THIS PROJECT ONLY GOT A 77, SO MAYBE IT'S NOT WORTH THE READ.

VERMONT HARBOR – Fidelina Derow spends hours each week commuting between her apartment in South Los Angeles and her job in Hollywood. The 30-year-old janitor has very few complaints about her commute, though she wishes it were shorter.

“Sometimes I have to wait more than 15 minutes, and then when it comes, it’s very slow,” she said. “It takes a very long time to get to the place I need to go.”

Her feelings match the sentiments of many other commuters who travel along Vermont Avenue each day – it’s a smooth ride, but takes a long time. According to data from Metro, the average trip takes an hour and 27 minutes for local busses, 49 minutes for rapid busses.

But if voters approve a ballot measure this November, bus efficiency along the corridor could improve dramatically. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) along Vermont Avenue is a major line item in Measure M, after a 2015 study by Metro identified the corridor as the second busiest in Los Angeles county, and made recommendations to improve service immediately.

Metro currently offers a faster, express bus that substitutes local service every 15 minutes during peak hours, but it’s hardly a solution for efficiency on such an important thoroughfare. The 12.5-mile stretch between Hollywood and 120th street carries 45,000 passengers each day, linking South Los Angeles with the rest of the Los Angeles Metropolitan’s transportation network. After Wilshire Blvd, it’s considered the second busiest corridor in the county.

“It’s a really important link for the city, “ said Michael Richmai, a senior planner for Metro’s bus operations. “It’s vital to connecting people to the rest of the city.”

Richmai oversaw the 2015 study that recommended major upgrades for bus service along Vermont Avenue. His department is currently finalizing the second version of that study, which includes specific proposals for upgrades and how to implement them. Pending the approval of Measure M, the Metro Board of Directors would vote on their recommendations in the coming year.

“These are really exciting changes,” he said, adding: “they’re changes that could really speed things up and reduce travel time dramatically.”

The study will propose upgrades like dedicated bus lanes, a prepaid fare system and multi-door boarding. These are staples of BRT and have been implemented along bus lines in other cities around the world.

“Other cities, especially internationally, have been quick to adapt BRT because it’s a cheaper alternative to rail. You can implement it for a quarter or a tenth of the price of a subway system,” said Richmai.

Representatives from Metro declined to provide specifics about how much the upgrades would cost, though the funding would come directly from Measure M. The ballot measure proposes a half a cent increase in sales tax and extends Measure R. It’s expected to generate an estimated $860 million a year to pay for projects.

BRT systems are noted for their efficiency and low-cost. They offer many of the benefits that light rail and subway systems have, but without lengthy and costly construction period. Curitiba, Brazil was the first city to implement a BRT system in 1974 after funding for a rail system became unavailable. BRT came to the United States in 1977, but mostly operated in midsize cities with limited transportation budgets. In 2009, New York City became the densest U.S. city to implement a rapid bus system when it added bus lanes and a prepayment system along 34th street.

Though the recommendations will be for specific BRT projects, a Metro representative said that the project would be built so that “it could be converted for rail service at a later date -- if ridership exceeds the system’s capacity.”


PLUS LOOKING AT PHOTO'S IS SOOOOO MUCH BETTER!