By Susan Motander
Traffic in several communities along the newly opened section of the Gold Line has worsened since the line opened, however the problem seems especially severe where the Gold Line crosses Myrtle Avenue just north of Duarte Road. At the city council meeting on Tuesday evening, Sean Sullivan, public services manager with the city reported on the problems and the city’s efforts to resolve the issue.
At the intersection in question, the problem is further exacerbated by the volume of traffic generated by parents dropping off and picking up students from Santa Fe Middle School located next to the intersection. It has always been busy especially at the beginning and end of the school day. With the Gold Line operating in primetime mode when the students are being dropped off, delays are even greater.
In a brief overview of the problem during the reports portion of the meeting, Sullivan reported to the council that one of the problems is that an electronic component that controls the crossing gate arms does not always function properly and has been recalled. It appears that the malfunction causes the gates to remain down. Unfortunately, Metro will not be able to install the replacement parts until June.
Sullivan said that if individuals experience this problem, they can call the Metro Control Center at (323) 563-5055, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He said that Metro had assured the city “the issue is being worked on.”
Sullivan also explained that the County of Los Angeles controlled the lights along the Duarte Road corridor, and that it was the county that set the timing. The city merely maintains the lights. He said that the city was working with the Gold Line Construction Authority, Metro, and the county to resolve the problems. He reported that the city had already had the timing for the left turn lane from eastbound Duarte to northbound Myrtle Avenue adjusted and that delays had been reduced. Councilmember Larry Spicer, who lives in the area concurred, but expressed concern about the danger to Santa Fe students in the congested area.
This particular intersection is also more heavily impacted than others as it is a block away from the maintenance and operations yard. Metro cars regularly pull into the yard for routine maintenance and this can cause further delays at that intersection.
In his weekly city manager’s report, Oliver Chi also noted that Metro is still in the process of working out new operational procedures and that these may be contributing to the delays. He wrote, “Issues such as access to the maintenance and operation yard, operator switch-outs, and the amount of time that trains hold at platforms are all being analyzed, and the city has been assured by Metro personnel that they will be streamlining their operations as much as possible to limit any direct traffic impacts.”
Later in the meeting, the council considered a request from city staff for approval of a task order to Gibson Transportation Consulting to study the Gold Line’s impact “on traffic at key intersections.” Several councilmembers questioned the wisdom of paying for a study, now while the county and Metro are still making changes. Sullivan, who also made the report on this agenda item, explained that the changes were being made in consultation with the city and that the city’s position would be strengthened in discussions by having the traffic engineer’s input. The task order was approved, with a cost not to exceed $12,000.
