway, hitting the Broadway corridor, veering west at Seventh to capture the burgeoning Seventh Street “Restaurant Row” area, then south through South Park via Hope, east on Pico, then back up Broadway to 11th.

All in all, not a bad proposal, but it does leave some fairly big holes. Why not just complete the loop and go all the way up Broadway? Why begin at Hope and Third? It hits the Ralphs and some of the newer, larger condo developments in South Park, but what about the rest of Downtown? It comes close to LA Live, but why not just take it directly there?

Grand Avenue Project, Broadway, Restaurant Row, South Park, the southern end of the Financial District, and the Fashion District. Six points!

Concept 2. Click image for larger view.

This single-loop concept hits Grand Avenue, Broadway, South Park and LA Live, but then takes Flower north to Bunker Hill. That strikes me as odd considering the pedestrian hostility in the area near the Bonaventure. The street turns into a mini-freeway north of Fifth Street, and there isn’t much there at the ground level except for huge parking lots for the office towers.

This plan would serve commuters and tourists mainly. Unfortunately, it would get those tourists a bad idea of what Downtown consists of with that Flower Street segment.

Grand Avenue Project, Broadway, South Park, LA Live, and the Financial District. Five points!

Concept 3. Click image for larger view.

Perhaps the most confusing concept, this line would have bidirectional service on Broadway, Olympic, and on Los Angeles Street north of Temple. Service is a little heavy on the northern end, even though the area is a pedestrian sinkhole most of the time in the Civic Center. If we’re going to be investing multi-million dollars into this project, we have to do it right the first time. I do like that it serves El Pueblo/Union Station, though.

Union Station, Little Tokyo, Grand Avenue Project, Broadway, South Park and LA Live. Six points!

Concept 4. Click image for larger view.

The “Fashion District Line” takes an awkward trip around Little Tokyo and the Civic Center, down Los Angeles Street to the Fashion District, then backtracks and zig-zags its way to the Convention Center, taking a route that would also cross over the above-ground Blue Line tracks.

It’s an interesting guess as to why this route was planned the way it was, considering Los Angeles Street is home to relatively few residential projects in planning or construction, and the ones that are in various stages of completion primarily face Main Street with their backs toward Los Angeles Street. The many turns and the crossing of the Blue Line tracks make this a no-go.

Little Tokyo, Fashion District, South Park and LA Live/Convention Center. Four points!

Concept 5. Click image for larger view.

Forget the Subway to the Sea; stretch this guy out and it’ll run from Downtown to Santa Monica. This line appears to be aiming to take the convention-goer to lunch in Chinatown while simultaneously taking the most inefficient route possible. Trying to be something for everyone will leave this line with not much for anyone.

Being different and serving Chinatown Station is a noble goal; however, it would be much more efficient to tie the line into the future Little Tokyo Station which will serve Chinatown via Union Station. No Grand Avenue Project or the Grand Avenue cultural corridor; close to the Fashion District but not quite there, depending on which way you’re traveling; too many turns; and a Blue Line crossing.

Looks like another no-go.

Chinatown, Union Station/El Pueblo, Grand Avenue Project, close enough to Broadway, South Park, and LA Live/Convention Center. Six points!

So it looks like we’re left with three plans that come close to meeting what Downtowners need without hitting the mark dead-on. A little planning into what Downtown will look like in a couple years would have gone a long way, but no matter.

-Check out Part III for my unscientific streetcar plan!