Transit Alternatives Analysis for Los Angeles

An interdisciplinary team of public agency personnel and consultants has recently performed a transit alternatives analysis subject to guidelines promulgated by UMTA mandating a comprehensive assessment of the social, economic environmental, and urban development goals of an area as an integral part of the transportation planning process. The alternative analysis, the first to be completed subsequent to the new UMTA directives, utilizes an iterative and hierarchical approach to transit planning proceeding from system level evaluation, followed by a selection of high-priority areas or corridors for further analysis, which is in turn, followed by the selection of the highest priority subareas for extremely detailed analysis and evaluation. Major categories of investigation included an analysis of many quantifiable measures leading toward cost-effective transit solutions (e.g., capital and operating costs) as well as a qualitative comparative assessment of such factors as visual impacts and direct impacts on land-use goals and objectives.