This past Saturday, March 5, we all had a chance to experience the official opening of the Gold Line here in Monrovia. In the coming days, months, and years, the Gold Line will no doubt serve as a tremendous resource for our community, and for the entire San Gabriel Valley.
However, with the official opening of the Gold Line, we also experienced tremendous traffic impacts associated with new light rail service. Several north and south arterial streets in Monrovia were clogged with congestion due to the fact that the train stop arms were not functioning properly. In addition, better traffic signal light coordination with each train crossing would help improve the traffic impacts.
The most visible traffic problems occurred on Myrtle Avenue; however, additional unacceptable delays were experienced at Mayflower Avenue, Magnolia Avenue, California Avenue, and Mountain Avenue.
The city has been in constant contact with representatives from Metro, and we are working collaboratively to develop options to fix the issues at hand. The train stop arms need to function correctly, and we have identified that concern as the first priority to address. We also need to develop better traffic signal light coordination, which is a more complex issue that requires coordination between the city, Metro, Los Angeles County, and CalTrans. We have a number of individuals working on the issue, and we are committed to getting these issues resolved in as timely a manner as possible. In the meantime, should any member of the community experience or encounter any problems with traffic signals or rail crossings, please feel free to contact the city at (626) 932-5575, or Metro at (800) 396-2166.
