Los Angeles Transportation

It has been 40 years since the last clang-clang-clang of a trolley in Los Angeles. The Yellow Car -- the city's local electric-car line -- made its final run March 31, 1963, a farewell tour on the "V" Line from Los Angeles City College on Vermont Avenue to Pico Boulevard. Two years earlier, the interurban Red Cars that once ran from Redlands to Santa Monica for a penny a mile had made their last runs. Once both were gone, so was the golden age of mass transit in Los Angeles.

City Councilwoman Laura Chick called Tuesday for an analysis of the proposal to expand the Van Nuys Flyaway at LAX from a park-and-ride lot to a terminal that would offer transportation to and from the San Fernando Valley, plus other services. Chick's motion would direct the city Board of Airport Commissioners to review the proposal and report back to the council in 90 days. A Chick spokeswoman said the council would not take up the motion until September when it returns from a two-week recess.

A deal struck between the city of Vernon and the governmental agency overseeing work on the Alameda Corridor rail project will smooth the way for construction of the project while easing the impact on businesses in the city, an agency spokeswoman said Friday. Vernon is the last of the so-called corridor cities--cities that lie along the path of the project--to reach agreement with the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority.

A November ballot initiative may be the public's last chance to save Los Angeles County from a regional transportation nightmare. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority Reform and Accountability Act would principally do two things. First, it prohibits the use of transportation sales tax funds for the construction of any new subways after the current project between downtown and North Hollywood is completed.

To lessen freeway traffic while providing more travel-related jobs and tourism revenue, the Valley Industry and Commerce Assn. is calling for improvements to the Van Nuys Flyaway airport bus service. The VICA board of directors voted this week to support the San Fernando Valley Conference and Visitors Bureau's attempt to seek funding from the city Department of Airports for a cost-benefit analysis of the proposed upgrade.

The battle over the nation's second-largest bus system is on. After concentrating on rail construction and neglecting the backbone of Los Angeles' mass transit for years, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is promising better bus service and rolling out new equipment. But unwilling to accept promises, advocates for bus riders are taking their demands for improved public transit to the streets.

In the end, it came down to a simple question: Whom do you believe? Should the City Council rely on its Department of Transportation to recommend contractors for multimillion-dollar community shuttle bus services? Or should it listen to the teams of lobbyists that descended on City Hall? It was a tough call for the 13 council members present Wednesday, all of whom spoke, some at length, about the contracts. But finally the council split the difference.

Frustrated by Metropolitan Transportation Authority delays in implementing a court order to reduce bus overcrowding, the Bus Riders Union threatened Wednesday to begin a "fare strike." Union organizers say overcrowding is still so deplorable that their 2,000 dues-paying members want more militant action. That will include calling on bus riders to refuse to pay the $1.35 fare if they can't find a seat.

A federal crackdown restricting the types of helicopters allowed to fly over Los Angeles and other congested areas throughout the nation could cost businesses millions of dollars and force some operators to financially crash, pilots and others in the industry say.

A federal crackdown restricting the types of helicopters allowed to fly over Los Angeles and other congested areas in the county is causing economic worries among pilots and companies that operate the aircraft. In a city renowned for its proliferation of choppers, the change is affecting some key industries as well, particularly filmmaking and construction jobs involving aerial lifts, such as hoisting air-conditioning equipment to the top of tall buildings.