THE BLUE RIBBON TASK FORCE EVALUATION OF THE MMLB ALTERNATIVE
Out of all of the multi-mode, low build strategies in the MMLB Report, just four had any credibility at all. The first was arterial street improvements to a number of north-south roadways in order to increase vehicle carrying capacity. The second was the implementation of Transit Feeder Services, Accelerated Transit Service on Fremont/Fair Oaks, and Activity Center Circulators. The third was the extension of the 710 Freeway to Mission Road. The fourth was the Blue Line ridership projected by MTA.
A blue ribbon task force of modeling experts were ultimately convened in order to reach a consensus of what portions of the MMLB Report could be modeled. On October 18, 1995, under the sponsorship of SCAG, political and technical representatives of Pasadena, South Pasadena, Los Angeles, and Alhambra, modeling experts from SCAG, Caltrans, FHWA, and the MTA all gathered to reach agreement on the exact project description that would be modeled. Here is a summary of the modeling:
| Summary of Evaluation of MMLB Report Strategies | ||||
|
Strategy Name in the MMLB Report |
Additional Capacity Claimed in MMLB Report |
Cost Included MMLB Report Estimate? |
Studied in the Model by the Blue Ribbon Task Force & LARTS? |
Why Included or Excluded from Modeling Study? |
|
Low Build Connector and Arterial Street Management in SGV Cities |
36,000 daily trips |
Yes |
Yes |
Included because the strategies could be described and modeled at a satisfactory level of detail |
|
Transit Feeder, Rapid Transit on Fremont/Fair Oaks, Circulators |
Feeds into the claimed trips from Blue Line and Metrolink |
Yes |
Yes |
Included in the modeling as a percentage of increased transit |
|
Pasadena Blue Line and Extension to Claremont |
290,000 daily trips |
No Over $1 Billion Dollars of Cost Excluded |
Yes |
Included as to ridership projected by MTA and not capacity claimed |
|
710 Freeway Extension Only to Mission Road |
120,000 daily trips |
Yes |
Yes |
Included as an additional freeway link in the model |
|
Metrolink Improvements |
10,000 daily trips |
No Tens of Millions of Dollars of Cost Excluded |
No |
No credible basis to show as a north-south benefit in 710 corridor |
|
Figueroa Extended Multi-Mode Corridor |
34,000 daily trips |
Yes |
No |
Figueroa is not in the 710 corridor and not a credible travel substitute |
Specifically attending the meeting to precisely define the MMLB Alternative was South Pasadena City Manager Ken Farfsing. South Pasadena’s MMLB transportation experts also attended this critical meeting. Walter Kulash of Glatting Jackson, and Herman Basmaciyan of Kimley-Horn actively participated in the definition of the MMLB project description and continued to follow-up after the October 18, 1995 meeting.
After the process of precisely defining the MMLB and getting agreement from everyone including South Pasadena’s experts, the modeling team at Caltrans LARTS performed the modeling runs as defined by the Blue Ribbon Task Force. When LARTS issued a draft report of the MMLB evaluation, prepared based upon the project description specifically developed by South Pasadena experts, South Pasadena attacked the validity of the modeling. To this day, like it has for more than a decade, South Pasadena and project opponents claim that Caltrans has never properly analyzed any of the low build proposals.
It appears the real purpose of these claims is to stall and delay. The day South Pasadena is forced to admit that all necessary planning for the 710 Freeway is complete, is the day it must concede that construction can begin. The real goal of South Pasadena is clearly to kill or delay the 710 Project forever. The South Pasadena claim that if only the MMLB Alternative were "properly" modeled it would show adequate road capacity for the 710 corridor has no credibility.
