When it comes to improving the ways we get around the Southland, change usually occurs at a glacial pace.
In one sense, that remains true at the end of 2008. There is little statistical evidence to suggest that any commuting patterns were seriously altered. Nor did any new roads or mass transit projects debut.
Yet, 2008 was very eventful. The groundwork was laid for some dramatic developments that could come in future years, and transportation was often big news. Here, from my point of view, are the 10 most significant stories of the year:
* A deadly Metrolink crash occurs in Chatsworth. The commuter rail agency suffered its third major crash with passenger fatalities in the last six years when a three-car train hit a Union Pacific freight train Sept. 12, killing 25 and injuring 135. The Metrolink engineer was text messaging in the moments before the crash and blew past a red signal light, although the train's conductor and three observers say the light appeared to be green. The collision remains under federal investigation, but it has already prompted a committee of experts to recommend that Metrolink place more emphasis on improving passenger safety.
Another Metrolink train hit a freight train in Rialto in November -- this time with only slight injuries to passengers. It remains to be seen whether Metrolink's board of directors -- most of whose members rarely ride the trains -- will implement true safety fixes in 2009.
* Measure R passes in Los Angeles County. The Achilles heel of mass transit in L.A. County, the nation's most populous, has always been lack of money.
Not anymore. The half-cent sales tax hike could provide $40 billion over its 30-year life span for a long, long list of projects that critics said were mostly designed to please the big city politicians who put the tax on the ballot. The story now is whether the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will stick with its spending plan and which road, rail and bus projects will get built first. The Expo Line and extension of the Gold Line look to have the edge. Of course, tax revenues will lag as long as the economy is headed downward.
* The "subway to the sea" is reborn. This long-held dream to run a transit line from downtown Los Angeles to the city's heavily congested Westside didn't have one cent of funding until Measure R passed. Now it has $4.1 billion, plus any state, federal or private money that can be secured.
